The Bajuni people are a
Bantu
Bantu may refer to:
*Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages
*Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language
* Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle
*Black Association for National ...
ethnic group mainly residing on the
Bajuni Islands
The Bajuni Islands ( it, Isole Giuba, also known as the Bajun Islands or Baajun Islands) are an archipelago in southern Somalia. They are situated in the Somali sea in the southern coast of Jubaland, from Kismayo to Ras Kiyamboni (not to be confuse ...
and surrounding coastal areas between the port city of
Kismayo
Kismayo ( so, Kismaayo, Maay: ''Kismanyy'', ar, كيسمايو, ; it, Chisimaio) is a port city in the southern Lower Juba (Jubbada Hoose) province of Somalia. It is the commercial capital of the autonomous Jubaland region.
The city is situa ...
and
Mombasa
Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of the British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital city status. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...
area of
Kenya
)
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, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
...
and Somalia’s southern border.
Overview
The Bajuni principally inhabit the tiny
Bajuni Islands
The Bajuni Islands ( it, Isole Giuba, also known as the Bajun Islands or Baajun Islands) are an archipelago in southern Somalia. They are situated in the Somali sea in the southern coast of Jubaland, from Kismayo to Ras Kiyamboni (not to be confuse ...
in the Somali Sea. Many also traditionally reside in
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
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, largest_city = Nairobi
...
, mainly in
Mombasa
Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of the British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital city status. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...
and other towns in that country's
Coast Province
The Coast Province ( sw, Mkoa wa Pwani) of Kenya, along the Indian Ocean, was one of Kenya's eight provinces. It comprises the Indian Ocean coastal strip with the capital city at Mombasa and was inhabited by the Mijikenda and Swahili, among oth ...
.
[Abdullahi, p.11.][Mwakikagile, p.102.]
The population's members trace their origins to diverse groups; primarily coastal
Jareer a descendant of free or enslaved Bantus . And they trace their origins to the
Khoisanoid hunter-gather groups, as well as later additions such as
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
,
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
and
Somalis
The Somalis ( so, Soomaalida 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒆𐒖, ar, صوماليون) are an ethnic group native to the Horn of Africa who share a common ancestry, culture and history. The Lowland East Cushitic Somali language is the shared ...
immigrants.
Some also have
Malay
Malay may refer to:
Languages
* Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore
** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century
** Indonesi ...
and
Indonesian
Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to:
* Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia
** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago
** Indonesian ...
ancestry.
The Bajuni follow the laws of Islam to conduct their affairs. Almost all are
Shafite Muslims. Their lives revolve around the mosque and daily prayer. In the course of saying five prayers a day, they also wash at least five times. Every Muslim parent insists on giving his child the basic Islamic education. A Muslim judge, or
kadhi
Kadhi or karhi is a dish popularly consumed in South Asia. It consists of a thick gravy based on gram flour, and contains vegetable fritters called pakoras, to which dahi (yogurt) is added to give it a bit of sour taste. It is often eaten wit ...
, handles the criminal and civil disputes of the community.
When a child is born, it is held up by the father, a friend, or a teacher, who recites the traditional call of prayer into its ear. From the moment of birth, the child is instructed in the basic teachings of Islam. Men are the working breadwinners. A woman's place among the Bajuni is usually within the home. She customarily leaves the house only to visit or to go to the market. Her visiting is done late in the afternoon when the housework is finished and the children are playing. The husbands like to gather at a men's meeting place or the mosque.
The Bajuni are traditionally fishermen and sailors. Some also pursue other trades such as
metalwork
Metalworking is the process of shaping and reshaping metals to create useful objects, parts, assemblies, and large scale structures. As a term it covers a wide and diverse range of processes, skills, and tools for producing objects on every scale ...
.
History
By 1960, Somalia (then known as Italian Somaliland) gained its freedom from colonial governance. Kenya gained its independence in December 1963.
The Kenya National Assembly Official Record (Hansard) contains several records of land ownership and rights discussions. Thi
official record, dated Jun 24 - Jul 30, 1971documents a discussion of traditionally Bajuni lands (Lamu, Kenya) and dissenting opinions as to ownership. In th
official record of May 28 - Jul 4, 1974 there were questions regarding what government actually had jurisdiction over the Bajuni tribal lands.
With the downfall of the Somali government in 1991, Bajuni people experienced abandonment by both the Somalia and Kenyan governments. The Bajuni refer to this period as "The Troubles". This marginalization led Chairman of the Bajuni, Hon. Mohamed Ismail Barkale (Maxamed Ismaaciil Barkaale) to petition I.G.A.D. (Africa's Intergovernmental Authority on Development) for the lawful rights of the Bajuni people in December 2003, as documented at www.somalitalk.com.
Barkale was made a delegate to the 2003 Somali peace talks, see 193. Hon. Mohamed Ismail Barkale
List of members of the Somali Transitional Federal Parliament
This is a list of members of the Somali Transitional Federal Parliament. First published on August 29, 2004, the MPs were scheduled to serve until 2009.
List of selected members of the Transitional Federal Parliament as of August 29, 2004
Refer ...
.
Language
The Bajuni people collectively refer to themselves and are known as ''Wabajuni''. They speak
Kibajuni, a dialect of the
Bantu
Bantu may refer to:
*Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages
*Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language
* Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle
*Black Association for National ...
Swahili language.
Notes
References
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{{authority control
Ethnic groups in Kenya
Ethnic groups in Somalia
Somalian people of Bajuni descent
Muslim communities in Africa
Somali Bantu
Bantu peoples