Somali clan

Social stratification

To satisfy the demands of the market for agricultural produce in the Arabian Peninsula and cater to the local needs, Somali clans in the Lower Shabelle region and along the ancient Banaadir coast began the procurement of Bantuslaves from Arab slave traders to provide labor and serve as client farmers for the Somali clans. The primarily Pastoralist clans surrounding the inter-riverine areas settled down not to farm, but to acquire slaves as agricultural laborers. With the growth of the plantation sector, pastoralists could convert part of their wealth in livestock to wealth in slaves, produce for a market, and earn a cash income to reinvest in the pastoral sector.