I’ve been reading a fascinating article in 30-days.net about the Juba Arabs, a 900,000 strong population that live along the Somali/Ethiopian border.
Virtually cut off from the rest of the world, around 650,000 Juba live in Somalia’s fertile regions Wabi of Shebele. A further 275,000 live just over the border in Ethiopia. Originally from the Arabian peninsula, the Juba speaks an Arabic dialect called Maay.
Hanging out with the Herdsman on the Horn
Standing proud at the Horn of Africa, Somalia is a poor nation with little industry and few natural resources. The region has been devastated by civil unrest and tribal war since 1991. Although Somalia has seemingly endless coastline, the landscape is dry and barren with scorching year-round temperatures
Somali are traditionally nomadic herdsmen, while the Juba are mostly farmers. They grow coffee, wheat, vegetables, dates, mangoes and pomegranates. Juba life has an in-built tradition of daily coffee time and because wood is so scarce, the Juba burns animal-dung for their fires (and coffee pots!)
Welcome to the Juba Way of Life
The Juba is Sunni (Shafiite) Muslims and their distinct class structures are reflected in the way they dress. Juba Women wear veils at home as well as in public. When boys enter manhood they are allowed to wear a variety of headwear. Juba marriage is strictly arranged within their own tribe and children are highly valued as an asset to every family.
Village life lies at the heart of Juba culture and is more structured than among other African Arabs. Homes are typically made of mud-brick with a flat roof and most have only one room. Occasionally, the roof is made of grass thatch, which extends out to make a verandah.
Other Juban homes are similar to those of the Sudanese: a one room circular hut with a cone shaped thatch roof. Floors in these types of houses are either mud or thatch. Goats and chickens are kept in a small yard to provide milk and eggs.
