The Jidwaq (
Somali: Jidwaaq,
Arabic: جيدواق) is a major subclan, part of one of the largest
Somali clans families, the Absame
Darod.[1][2][3] Jidwaq are well known for their conquests in
Abyssinia during the 1500s they played a very prominent role in the
Adal Sultanate.[4] They are famous for bringing the largest army and were very loyal to
Imam Ahmad. Jidwaq have produced notable generals such as
Ahmed Girri Bin Hussein who was the right hand man of
Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi.[5]
Overview
The Jidwaq clan primarily inhabit the
Somali Region of
Ethiopia,[6][7] (where they live in the
Jigjiga area),[8] the
North Eastern Province of
Kenya and the
Jubaland region of southern
Somalia (where they live south of
Bu'ale).[9] The name Jidwaaq means "the path of God" in the
Somali language.[10] The Jidwaq clan are divided into two branches; Rooble Jidwaaq (Abasguul & Yabaree) and Bare Jidwaaq (Bartire).
According to the
UNHCR, the Jidwaq in the
Somali Region are mostly agro-pastoralists. They often engage in agriculture but also raise livestock.[11]
Then he assembled the Somali clans the tribe of Girri, the tribe of Marraihan, the tribe of Yibberi with their chieftain Ahmad Girri, the clan of the Härti, people of Mait, the tribe of Jairan, the tribe of Mazzar. the tribe of Barsub all of these were Somalis and they were ordered by the Imam to hold the left they were all under Matan[13]
The Jidwaaq have been described in the The
Journal of the Royal Geographical Society as the western-most branches of the
Darod clan. The Bartire subclan in particular has been described as pastoralists in addition to growing coffee, as well as intermarrying with the
Emirs of
Harar, giving them an amount of influence.[14]
To the South and S.S.W. of Berbera, on the road to Hurrur, the kafilas pass though [sic] the country of the Burtirrh, and Girrhi, the two most western branches of the family of Darood. Of these two tribes little is known. The Emirs of Hurrur have for many years intermarried with the Burtirrhi, and this gives them a certain degree of influence, but they do not visit the sea-coast so commonly as the other tribes, and appear to be a pastoral race, occupied solely in tending their flocks and herds, and in planting the coffee-tree on the low ranges S.E. of Hurrur.
Hawo Tako, also known as (Xaawo Taako or Hawa Osman) was a revolutionary freedom fighter, born in
Kebri Beyah in the
Somali Region,
Ethiopia. Her brother was one of the founding fathers of
SYL, in which his disappearance brought her to become a member. Hawo Tako participated in the 1948 riots of
Mogadishu where she was killed.[15]
Clan tree
There is no clear agreement on the clan and sub-clan structures and many lineages are omitted. The following listing is taken from the
World Bank's Conflict in Somalia: Drivers and Dynamics from 2005 and the
United Kingdom's
Home Office publication, Somalia Assessment 2001.[16][17]
Garad Hirsi Farah Hirsi (Wiil-Waal), The 17th
Garad of the Bartire.
The Jigjiga Airport (JIJ) is named after him. Many Somali folklore stories are based on his life.[18]
Sheikh Hassan Yabarre, Sultan of the Yabarre clan. Sheik Hassen Yabare Referral Hospital (JIJ) is named after him.
Abdiwasa Abdilahi Bade, Somali academic and Ethiopian Federal Government Minister.
Abdulfatah Abdullahi Hassan, Former Ethiopian Federal Minister for Labour, Current Ambassador to Somalia[19]
Garad Kulmiye Mohammed Dool Wiil-Waal, The current
Garad of the Absame and Bartire, Leader of the
Somali Region Council of Elders
Mubashir Dubbad Raage, Former Minister of Finance, Current Minister for Security of the
Somali Region.
Ayderus Ahmed Mohamud, former Health college EDC director, instructor and former deputy Head of Health Ministry
Somali Region.