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Samaale, also spelledSamali orSamale (Somali:Samaale) is traditionally considered to be the common forefather of several majorSomali clans and their respective sub-clans. His name is the source of theethnonymSomali.[1]
As the purported ancestor of mostpastoralist clans living in the northern part ofSomalia, Samaale lies at the basis of the largest and most widespread Somali lineage (the second largest lineage belonging to Samaale's brotherSab, the purported progenitor of most southern, cultivating clans).[1] The main branches of the Samaale clan are theDir, theHawiye, theIsaaq, theDarod, and the 'pre-Hawiya' group (containing theGardere, theYakabur, and theMayle).[2]
Both the Samaale and the Sab claim to be ultimately descended from theArab clan of theQuraysh throughAqil ibn Abi Talib (c. 580 – 670 or 683), a cousin of the Islamic prophetMuhammad and older brother ofAli.[3] Although these claims of descent are historically untenable, they do reflect the longstanding cultural contacts between Somalia (especially, though not exclusively, its most northern partSomaliland) andSouthern Arabia.[4]
The progenitor Samaale is generally regarded as the source of theethnonymSomali. Others state that the word Somali is derived from the wordssoo andmaal, which together mean "go and milk"—a reference to the ubiquitouspastoralism of theSomali people. Anotheretymology proposes that the termSomali is derived from theArabic for "wealthy" (zāwamāl), again referring to Somali riches in livestock.[1]
Just like the descendants of the other main Somali clan progenitorSab, the clans tracing their lineage to Samaale claim that their forefather was himself a descendant of the ArabBanu Hashim clan (a sub-clan of theQuraysh), throughAqil ibn Abi Talib, a cousin of the prophet Muhammad and older brother ofAli.[1][5] According to the British anthropologist andSomali Studies veteranIoan M. Lewis, the traditions of descent from noble Arab families related to Muhammad embraced by most Somali clans are most probablyfigurative expressions of the importance ofIslam in Somali society.[6] Likewise,Sada Mire regards the foundation of Somali clan lineages by Arab progenitors as part of "the Somali Islamic myth of origin".[7]
Thepaternal genetics of ethnicSomalis are inconsistent with apost-Islamic commonTMRCA (time to most recent common ancestor) and with a post-Islamic paternal Arabian origin for the majority of the ethnicity.[8] The majority of Somalis have a TMRCA between 4,000-2,000 years before present in theBronze Age.[9]
The claimed descent of Samaale from the Banu Hashim is as follows: Samaale was the son of Hill, the son of Muhammad Yow, the son of Muhammad Abd al-Rahman, the son ofAqil, the son ofAbu Talib (paternal uncle of theprophet Muhammad), the son ofAbd al-Muttalib (paternal grandfather of Muhammad).[5]
Samaale's father Hill is also thought of as the father of Sab, the progenitor of most southern Somali clans (most notably theRahanweyn).[1]
Constructing and reconstructinggenealogical tables according to changing political and economical alliances is an important part of Somali culture, epitomized by the sayingtol waa tolane, meaning 'clan is something joined together'.[10] One of multiple possible tables used by scholars to sketch the main outlines of Somali clan genealogy is as follows:[11]