ABSTRACT
Voice and Power, ed. R.J.Hayward & I.M.Lewis (ALC Supplement 3, 1996): 195-204.
1. Introduction
This paper seeks to outline the basic principles of clanship among the Rahanweyn. The purpose of this exercise is to demonstrate how members of Rahanweyn clans assign a rather restricted set of functions to clanship and, in addition, apply other social idioms as regulatory principles for their social life. This particular social formula, I shall argue, is part of the reason why inter-clan strife, at least in the past, has been relatively rarer among the Rahanweyn than among other Somali groups of clans. Generally acknowledged as ‘peace-lovers,’ the Rahanweyn could provide a useful example for other Somalis in search of ways to reshape their traditions.
