T
he British Somali Coast Protectorate extends from Lehadu, or more properly Loyada, on the west—situated about half-way between Zaila and Djibuti—to Bandar Ziade on the east, that is, from 43° 15' to 49° east longitude.Though the extent of the Protectorate of the Somalian coast in terms of its inland spread has not been defined, it includes the territory usually occupied by tribes such as half of the Esa, Gadabursi, numerous Habr Awal tribes, Habr Gerhajis, Habr Toljaala and Warsangali.
It is bound on the north by the sea, on the west by the artificial line of demarcation between the French and English Protectorates which runs from Loyada to Abbaswain, Biyo Kaboba, and Gildessa. Its southern boundary is demarcated by Somali tribes under Harrar and, roughly speaking, the 8° of north latitude as far as 47° east longitude, whence, treading north-east, the eastern boundary is defined by the extent of the War-sangali territory up to the 49° east longitude.
The maritime plain is of varying extent: on the east and as far west as between Karan and Berbera (longitude 45° 30'). The lofty mountains approach the sea; south of Berbera and Bulhar the Golis range of mountains may be said to run parallel to the coast at a distance of about 40
to 50 miles. Parts of the south-west Habr Awal country and the Gadabursi country are mountainous. The Esa country is flat, gradually rising to Gildessa where the mountains are entered.
To the south of the main ranges, on the south-west lies the great waterless plateau called the “Haud” which running south-west, loses itself in the Nogal valley. The highest ranges appear to be on the east where they approach 7,000 feet. The highest point of the Golis range is Tawawur Feet. The general level of the Haud is about 4000 feet above sea level.
There is not one real river in all this vast region.
Broad, dry, sandy river beds with low banks are fre-quently met with, and these carry off the rainfall which falls at uncertain intervals and are, generally speaking, dry in a few hours, although very many of them hold a good supply of water below the surface.
The country, on the whole, may be said to be a very rugged, arid one and unfit for cultivation, although there are large tracts which, had they a continuous rain-fall for a few months of the year, would be covered with crops, for in these portions the soil is good.
It cannot be said that the Somali Coast protectorate is, as far as it has been explored, a well-wooded or a densely jungle-covered country. Some of the eastern range sand parts of the Golis Mountains are well covered with vegetation and large trees are found in parts of these ranges. In other parts of the country there is often found dense thorn jungle, but the general aspect of the country is open with scattered bush-mimosa trees. In places there are much aloe and the “hig” or Sansevieria Ehrenbergii.
Along the banks of the dry river beds the tree-growth is frequently fairly luxuriant.
The local terms given to the maritime plain, ghausts, and high plateaus, are as follows:
The maritime plain ... ... ... “Guban”.
Above the ghauts ... ... ... “Ogo”.
Between these two ... ... ... “Ogo-Gudan”.
The waterless plateau between the Ogo and the Ogaden tribes
below 8° 30' south latitude. “The Haud”.
South of that ... ... ... “The Ogaden”.
The area of the Protectorate may be very roughly estimated at about 75,000 square miles.
The Protectorate is certainly a dry land though heavy rain falls at times and especially far inland. There is no regular rainy season unless this may be said to exist in the Haud. In the maritime plain rain may be expected in two or three heavy falls of a few inches between November and April.
The higher ranges of mountains experience more frequent rain.
About May and June fairly heavy rain may be expec-ted in and about the Haud.
The following description of the seasons is taken from Captain Swayne’s Reconnaissance Report of 1891:
1. Jilal—January to April—The driest season—Great heat.
2. Gu—May, June—The heavier rains (little felt on the coast).
3. Haga—July, August, September—The hot wea-ther—The kharif or south-west monsoon blows furiously.
Cold above the Ghauts, hot in Guban with sand-storms.
4. Dair—October, November, December—the lighter rains—Heavy on the coast.
5. Jilal is a season of great heat just before Gu called Kalil”.
The climate of the country may be briefly described as very pleasant, though with a hot sun, or for six months of the year, very hot in the plains for three or four months, especially when the strong “kharif” wind is blowing with clouds of dust and sand, and generally very healthy.
During the cold season the range of temperature is great and the cold on the higher lands trying at night. The Somalis seem to suffer more from the chills, due to insufficient clothing, than from any other complaints.
If by the term “chief staples” is meant “important products in a particular region” the subject may be dis-missed with the assertion that there are practically none.
The “principal products” are gums, skins, hides, ghee, and the live-stock consisting of cattle, sheep and goats. Coffee, waras (bastard saffron), ivory, &c., pass through the protectorate from remoter districts but are not really products of the country.*
MINERAL DEPOSITS, CROPS, AND ROADS MINERAL DEPOSITS, CROPS, AND ROADS MINERAL DEPOSITS, CROPS, AND ROADS MINERAL DEPOSITS, CROPS, AND ROADS MINERAL DEPOSITS, CROPS, AND ROADS As far as mineral deposits in the country were con-cerned, the British in a Handbook prepared under the guidance of the British Foreign Office on Somaliland and Sokotra reported that sample obtained from a locality 53 miles east of Berbera and 30 miles south of Karam was examined by the Imperial Institute. They reported as follows: “If the specimen now reported on is fairly re-presentative of the coal obtainable from this deposit, the latter can be of no immediate value except for local use, as the coal could not compete even in the nearer Medi-terranean and East African markets with better coal available from other sources. The deposit may, however, be of great economic value to Somaliland later on, and should be thoroughly examined.”
As for gold, the report said:
“Gold
“Gold“Gold
“Gold
“Gold—Statements are to be met with, especially in older accounts of the country, to the effect that gold-fields exist in British Somaliland. It has been suggested that
* Foreign Department Somail Coast Protectorate, March 1893, NAI, New Delhi. (National Archives of India, hereafter cited as NAI)
the gold-producing district, known to the ancient Ethio-pian Empire as Sasu, may be located in the north-eastern corner of Somaliland, stretching southwards in the direc-tion of Obbia in Italian Somaliland. Attempts have also been made to prove that the gold-bearing country known to the ancient Egyptians as Punt is identical with those part of Somaliland. There is, however, no evidence of the existence of gold-fields in the country. The ranges of the Somali hinterland are Archaean gneiss, schists, and granites, but notwithstanding their resemblance to those of Egypt, they do not, so far as is known, furnish auri-ferous deposits. Recent expeditions into the interior of Italian Somaliland, such as those of Bricchetti and Robecchi, make no reference to modern gold-washing or even to gold occurrences. It is true that alluvial gold has been found in British Somaliland; but on the whole it seems unlikely that the country possesses any rich deposits of the minerals.”
The Handbook “British Somaliland and Sokotra”*
states: “The existence of mineral oil in the Protectorate has been investigated by the Colonial Office, whose experts reported that oil had been found about 28 miles south of Berbera. Their report was considered to justify preliminary boring on a considerable scale, but owing to the war these have not yet been undertaken.
“Salt—
“Salt—“Salt—
“Salt—
“Salt—It is stated that the salt-pans which exist behind the town of Karam can be worked at a profit. The exact commercial prospects of the undertaking are, how-ever, not ascertainable at present. Samples of salt from various parts of Somaliland have been submitted to the Imperial Institute for examination. It was reported that refined salt of good quality could be obtained therefrom.
“Lithographic stone is found at Eilo, and apparently eslewhere also; limestone is widely distributed; gypsum
* British Somaliland and Sokotros, Foreign Office, London, March 1919.
is found at Kirrit and many other places; lead, silver, cinnabar, and talc are reported from the Warsangeli country. Natural hot springs are known to exist in various places, but their waters have not been analysed.”
Roads RoadsRoads Roads
Roads—According to the British document of March 1919, there were no roads in British Somaliland in the European sense of the word. The only road which could be considered suitable for wheeled traffic was constructed during the operations against the freedom fighter, whom the British called “the Mad Mullah”, in 1902-4 and ran from Berbera to Bihendula and on through the Sheikh Pass to Burao and Kirrit. From the pass there were two branches, one to Wadamago and the other to Bohotle. It was a rough military road. But the British believed that the roads fit for wheeled traffic could be constructed on the maritime plain at no very great expense.
A railway was projected and surveyed between Ber-bera and Harrar (276 miles) with a branch line from Argan to Burao (97 miles). The first was thought to be of commercial as well as strategic value but the second was recommended solely on military grounds.
The British found that the agricultural products were at that time insignificant and the Somalis, for their food grain as well as for rice and dates, depended largely upon imports. But the competent authorities made the follow-ing suggestions for the possible development of the country.
The Handbook recorded: “It is suggested that the Golis range of the mountains offers excellent prospects for the cultivation of coffee, the conditions being somewhat similar to those existing in the Harrar province of Abyssinia, which produces some of the finest coffee in the world.
There are said to be very good prospects for the culti-vation of the date-palm on the coast; this matter has been already taken in hand by the Government of the Protectorate.
The country produces various types of fibre, but the only one which seemes to offer any commercial prospects is known as Sansevieria Ehrenbergii. This fibre has always been used by the Somalis in the manufacture of their camel ropes. Even when cleaned by hand, after the rough and ready native methods, if fetched a good price on the London market. It is classed with the best sisal hemp, and when properly cleaned should command from
£34 to £35 per ton. The plant is very common throughout the country and the supply is practically unlimited. An attemp was made to exploit it, but owing to the trouble in the interior, the project had to be abandoned.
The Handbook observed that “ Myrrh is obtained from the didin tree (Balsamodendron myrrha), which is found in the eastern part of the coastal region and also in the Warsangeli country and southwards thereof. There are two kinds of frankincense, loban dakar, which comes from the mohar (Boswellia Carteri), a tree common in the maritime mountains south of Berbera and in the War-sangeli and Mijjerten countries, and loban maidi, which is obtained from the yehar tree (Boswellia Frereana), found in the north-east of the country. The wood of the deyib (Juniperus procera), a large cedar, is suitable for making lead pencils; the tree is specially abundant on the top of the scarp of the interior plateau.
Tobacco TobaccoTobacco Tobacco
Tobacco—It is said that tobacco grows well both on the coast and in the interior. The locality most suitable for its growth would probably be the foot-hills of the Golis range.
Live Stock Live StockLive Stock Live Stock
Live Stock—The great bulk of the wealth of Somali-land consists in live stock belonging to the natives. There is good grazing in most parts of the country. The camel is by far the most important domestic animal. It is kept mainly for its milk, which is a principal food of the Somali;
and its flesh, which is highly esteemed by the natives, is occasionally eaten. The Somali camel is an excellent beast
of burden; it can carry a load of 300 lb. for several suc-cessive days, travelling nine hours a day. The natives never ride their camels, though they would make good mounts.
“There are considerable herds of cattle, which are confined to the Golis range and the neighbouring hills.
They are of the small-horned or hornless zebu variety, and give fair milk, but are not nearly such fine animals as the Abyssinian breed. They are kept to provide the ghee, or clarified butter, which is consumed in considerable quantities by the inhabitants of the coastal region. Live animals and ghee are exported to Aden, and hides are sent to the United States of America. In some years lack of water and of fodder during the dry season causes a good deal of mortality from starvation among the cattle. In all years this disability reduces the animals to poor con-dition, and on this account they will never be able to compete in the production of meat with the Arussi cattle of Abyssinia.
Sheep are of the black-faced, fat-tailed variety, and constitute the chief food of the Somalis. They are also exported in considerable quantities for the use of the Aden garrison. They have little wool and are never shorn, but their skins, being thin, fetch a good price on the American markets for glove manufacture.
Along with every flock of sheep a few goats are found;
they give poor milk, and are of no particular value, although their flesh is eaten when mutton is not available.
There is also a trade in goatskins, which are exported for the manufacture of glace’ kid shoes and for book-binding.
There are large numbers of hardy small ponies, es-pecially in the east, but their numbers are said to have been diminished greatly by the constant fighting since 1900. They are used solely for riding.
Ostriches are almost domesticated in the interior, but their feathers are less valuable than those from the Cape.
Irrigation IrrigationIrrigation Irrigation
Irrigation—Agriculture is usually said to offer poor prospects owing to the scantiness of the water-supply. It may, however, be pointed out that the country is by no means waterless; numerous permanent springs exist, especially in the more mountainous parts, but as the water is only required for domestic needs it is commonly allowed to flow away and disappear beneath the surface.
At Dubar in the maritime hills, hot springs exist, and the water from these, before it was required for the town of Berbera eight miles away, disappeared in to the sand emerged from the rocks. To-day the water is collected in tanks and is carried on to Berbera in pipes, where it supplies the entire population. In the same way the springs at Bihendula, Armaleh, Daraas, Shamaheleh, upper Sheikh, and Harawa in the Gudabirsi country, to mention only a few, might easily be utilized, and at no very great cost. In localities less favoured, dams could be made, especially in stock-raising areas such as the Arori and Toyo plains, and the great plains In the west and the Nogal valley. It is possible that with careful preservation and regulation of the existing water-supply, agriculture production, now virtually negligible, might attain con-siderable dimensions.”
SOMALI LANGUAGE SOMALI LANGUAGESOMALI LANGUAGE SOMALI LANGUAGESOMALI LANGUAGE
The Somali language was only spoken and not written. However, in 1885 the British authorities issued order in accordance with which passing in the Somali language was made obligatory for the officers of the Aden Residency who had to work also in Somalia. In 1889 the authorities proposed a reward of Rs. 360 to be given to military officers for passing a colloquial examination in Somali.
In 1898 the Political Department of the British autho-rities in Bombay received a letter from Father Evangelist
de Larjasse of Berbera together with eight copies of a Dictionary and Grammar of the Somali language. The Aden Residency said the Dictionary and Grammar would form “a valuable addition to our knowledge of the Somali language.” Therefore, the Government authorised to spend Rs. 1,000 for the purchase of copies of the Dic-tionary and Grammar.*
In 1905 the British authorities decided to conduct a written test in the Somali language as it was necessary for the officers in the Somali Coast to learn the Somali language. According to First Assistant Resident, Aden, the examination was mainly colloquial, i.e. the candidate was required to converse on general subjects with a Somali. But the candidate was given two papers con-taining ten simple sentences each for translating English sentences into Somali; and Somali into English; the Roman Characters being employed in writing Somali. The maximum number of marks obtainable was 100 in the colloquial test in each of the written tests, and number of marks required to pass was 50 per cent in each of the tests and 60 per cent of the total.**
The examination in Somali language was classified as an elementary standard, and the reward admissible to those passing it in future was R.180.
* Political Department, Bombay, Feb. 1898, N. 8, NAI.
** Military Department Aden Residency, 19 Jan.1905, NAI.