NOMADIC HABITS 



incomprehensible in the habits of the SomaH is 

 explained, and it will be obvious how much the 

 country they inhabit has moulded their characters 

 and influenced their way of living. They themselves 

 have a saying, which illustrates my point, " God 

 made Somaliland : then He laughed and made the 

 Somali." 



Since there is no permanent water-supply, agricul- 

 ture is rendered impossible. Their wealth therefore 

 consists in live stock, and in order to keep them in 

 good condition the natives are obliged to wander 

 from place to place, according to the season, in endless 

 search of good pasture and of water. Years of such 

 wanderings have developed their nomadic instincts to 

 the full, and have moulded their physique into a form 

 almost ideally suited to such a life. Resembling an 

 Arab in appearance, the Somali is slightly built, small 

 boned, and very lithe and active. Accustomed to 

 hardships of every kind, and exposed to danger from 

 his earliest years, he is content with a minimum of 

 physical comfort and becomes a tireless marcher, a 

 wonderful scout and a courageous warrior. In 

 endless conflict with the natural difficulties of his 

 country and the vicissitudes of his climate, perpetually 

 defending himself from the dangers that beset his 

 life and his belongings, he finds rest only in his 

 wanderings, peace and contentment of heart only 

 in fighting and in adding to his stock by raiding 

 that of his neighbour. 



In his heart he considers himself perfect and far 

 superior to the tribes by which he is surrounded. 

 He holds in subjection the Waboni, and despises 

 the Galla, refusing to believe for a moment in the 

 possibility of a common origin. But this narrow and 



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