Harla people
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Languages | |
| Harla | |
| Religion | |
| Islam |
The Harla, also Harala, were an ethnic group, now extinct, that inhabited Ethiopia and Somalia. They spoke the now extinct Harla language, a language of either the Semitic or Cushitic branches of the Afroasiatic language family. They are believed to be ancestors of the Harari and Somali People.[1]
History
The Harla are credited by the present-day inhabitants of Hararghe with having constructed various historical sites found in the province. Although now mostly lying in ruins, these structures include stone necropoleis, store pits, mosques and houses. According to the scholars Azais, Chambard and Huntingford, the builders of these monumental edifices were ancestral to the Somalis ("proto-Somali"). Tradition states one of Harla's main towns was Metehara and the area between Harar and Dire Dawa is still referred to as Harla.[2]
Field research by Enrico Cerulli identified a modern group called the "Harla" living amongst the Somali in the region between the cities of Harar and Jijiga. Encyclopaedia Aethiopica suggests that this population "may be a remnant group of the old [Harla], that integrated into the Somali genealogical system, but kept a partially separate identity by developing a language of their own." Cerulli published some data on this Harla community's language, called af Harlaad, which resembled the Somali languages spoken by the Yibir and Madhiban low-caste groups.[3]
According to Ethiopian accounts, in the 14th century, the Harla battled against the forces of emperor Amda Seyon I in what is now North Somalia.[4] The Harari people are considered to be the closest remaining link to the Harla people. The Harla tribe's disappearance could have been due to the Abyssinian–Adal war in the 16h century, destitution, or assimilation by invading Oromos and Somalis.[5] Strong evidence suggests that during the Great Oromo Migrations, the remaining Harla retreated behind the walls of Harar and were able to survive culturally.[6]
Religion
In terms of religious beliefs, the Harla practised a pre-Islamic religion until around the 10th or 11th century.
Notable Harlans
- Mahfuz, Imam and General of the Adal Sultanate
See also
References
- ↑ Quellec, Jean. Rock Art in Africa. Flammarion. p. 129. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
- ↑ Braukämper 2002, p. 18.
- ↑ Uhlig 2003, p. 1034.
- ↑ Pankhurst 1997, p. 45.
- ↑ Braukämper 2002, p. 107.
- ↑ Gebissa 2004, p. 36.
Works cited
- Braukämper, Ulrich (2002). Islamic History and Culture in Southern Ethiopia: Collected Essays. LIT Verlag Münster. ISBN 978-3-8258-5671-7.
- Gebissa, Ezekiel (2004). Leaf of Allah: Khat & Agricultural Transformation in Harerge, Ethiopia 1875-1991. Ohio State University Press. ISBN 978-0-85255-480-7.
- Pankhurst, Richard (1997). The Ethiopian Borderlands: Essays in Regional History from Ancient Times to the End of the 18th Century. The Red Sea Press. ISBN 978-0-932415-19-6.
- Uhlig, Siegbert (2003). Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: D-Ha. Isd. ISBN 978-3-447-05238-2.
- Beyene, Taddese; Pankhurst, Richard; Zewde, Bahru (1994). Proceedings of the Eleventh International Conference of Ethiopian Studies: Addis Ababa, April 1-6 1991. 2. Institute of Ethiopian Studies, Addis Ababa University.
