Madhiban

The Madhiban (Madhibaan), also known as Gaboye, are an artisanal caste among Somali people. They have been endogamous, and their traditional hereditary occupation has been as hunters.

The Madhiban have been one of the low status castes among the Somalis, along with Tumal and others.

Distribution and names
The Madhiban are a part of the Somali ethnic group found in East Africa, particularly in Somalia, Ethiopia, northeastern Kenya, and Djibouti.

According to a 1960 count, they numbered around 20,000 out of 640,000 Somalis in parts of Somalia that were within the then British Protectorate. Their numbers in other parts of Somalia and other Somali regions were unknown. An article published by the UN's Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) indicates that the Daami district of Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, is home to 8,000 Gabooye families, comprising approximately 48,000 people (UN 2 July 2010).

The terms Madhiban, Midgan or Midgaan for this Somali caste are found in historic literature, but in modern discourse, the term Gaboye is increasingly common. This caste is distinct from the Tumal and Yibir outcast communities because each is accused of things different from each other in Somali society.

Discussion
The Madhiban were historically hunters, but now engage in occupations like leather work (shoemaking). They also are the traditional circumcision performers for both males, and females in the Somali society. These professions have traditionally been considered dirty, and the Madhiban have been a part of the sab or lower castes as opposed to the aji or upper castes. Aji in the Madhiban language means “dirty water that you cannot drink or perform Islamic ablution with”.

According to Lee Gunderson, Dennis Murphy Odo and Reginald D'Silva, the Midgan have traditionally been treated as a low caste, scorned and reviled. A Midgan-Madiban has been deemed as polluting and therefore avoided as a taboo in the Somali society.

Under Somalia's military administration, some Madhiban were appointed to positions within the government to promote integration. The Madhiban have since obtained wider political representation. Their general social status has also improved with the expansion of urban centers.

Al-Madhibaan
The first recorded reference to the Madhibaan people dates back to 1435 in Suleiman's translation of Ibn Majid's writings and poems found in Ababn Majid. In this text, Suleiman identifies the Madhibaan as Al-Midgaan, emphasizing their distinction as a separate nation from the Somali people. He briefly mentions the name Al Somali as well.

Pipalo
Pipalo, alternatively known as the Madhiban Sultanate, emerged as a historical kingdom between the 6th and 8th centuries, flourishing until the 14th century in the region between Berbera and Zeila. Over this extensive timeline, the kingdom evolved, encompassing four major cities and numerous towns, and establishing a distinctive presence in the historical narrative.

Renowned for their reliance on camels and sheep, the inhabitants of Pipalo utilized these animals for sustenance and culinary purposes. The kingdom's significance extended beyond its faunal richness, as it became a prominent exporter of valuable commodities like ambergris, large elephant tusks, and rhinoceros horns, some exceeding ten catties in weight.

In addition to its economic prosperity, Pipalo boasted affluence in myrrh, liquid storax gum, and remarkably thick tortoise shells. The kingdom's unique combination of natural resources and distinctive wildlife, including the elusive "camel-crane" and the unique tsu-la, contributed to its cultural identity.

A notable aspect of Pipalo's cultural practices was the inhabitants' hunting expertise. Skilled marksmen, they employed poisoned arrows to capture and hunt the indigenous wildlife. This hunting tradition added a unique dimension to Pipalo's historical significance, making it a notable player in the regional dynamics until the 14th century.

Cognate castes in East Africa
The Madhiban caste is not an exception limited to the Somali ethnic group, and equivalent cognate caste is found in numerous ethnic groups in East Africa. According to Donald Levine – a professor of Sociology specializing in Ethiopian and Horn of Africa studies, similar caste groups in different languages and ethnic groups have been integral part of societies of this region. These strata have featured all the defining characteristics of caste, states Levine, characteristics such as "endogamy, hierarchy, status, concepts of pollution, restraints on commensality, a traditional occupation and membership by birth". In eastern Ethiopia ethnic groups, such as the Oromo people, cognates to Somali castes have been recorded in 16th century texts, states Cornelius Jaenen. The table below illustrate some alternate terms for castes mirroring the Madhiban in other ethnic groups that share this region with the Somali people.

Notable Madhiban

 * Maryam Mursal, Somali female singer
 * Mohamed Sulayman Tubeec deceased, Somali singer/songwriter
 * Abdi Tahlil Warsame deceased, Somali singer/songwriter
 * Shey Mire Dacar deceased, Somali singer/songwriter


 * Professor Ahmed Ashkir Botan Minister of Education in 1981 and a former Vice-Chancellor of the Somali National University.

Groups

 * In 2009, the Minneapolis Police Department of Minneapolis, Minnesota, reported that "Madhibaan with Attitude" was one of several Somali gangs active in the city.
 * Gaarhaye, was the ninth-largest of the eleven constitutive Darawiish administrative division; it was exclusively Madhiban.