Were Bantus indigenous to Somalia?

Were Bantus indigenous to Somalia?

There is no doubt that they are indigenous to Somalia.

The southern half of Somalia, including the valleys of river Shabelle or Juba, is the ancient homeland of the Somali Bantu clans.

During the ancient times, and way before the coming of Islam into Somalia, the Bantus had built a large kingdom called the Great Shungwaya. This kingdom is still well remembered by its descendants, which include Somali and Kenyan Bantu clans such as the Pokomo, Mijikenda, the Segedu, and by the various Kenyan Swahili tribes.

After the 12th century, the Shungwaya may have migrated from the Horn of Africa and entered their present day territory deep inside Kenya. The pastoral Oromo and Somali clans followed them, and entered Kenya after the 15th century. I remember reading that hadn't the British arrived in the region, Somali clans would have completely overrun Eastern Kenya during the 20th century.

In medieval times, it is believed that the Shungwaya are succeeded by the various East African polities between the Shabelle (Juba) and Umba rivers. These states include the Southern Somali Ajurran, the kingdoms of Ozi and Vumba Kuu, the Swahili city state based near Malindi.

The Somali Bantus are thus remanants of an ancient Somali-Bantu kingdom in Southern Somalia from which the modern Kenyan/Tanzanian Swahili and Mijikenda tribes originate from

The prevailing belief was that the mixed-race Somali type inhabited Somalia prior to the Bantu speakers. However, ancient DNA analysis indicates that the Hadza tribes and other indigenous groups like the Nilotic pastoralists, Nuba farmers, and Omotic speakers were the original inhabitants of Somalia and the broader North/Eastern African regions. Their genetic proximity to the Mota remains found in Ethiopia, which contributed DNA to all humans, highlights their ancestral significance.

Considering this, when comparing the Hadza, do they bear closer resemblance to the Bantu speakers or the Cushitic-speaking Somalis?

It appears evident that the original inhabitants of Somalia bore a closer resemblance to the Bantu people rather than present-day Somalis.

Despite Western academia's attempts to portray West Eurasians evolving alongside tropical Africans, empirical evidence consistently suggests otherwise. The elongated, hooked-nosed phenotype seen today couldn't have been native to any part of Africa; it emerged after West Eurasian nomadic tribes assimilated indigenous Africans.

Modern Somalis exhibit signs of admixture, predominantly leading nomadic lifestyles. Conversely, Somali Bantus, largely farmers, display traits adapted to tropical environments.

The Hadza and related groups, including the Nuba, Nilotes, and Omotic, represent the indigenous phenotype of North East Africa and the Horn, pre-dating the emergence of Somali-like populations.

Present-day Somalia faces aridity and famine due to pastoralist practices, which contributed to the expansion of the Sahara. Somalia's past was characterized by a tropical climate, contrasting sharply with its current conditions.

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