Both men and women help with the farming. The nomads travel from place to place according to the needs of their herds. They live in portable huts made of wooden branches covered with skins or grass mats. The huts are easily collapsible so that they can be loaded on pack animals and quickly moved. Their diet includes milk, camel and goat meat, rice, and other grains.
Tea is also a favorite drink.
Typically, the Somali wear brightly colored cloths draped over their bodies like togas. The men may also wear kilts. They speak the Somali language, even though Swahili and English are the country's official languages. Villagers frequently turn to the wadaad, a religious expert, for blessings, charms, and advice in worldly matters. Integrated with Islam are a number of pagan beliefs and practices.