Slavery in Somalia existed as a part of the East African slave trade. To meet the demand for menial labor, Bantus from southeastern Africa slaves were exported from the Zanzibar and were sold in cumulatively large numbers over the centuries to customers in Somalia and other areas in Northeast Africa and Asia.Gwyn Campbell, The Structure of Slavery in Indian Ocean Africa and Asia, 1 edition, (Routledge: 2003), p.ix People captured locally during wars and raids were also sometimes enslaved by Somalis mostly of Oromo and Nilotic origin.Bridget Anderson, World Directory of Minorities, (Minority Rights Group International: 1997), p. 456. However, the perception, capture, treatment and duties of both groups of slaves differed markedly,Catherine Lowe Besteman, Unraveling Somalia: Race, Class, and the Legacy of Slavery, (University of Pennsylvania Press: 1999), p. 116. with Oromo favored because Oromo subjects were not viewed as racially "kinky-haired" (jareer) by their Somali captors. History On an individual basis, Oromo subjects were not viewed as racially jareer by their Somali captors. The Oromo captives also mostly consisted of young children and women, both of whom were taken into the families of their abductors; men were usually killed during the raids. Oromo boys and girls were adopted by their Somali patrons as their own children. Prized for their beauty and viewed as legitimate sexual partners, many Oromo women became either wives or concubines of their Somali captors , while others became domestic servants . In some cases, entire Oromo clans were assimilated on a client basis into the Somali clan system.
Slavery in Somalia existed as a part of the East African slave trade. To meet the demand for menial labor, Bantus from southeastern Africa slaves were exported from the Zanzibar and were sold in cumulatively large numbers over the centuries to customers in Somalia and other areas in Northeast Africa and Asia.Gwyn Campbell, The Structure of Slavery in Indian Ocean Africa and Asia, 1 edition, (Routledge: 2003), p.ix People captured locally during wars and raids were also sometimes enslaved by Somalis mostly of Nilotic origin.Bridget Anderson, World Directory of Minorities, (Minority Rights Group International: 1997), p. 456. However, the perception, capture, treatment and duties of both groups of slaves differed markedly,Catherine Lowe Besteman, Unraveling Somalia: Race, Class, and the Legacy of Slavery, (University of Pennsylvania Press: 1999), p. 116. the Somalis would favour them based on there hair, features etc. History On an individual basis, Oromo subjects were not viewed as racially jareer by their Somali captors. The Oromo captives also mostly consisted of young children and women, both of whom were taken into the families of their abductors; men were usually killed during the raids. Oromo boys and girls were adopted by their Somali patrons as their own children. Prized for their beauty and viewed as legitimate sexual partners, many Oromo women became either wives or concubines of their Somali captors . In some cases, entire Oromo clans were assimilated on a client basis into the Somali clan system.
D
Oromo and
R
with Oromo favored because Oromo subjects were not viewed as racially "kinky-haired" (jareer) by their Somali captors.
the Somalis would favour them based on there hair, features etc.
D
, while others became domestic servants