Bravanese people
Encyclopedia
The Bravanese people, also known as the Barawani, are a minority ethnic group in Somalia
.
), a port
town on the southeastern coast of Somalia, where they were the primary inhabitants until the 1970s.
The population's members trace their origins to diverse groups, notably the coastal Bantu
and the Eyle bushmanoid hunter-gather minorities of southern Somalia, as well as later additions such as Arab
, Persian
and Cushitic immigrants.
Following the outbreak of the Somali Civil War
in 1991, many Bravanese relocated to Mombasa
, Kenya
, among other places.
(Chimwiini), a variant of the Bantu
Swahili language
. Many also speak Somali
, which is an Afro-Asiatic
language.
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
.
Overview
As their name suggests, the Bravanese hail from Brava (BarawaBarawa
Barawa or Brava is a port town on the south-eastern coast of Somalia. The traditional inhabitants are the Tunni Somalis and the Bravanese people, who speak Bravanese, a Swahili dialect.-History:...
), a port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
town on the southeastern coast of Somalia, where they were the primary inhabitants until the 1970s.
The population's members trace their origins to diverse groups, notably the coastal Bantu
Somali Bantu
The Somali Bantu are a minority ethnic group in Somalia. They primarily reside in southern Somalia, near the Juba and Shabelle rivers, and are the descendants of people from various Bantu ethnic groups originating from what are modern-day Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique who were sold into Somalia...
and the Eyle bushmanoid hunter-gather minorities of southern Somalia, as well as later additions such as Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
, Persian
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
and Cushitic immigrants.
Following the outbreak of the Somali Civil War
Somali Civil War
The Somali Civil War is an ongoing civil war taking place in Somalia. The conflict, which began in 1991, has caused destabilisation throughout the country, with the current phase of the conflict seeing the Somali government losing substantial control of the state to rebel forces...
in 1991, many Bravanese relocated to Mombasa
Mombasa
Mombasa is the second-largest city in Kenya. Lying next to the Indian Ocean, it has a major port and an international airport. The city also serves as the centre of the coastal tourism industry....
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, among other places.
Language
The Bravanese speak the Bravanese languageBravanese language
The Bravanese language is a dialect of the Bantu Swahili language. It is spoken by the Bravanese people, who are the predominant inhabitants of Barawa, or Brava, in Somalia. Many Bravanese also speak Somali, which is an Afro-Asiatic language....
(Chimwiini), a variant of the Bantu
Bantu languages
The Bantu languages constitute a traditional sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages. There are about 250 Bantu languages by the criterion of mutual intelligibility, though the distinction between language and dialect is often unclear, and Ethnologue counts 535 languages...
Swahili language
Swahili language
Swahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia...
. Many also speak Somali
Somali language
The Somali language is a member of the East Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Its nearest relatives are Afar and Oromo. Somali is the best documented of the Cushitic languages, with academic studies beginning before 1900....
, which is an Afro-Asiatic
Afro-Asiatic languages
The Afroasiatic languages , also known as Hamito-Semitic, constitute one of the world's largest language families, with about 375 living languages...
language.