Yibir
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
 Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti
|
|
| Languages | |
| Somali | |
| Religion | |
| Islam (Sunni) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| other Somali people |
The Yibir, also referred to as Yibbir, Yebir or Yahhar, are a caste within Somali people. They have traditionally been endogamous, and their hereditary occupation has been as magicians, leather work, dispensing traditional medicine and making amulets. They belong to the Sab clan and sometimes referred to as a minority clan, they perform menial tasks in Somali communities and are considered an outcast.
The Somali tradition holds that the Yibir are descendants of Mohammad Hanif of Hargeysa. Mohammad Hanif had a reputation as a pagan magician, according to the Somali folklore, and he was murdered by Shaikh Aw Barkhadle of the Ishaaq tribal family that brought Islam from Arabia to north Somalia. According to this myth, the rest of the Somali society has ever since paid a small gift to a Yibir after childbirth, as a form of blood compensation.
The Yibir have a language (a dialect of Somali) they keep secret from the ruling Somali clans. Although Muslims and ethnically similar to other Somalis, the Yibir caste has been traditionally denigrated, demeaned and discriminated against by higher social strata of the Somali society.
The foundational myth for the Yibir involves one Sharif Yuusuf Barkhadle, associated with Sheikh Ishaaq, the founder of the Isaaq Somali clan family and the one who brought Islam from Arabia to Somaliland. The story goes that when Barkhadle first arrived in the northern Somaliland region, he was confronted by pagan Mohamed Hanif (also pejoratively known as Bu'ur Ba'ayer). The two leaders then decided to settle the issue of legitimacy between them via a test of mystical strength. Barkhadle challenged Hanif to traverse a small hill near Dogor, an area situated some 20 miles north of the regional capital of Hargeisa. Hanif twice successfully accomplished this task asked of him. However, during Hanif's third demonstration of his powers, Barkhadle "invoked the superior might of God and imprisoned his rival for ever within the mountain." Orthodox Islam thus prevailed over the old pagan cult. An alternate version states that Barkhadle murdered the pagan Hanif.
Hanif's descendants, goes the legend, subsequently demanded blood money or diyya from Barkhadle for the death of their leader and in perpetuity. Barkhadle granted them their wish. This myth underlies the Somali practice of offering gifts to Yibir who come to give amulets and bless newborn children and newlywed couples. Ever since, Somali have adhered to the custom of samanyo or samayo ("birth gift"), payment made to the Yibir by their Somali patrons.
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Wikipedia