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The Peripatetics (Gypsy) of Somali 23/02/2010
Midgan is a name which is given by non-peripatetics to Peripatetic groups which live in Somali and its hinterland. Peripatetic groups which are gained under the name of Midgan are the members of world Gypsy family's with the the problems that they are facing and their traditional handcrafts.
Midgan is a name defines Peripatetics who live in Somali and its hinterland. All prejudices and baseless meanings which are loaded to word Gypsy are also loaded to the name Midgan in Somali area. The word Midgan is used in very bad meanings such as “ dirty, half person” and Somali Peripatetics react to this use very much. Midgan is a general word which comprise other words used for other Peripatetic groups who live in this area such as Madhiban, Musa Dheryo, Tumal, Yaher, Yibir and Jaje.
Midgans who are the define themselves as the first owners of the Africa continent represents the 1% of the Somali's 9 million population. On the other hand Midgans are accepted as sub-cast members in the Somalian cast system by the other clans.
Midgans lost many people during the civil war which happened in 1991, they were attacked by other tribes which categoryze themselves as the sub-cast members. It is hard to say that there was a stability during the civil war in the country and this situation affected . Midgans still don't have right to have properties like fields and animals and also to vote. Midgans are still being attacked by the neighbor groups.
Because of all these facts the avarage lenght of life is 48 years for woman and 44 years for man and those numbers going down constantly because of negative life conditions.
Midgans also live in Çibuti, Kenya and Etiyopya. As the one of the first groups of Africa Midgans do blacksmithing, barbering, circumsisering and leather trade. The ones who lost their handcrafts work as coutrymen.
Resource:http://www.madhibaan.org/
http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/
*In this passage, the word Gypsy is being used as a generic term defining all kind of world Peripatetics or Commercial Nomads to emphasize brotherhood and similarity of world Peripatetics.
