Somalia: Information on the relationship between the Midgan and the Tumal, including whether the Midgan or other Somali ethnic groups might consider the Tumal to be a subgroup of the Midgan, and on their current situation

In a 26 September 1996 telephone interview, Ken Menkhaus, a Somalia specialist at Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina, and a former consultant to the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM), stated that the Tumal are not a subgroup of the Midgan, nor would other Somalis consider them to be a subgroup of the Midgan. He explained that the Tumal and the Midgan are alike only insofar as both are considered low-caste groups by most Somalis (ibid.). The word Tumal means "blacksmith" in the Somali language, and reflects the traditional occupation of the Tumal, which has a low status in Somalia. Professor Menkhaus also stated that this group is not a threat to anyone in Somalia, and that an individual would not be in danger in Somalia simply because he or she was a Tumal (ibid.). He added that a Tumal single woman with no family in Somalia would likely be at risk if returned to the country, but in general Tumals are not singled out for ill-treatment (ibid.).

Professor Menkhaus also reiterated statements he made about the Midgan during his February 1996 presentation to the Immigration and Refugee Board. A Midgan would not be at risk simply because he or she was a Midgan, he stated, adding that other factors would be required to explain why Midgan were at risk in Somalia (ibid.). During the February 1996 presentation, Menkhaus explained that the Midgan are one of the low-caste or inferior groups traditionally attached to major clan families such as the Hawiye or Darod (IRB 15 Feb. 1996, 23). The Midgan, like most other low-caste groups, are not a distinct clan, although they are found "within almost all of the clans" (ibid.). According to Menkhaus, whether members of low-caste groups are at risk depends on the circumstances:

People from weak groups within clans are seen as harmless and in some cases, they actually move more freely. On the other hand, they are much more vulnerable to extortion and bullying and rape and other episodes of violence than are individuals who come from a powerful immediate family. Again, the situation is going to determine just how vulnerable they are but, what is important for us to note is that the claim Midgan is something that's to be judged in context, it is not a clear-cut case of yes or no this person qualifies [for refugee status because he or she is a Midgan] (ibid., 23-24).

On the subject of reprisals against the Midgan for involvement in the armed forces of Siad Barre, Matthew Bryden, a consultant to the United Nations Emergency Unit for Ethiopia, stated during his February 1996 presentation to the IRB that Midgan are no longer being targeted because of any earlier actions against the Somali National Movement (SNM) (ibid., 118). "They are now living peacefully and intermingled in [the] North Somali community" (ibid.).

A professor specializing in Somali affairs at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis stated in a 27 September 1996 telephone interview that the word Midgan is a derogatory term in the Somali language, and is not usually used in a self-referential fashion. Somalis from the major clan families use the term to label a particular group of people they consider to be inferior (ibid.). Tumal is the term used to refer to people engaged in blacksmithing or metalworking. According to this source, the Tumal, like the Midgan, are not a clan either genealogically or genetically (ibid.). Some Somalis use the term Midgan to refer to all low-caste groups in Somali society, but without implying a common genealogy (ibid.). The source also stated that anyone can create a genealogy for themselves (ibid.).

According to a professor of history specializing in Somalia at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, there is "no evidence" that either the Tumal or the Midgan consider the Tumal to be a subgroup of the Midgan (3 Oct. 1996). The professor stated that information on the Tumal is limited, and suggested that some Midgan may be taking up traditional Tumal practices such as metalworking or shoemaking (ibid.).

Bernhard Helander, a Somalia expert and cultural anthropologist at Uppsala University in Sweden, in a report on vulnerable minorities in Somalia, distinguishes the Tumal (Tumaal) from the Midgan when he lists examples of "small groups who are regarded as inferior and are only partially covered by the political and social solidarity of the larger clans for whom they often perform valuable but despised services" (1995, 74). According to Helander, there is no physical difference between members of the larger clans and the so-called low-caste groups, and "blood group testing has revealed no significant deviation between these groups [Midgan, Tumaal and Yibir] and their host clans" (ibid.).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

References

Helander, Bernhard. 27 March 1995. Vulnerable Minorities in Somalia and Somaliland. Uppsala: Uppsala University. (Compiled in Documentation, Information and Research Branch (DIRB), Immigration and Refugee Board. February 1996. "Supplement to Information Session on Country Conditions on Somalia")

Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB). 15 February 1996. Information Session on Somalia. Toronto: IRB.

Menkhaus, Ken, specialist in Somalia. 26 September 1996. Telephone interview.

Professor of history specializing in Somalia, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. 3 October 1996. Telephone interview.

Professor specializing in Somali affairs, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. 27 September 1996. Telephone interview.