The Italo-Abyssinian Treaty of 1908 and the significance of Merehan Farise:
Some of the last references to the erased settlement of "Marehan Fariisay/Fadhiistay" ("Marehan Junction") before the post-modern period are in these maps before
1912.
- "Merehan Farese"
- High resolution image of the map here;
- "Marehan Farese"
- High Resolution;
That these are the last maps to reference "Marehan Farese" is not a coincidence. It needs a brief historical explanation.
Between the two maps (1906-1912) took place the Italo-Ethiopian Treaty of May 16,1908 which tried to finally mark a border between Ethiopia and Italian Somaliland.
They failed to agree on a line of demarcation, but they reached understanding establishing "which" Somali clans in the interior came under which "sphere."
- Tribes facing the Coast
- Marehan and Majerten between Shabelle River and British Somaliland
- Baadicadde on the Shabelle River
- Rahanweyn below the Shabelle River
- Tribes facing the Ogaden
- All Ogaadeen principally
- All Degoodiye principally
- All Darod, Hawiye, and Dir not within Marehan/Majerten line or Baadicadde line or Rahanweyn line
Understand what this means. The disagreement on the boundary line would henceforth be waged on the back of Somali clans who now represented the boundary!
So when people look at the map today and say "Marehan is at the border"
- Marehan is not AT the border (and neither is Rahanwayn AT the border)
- The Border is "AT MAREHAN" (and AT RAHANWEYN below the Shabelle).
This had drastic consequences primarily for clans in Italian Sphere since the "Ogaden" is grazing and it also had drastic consequences for some groups in Ethiopian sphere (Bah Geri had to move back from Beled Weyne Areas and Degoodiye from Daua River);
But the most disastrous consequence was for Marehan---who for the 5th generation now running---were completely pushed out "POLITICALLY" from their original homeland from Warder to the Shabelle River, including the overwhelming majority of Shilabo/Shilave "territory"----
----and to this day are the single largest disenfranchised Somali clan in Ethiopia, still settling an area the would be the 3rd biggest district in Somali region with historically 0, absolutely 0 representation in administration.
To go back to Marehan Farese, her Marehan inhabitants were harried, the settlement was destroyed, and it was effectively "erased" from situated referencing.
That's why the last references to Marehan Farese are from that period surrounding 1908.
Marehan, the human people, were made the "boundary" and any existence of a "Marehan Farese" outside Warder then signified the "threat" of Italian claim to Warder.
And did Marehan partake in the convention that made them a "border?" Did they choose to be implicated in imperialism? Did they concur with the induction into a sphere? Did they have any say, whatsoever, about the intrusion into their existence and livelihood?
When you hear an "Ogaden" today egregiously claim Marehan land and settlements in which they are not even 'sharing' with Marehan like Fadhigaraadle, Laasacaanood, Ceel Baxay, Cilaanle, Garasle, Ceel Dibir, etc, understand exactly that the nasty, odious, contemptible sense of hubris has origins in that original sin.
Ayax tag eelna reeb!
The locust [White European colonist] left---but he left his larvae [nasty colonial legacy]!
