You know what they told me?
Even during "their" lifetime it wasn't always so.
They recalled various moments where they witnessed extraordinary expressions of neighborliness and concern for each other; one time, Habar Gidir/Saleebaan, for example, having suffered disproportionately the effects of a seasonal drought, were sent a welcome by Marehan tribal leaders, without even being asked, and escorted to Raqo and Buuro of all places west of Caabudwaaq, even Burgeesoole. I mean literally the entire clan around Cadaado were being escorted and through the heart of Marehan territory to where Marehan still had reserves, thougu significantly depleted by then as well. There was no even providing "protection" because anyone who so as much as looked at them had transgressed against his own elder since the elders had extended the welcome. It wasn't even once or couple times.
They also recalled many moments where their neighbors to east also came to their aid. At one time one of the main wells of Caabudwaaq was demolished because Caabudwaaq had grown as a settlement and the well in the middle of the settlement by then was a hazard to young children. There were instances of children falling in. But in any case, Habar Gidir in Cadaado, Mareerguur, to Dhusamareb sent welcomes to come and share water and pasture since the supply in Caabudwaaq had been significantly impacted.
They told me the story of how one of their Habar Gidir neighbors then at Mareerguur was especially helpful and attentive to them. He had one eye because of a prior accident. Well the friendship formed by the man and their family resulted in life long links---their family would always welcome him to their grazing through a personal invite anytime he faced difficulties east. They would even call upon each other when they were in the area and the guy would stay with them whenever he was in Caabudwaaq area. They shared a light comedic moment where, because the guy had 1 eye, having brought him dinner while staying with them in a visit to Caabudwaaq, the guy said "now where did you put the food, because I can't see it and they laughed saying they must have put it on the side of his blind eye.
It is extraordinary wallahi.
But they shared a nugget of such importance I don't even think they realized how profound it was.
According to their experience---and this was a 70 year old person---the beginning of serious bad blood and this hard concept around "ownership" of grazing began with---
---the introduction of the "berked."
Profound wallahi. I am still thinking and grappling with that extremely important observation that the introduction of the "berked" system was the start of all the strongly animating issues which even "fed" the civil war as they said.
Recall that I previously came to the understanding on my own just looking at these issues from a critical point of view that the "berked" is also what exacerbates and contributes to the growth and frequency of range and feed degradation and water depletion making pastoralist Somalis more and more vulnerable to climate change.
But to hear someone innocently convey the observation, without even trying to implicate the berked, that the development of the berked was the moment that separated treating each other as fellow neighbors and brothers despite the clan difference and regular wargames and the moment up to now where hearts do not exist and we are existentially in hegemonic conflict is incredibly profound.In fact, the berked system is why droughts are worse and why pastoralism is no longer sustainable especially in Warder. At least in the past, adaptation made pastoralist "migrate" which allowed feed and range to recover. No the berked made them build settlements where nature never allowed them for a reason and momentary settlement has completely made them blind to the looming disaster.
The berked might be the single biggest killer of Somalis more than guns and even disease.
