The Bajuni people are an ethnic minority mainly residing on the Bajuni Islands and surrounding coastal areas between the port city of Kismayo and Mombasa area of Kenya and Somalia’s southern border.
Overview
The Bajuni principally inhabit the tiny Bajuni Islands in the Somali Sea. Many also traditionally reside in Kenya, mainly in Mombasa and other towns in that country's Coast Province. The population's members trace their origins to diverse groups; primarily coastal Jareer a descendant of slaves Bantus enslaved by somalis merchants. And they trace their origins to the Khoisanoid hunter-gather groups, as well as later additions such as Arab, Persian and Somalis immigrants. Some also have Indonesian ancestry. The Bajuni follow the laws of Islam to conduct their affairs. Almost all are Shafite Muslims. Their lives revolve around the mosque and daily prayer. In the course of saying five prayers a day, they also wash at least five times. Every Muslim parent insists on giving his child the basic Islamic education. A Muslim judge, or kadhi, handles the criminal and civil disputes of the community. When a child is born, it is held up by the father, a friend, or a teacher, who recites the traditional call of prayer into its ear. From the moment of birth, the child is instructed in the basic teachings of Islam. Men are the working breadwinners. A woman's place among the Bajuni is usually within the home. She customarily leaves the house only to visit or to go tothe market. Her visiting is done late in the afternoon when the housework is finished and the children are playing. The husbands like to gather at a men's meeting place or the mosque. The Bajuni are traditionally fishermen and sailors. Some also pursue other trades such as metalwork.
By 1960, Somalia gained its freedom from colonial governance. Kenya gained its independence in December 1963. The Kenya National Assembly Official Record contains several records of land ownership and rights discussions. This documents a discussion of traditionally Bajuni lands and dissenting opinions as to ownership. In the , there were questions regarding what government actually had jurisdiction over the Bajuni tribal lands. With the downfall of the Somali government in 1991, Bajuni people experienced abandonment by both the Somalia and Kenyan governments. The Bajuni refer to this period as "The Troubles". This marginalization led Chairman of the Bajuni, Hon. Mohamed Ismail Barkale to petition I.G.A.D. for the lawful rights of the Bajuni people in December 2003, as documented at www.somalitalk.com. Barkale was made a delegate to the 2003 Somali peace talks, see 193. Hon. Mohamed Ismail Barkale List of members of the Somali Transitional Federal Parliament.
Language
The Bajuni people collectively refer to themselves and are known as Wabajuni. They speak Kibajuni, a dialect of the BantuSwahili language.
