The 12 Koofi, more commonly known as Reer Marka, are a Somali confederation of clans inhabiting the city of Merca and other southern coastal towns of Somalia.
12 Koofi | |
|---|---|
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Merca, Mogadishu, Baraawe, Kismayo, Jaziira, Gendershe and other towns in Koonfuur Galbeed | |
| Languages | |
| Mahdoonte, Benadiri Somali, Somali and Chimini | |
| Religion | |
| Islam |
Reer Marka, also known as 12 Koofi are confederation of clans part of the larger confederacy Benadiri based in the southern port town of Marka. Members of this group of clans can also be found all over southern Somalia, especially coastal towns such as: Mogadishu, Baraawe, Kismayo, Gendershe, Dhanaane, Jilib, Marka and Jaziira.
Reer Marka or the 12 Koofi speak a very unique dialect of the Somali language even though Lamberti[who?] labelled this the Albakri(duruqbo) dialect the locals call it Mah doonte or Aff May Doonte.[1]
This group of clans originally was originally made up of 12 clans hence the name 12 Koofi (Somali: 12 Hats/Caps), however over the last century the number of clan groups part of this confederacy has increased due to merchant clans settling in from Baraawe and Mogadishu, also due to some of these Benadiri clans being counted as one and no longer are. In Pentano, 1910 he mentions the groups who live in Merca as:[2]
Patano also went on to mention in Marka there were Bravenese people from various clans living there also. According to Hassan Osman Ahmed's "La Citta' di Marka, I Biimaal e il Dominio Sulla Costa Somala" book 12 Koofi are split into 2 groups lixda gibil cad (Somali: 6 lightskin) and lixda gibil madow (Somali: 6 darkskin).[3] These Groups are:
According to a more recent paper sent to the Federal Government of Somalia the list elders came from 16 different clans[4] and are as follow: