Shambara

History

Before the Arab Slave Trade, there were believed to be some Bantus already lived in Somalia. Those that lived there already come from west Africa during the Bantu Expansion. As things start to get busy in Indian Ocean the Arabs start to look for African slaves. The Bantus were taking away from nowadays, Tanzania, Mozambique and Malawi to be sold at the Zanzibar slave trade market. They are from the ethnic group of Majindo, Mnyasa, Makua, Myoa and Mushunguli. After they been brought to Somalia, they were forced to work on the Plantations. In the mids 1800th hundred some Bantus start to escape slave and settle in the Jubba Valley. Even though during the colonial period, the Italian abolished slavery, the Bantus were still looked down and faced harsh discrimination over the dominant Somali clans. The Italian viewed the Somalis as the superior race in Somali and therefore continued to force labor on the Bantus. 

Language

Most of the Bantus modern day speak the Somali language but some keep it their native language such as Mushunguli and most of Bantus speak the Af Maay-Maay dialect of the Somali language. The Maay-Maay dialect that is spoken by the Bantus is quite different then Af Maxaa (mahaa) that is is spoken by the Somalis. Almost all of the Bantus converted to Islam in order to escape slave and they still practice their ancestral animist traditions, including the practice of possession dances and the use of magic and curses. The Bantus and Somalis don't associate with each other. Intermarriage is also rare. 

Physical Appearance 

The Bantus and Somalis can be distinguished in many ways. The Somalis have soft hair, which they called themselves Jilac (soft Hair) and the have kinkier hair, which they call the Somali Bantus Jareer to distinguish themselves. The Bantus darker and more muscular then the Somalis.