Queen Arawelo

Arawelo, also known as Arraweelo, was a folkloric Queen of proto-Somalia.

 

Arawelo was born as the eldest of three daughters and she was the heir to the Kingdom. Her Kingdom was located in a part of what is today known as the Sanaag region and her life views were very much based on a matriarchal society. The first Western account of Arawelo notes that she was eccentric and feared and towards the end of her life, she showed more favour to the women under her rule, than the men. She was even known to castrate male prisoners and hang men by their testicles.

 

Arawelo was reportedly known throughout Africa. It is said that the Queen of Sheba even visited her and brought her gifts of gold for her efforts to female empowerment. Though, this has been disputed as the Queen of Sheba is placed more 10th century BCE.

 

Her matriarchal views are what Arawelo is most known for. She fought for female empowerment as she believed society should run as a matriarchy, as opposed to the patriarchal systems we mostly see. The time period the legend states she lived in was anywhere between 1,000 BCE and 1,000 CE, which, granted, is a very long period of time but what is a very common theme during these times is that much of the world was run by highly patriarchal society norms, so Arawelo’s views and actions were highly irregular and most likely would have ticked quite a few men off.

 

Her husband was one of these disgruntled men. He was said to have objected to Arawelo’s ideas that women should be empowered, instead believing women should be restricted to domestic duties and remain at home. Arawelo’s response to this was to command all of her female subjects to cease their domestic activities and abandon the role that women had been dealt in society. Her subjects did as she bid and the movement was successful, forcing men to assume more child-rearing and creating a huge role reversal in society.

 

Arawelo saw women as natural peacekeepers. Though, historically speaking, women have tended to demonstrate more peacekeeping methods when dealing with political issues, it cannot be denied that women have been involved with, or even caused, at least a few large events in history. Arawelo, however, had only seen men instigating war and saw women as the peacekeepers who were treated harshly by their male companions. Thus, she not only sought to tear down the walls of gender norms for feudal society, but reverse it entirely, placing women at the top of the hierarchy. Arawelo saw women as more efficient and all-round better at leadership and fought hard for the dominance of women in society.

 

Arawelo is remembered in Somalia today as young girls who show assertiveness, dominance or stubbornness are often nicknamed Caraweelo.