Mythologies of the Mahris Tribes

The Mahris (Arabic: المهريون), also known as the al-Mahra tribe (Arabic: قبيلة المهرة), are an Arab ethnographic group primarily inhabiting South Arabia especially in the Al-Mahra Governorate in Yemen and the island of Socotra in the Guardafui Channel. They are named after Mahra bin Haydan. They can also be found in the Sultanate of Oman, and the eastern region of the Arabian Peninsula. They have participated in the conquests of North Africa, Morocco and Andalusia, and they lived there. Some of them work in fishing, and some of them live in the desert, and it is to them that the Mahri camels are attributed in the Arab heritage. The Mahra were famous for their Mahri language, which is a Semitic language belonging to the eastern family within the group of South Semitic languages, and it is a language closely related to other neighboring languages, such as the Shehri and Socotri languages. They have an ancient history, and they were mentioned in a number of Sabaean writings in Al-Musnad script, and had a sultanate that lasted for five centuries which remained in existence until 1967, which was the Mahra Sultanate. Mahras are descended from Mahra ibn Haydan ibn Amr ibn al-Hafi Quda'a ibn Malik ibn Amr ibn Murra ibn Zayd ibn Malik ibn Ḥimyar, who was from Quda'a. The Mahri are one of the largest tribes in the Al Mahrah Governorate of Yemen and in the island of Socotra and Dhofar Governorate of Oman. Mehri group members are also found in other countries in the Arabian Peninsula like Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The Mahri also have a significant presence in the northern Puntland state in Somalia since they had historical ties and close proximity to the Horn of Africa for centuries. They also participated in the Ethiopian–Adal War in the 16th century on the side of Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi. The Socotra Archipelago to the nearest point on the African mainland Cape Guardafui is 232 km. According to Ethnologue, there are around 115,200 total Mahri speakers. Of those, 50,000 live in Yemen (2011), 50,800 in Oman (2000), and 14,400 in Kuwait (2000), and according to Saudi officials there are around 20,000 Mehri speakers in Saudi Arabia. The Mahri speak the Mehri language as their native tongue.^[11] It belongs to the Modern South Arabian (MSA) subgroup of the Afroasiatic family's Semitic branch. Mahri is divided into two main dialects: Eastern Mahri (Mehriyot) and Western Mahri (Mehriyet). These idioms in turn have urban and Bedouin varieties. On the island of Socotra, the Mahri inhabitants speak the native Soqotri language of the Soqotri people. The Mahri language is most closely related to other Modern South Arabian languages, such as Bathari and Soqotri. These tongues collectively share many features with the Old South Arabian languages (Epigraphic South Arabian), as spoken by the ancient Sabaeans, Minaeans, and Qatabanians.

The Mahris, or the al-Mahra tribe (Arabic: قَبِيلَة ٱلْمَهْرَة), are an Arab ethnographic group primarily inhabiting South Arabia, especially the Al-Mahra Governorate in Yemen and the island of Socotra. They also reside in the Sultanate of Oman and eastern Arabian Peninsula. Known for their Mahri language, a Semitic language related to Shehri and Socotri, they have an ancient history documented in Sabaean inscriptions using the Al-Musnad script. They participated in the early Muslim conquests in North Africa, Morocco, and Andalusia, and maintained the Mahra Sultanate until 1967. Some Mahris engage in fishing or live in the desert, where they are known for the Mahri camels in Arab heritage. The Mahri are one of the largest tribes in the Al Mahrah Governorate of Yemen and in the island of Socotra and Dhofar Governorate of Oman. Mehri group members are also found in other countries in the Arabian Peninsula like Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The Mahri also have a significant presence in Puntland in northeastern Somalia, owing to historical ties and their close proximity to the Horn of Africa for centuries. They also participated in the Ethiopian–Adal War in the 16th century on the side of Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi. The Socotra Archipelago to the nearest point on the African mainland Cape Guardafui is 232 km. According to Ethnologue, there are around 115,200 total Mahri speakers. Of those, 50,000 live in Yemen (2011), 50,800 in Oman (2000), and 14,400 in Kuwait (2000), and according to Saudi officials there are around 20,000 Mehri speakers in Saudi Arabia.

The stories of Mahris women that I heard and read seemed overwhelmingly positive; however, the age of many articles I read, alongside my own experiences spending time with Mahris last year revealed how much of these attitudes towards women are in some ways a thing of the past. During my time spent with a Mahri family in Dubai, it quickly became clear that the younger generation of women – in their early twenties – were utterly unaware of this aspect of their society. Their parents had not made clear the women’s’ “traditional” roles in the home, perhaps because of a realization that if their family pursued the old systems of Mahra it would be harder for them to fit into their new home of Dubai. With Saudi-Arabia’s ever-increasing presence, the future of Mahri women inside of Mahra is unstable. Dr. Elisabeth Kendall, a professor of Jihadist poetry, has become increasingly involved in the politics of the region and revealed that while almost all Mahri women are now veiled, they have been playing a key role in protests against Saudi intervention. For example, in January 2018, women protested against the Saudi-supported plans for “construction of centers for extremist religious groups.” Even more recently, on September 25, Mahri women crossed the border into Oman to participate in a new ten-day training session to deliver a peace-building program in Mahra. Their involvement in such events demonstrates an example of female independent action in the midst of a country that is now known for its suppression of women, and the support of their male counterparts also suggests that Mahri women should be hopeful that they might return to their traditionally powerful role in society. The unusual role of women in Mahri society extended beyond marriage and the home. David J. Philips in 2001 and Bertram Thomas back in 1929 both commented on the lack of veiling of Mahri women and the tradition of painting faces with different colors (often blue and green stripes) for special occasions. Meanwhile, in her 2001 paper on gender and politics in Yemen, Sheila Carpaccio comments on the assertive and active qualities of Mahri women, especially in comparison to their Hadrami neighbors. As one Mahri pointed out during an interview, both the Mahri men and women were missing an education. And when the Mahra Tribal Council, established in 1963, attempted to introduce a more formalized education system, women were being included in such plans.