Reviving the Sameen: How the Issa Gande and Ogaas Adapt an Ancient Code to Modern Times
Djibouti City , Sitti Zone and Gubn – More than a century after the codification of the Xeer Issa, the traditional legal and social framework of the Issa Somali people, a pivotal mechanism is being restored. The Sameen system—an annual contribution once used to sustain the Gande (the traditional council of elders and executive body) and support the community—is being revived in 2026, blending ancient principles with contemporary urban realities.
The Foundation: A Code for Subsistence and Duty
Following the initial codification of the Xeer Issa, articles specifically enabling the Gande to subsist, function properly, and discharge its assigned duties were debated and incorporated into the code for diffusion and memorization. The role of the Gande and its leader, the Ogaas, was not merely ceremonial; it required material support.
The original settlement protocol for the Gande followed a strict, sacred order. After reconnaissance, a campsite was chosen for four essential qualities: abundance of water, rich pasture sufficient for all types of herds for a full season, full vegetation and shade, and maximum safety—far from known enemies and away from inland-coastal trade routes. The duration of a settlement depended entirely on weather and the Issa’s ever-changing camping patterns.
In a striking rule emphasizing community dependency, the Gande was not permitted to bring any of his own subsistence property into the camping area. He is allowed to move with one wife to the camp. All means had to be provided by the Issa community. The collective fund created this way is called Minayo.
The Sameen System: A Tax Before the State
The Minayo was realized through the collection of a Sameen from every Issa household per year. This fund financed:
· The Gande’s subsistence.
· Aide to Families in difficulty after droughts or natural catastrophes.
. Aide to new marriages
· Finance defense and security efforts.
· Pay guests and diplomatic protocol’s expenditure.
· Finance of development projects for the community.
To satisfy these expenses, the Guddi (the council of decision-makers) in Djibouti, Guban and Sitti revived the Sameen system: every individual in a countryside family paid one Sameen per year.
Abolition, Survival, and Transformation
In 1956, the Italian fascist colonial power dissolved the Gande. After the victory of the allies and the retour of the exiled Nugus, the Ogaas Issa was installed in Dire Dawa with the Grande to resume activities. The Ogaas was admitted to the Royal procession and came under the administrative control of Harargue governor.
The 1974 Ethiopian Revolution—ignited by famine, inflation, and unrest—abruptly ended Haile Selassie’s 58-year reign. A military junta known as the Derg seized power, shifting Ethiopia to a brutal Marxist-Leninist state led by Mengistu Haile Mariam. Remarkably, the Gande and Ogaas survived all tumultuous times, including the 1977 liberation war. Instead of abolishing them, the revolutionary government allowed a subsidy to support the Issa Ogaas and Gande.
In 1994, Ogaas Hassan passed away. After a long interlude, Ogaas Mustaphe was coronated in March 2010 in Saila, becoming the first Ogaas of the Issa taken or chosen from an urban center. The process took more than seven months to short list possible candidates before final intronisation in Saila, where all 18 previous Ogaases were coronated.
2026: The Modern Sameen Revival
In 2026, the idea emerged to revive the Sameen system in a dual-track form:
· For every countryside household, the traditional Sameen system is restored unchanged.
· For every working urban dweller, an annual payment of 20,000 Djiboutian Francs is decreed.
Organisation and Modern Governance
In Djibouti, under the responsibility of the HIIL Foundation, both the material and intangible means of the Sameen fund will be organized.
The fund will be managed by a special committee of 13 administrators, including:
· An executive who will study and initiate expenses.
· A Gande who will debate and deliberate.
· Modern treasury, accountancy, and control techniques will apply.
The Ogaas serves as the ordinator—the ultimate authorizing officer. Any bill will be signed by the Ogaas with managerial co-signatories, ensuring a checks-and-balances system that respects tradition while meeting contemporary standards of transparency, audit and financial management.
Conclusion
The 2026 revival of the Sameen is more than a tax; it is an act of legal and cultural continuity. By transforming a pastoral contribution into a hybrid rural-urban fund, the Issa community is ensuring that its traditional governance body—the Gande—can subsist, function, and discharge its duties in a modern nation-state context. It is a rare example of customary law not merely surviving but being deliberately, technically, and proudly reinvented.