Oromo, Garre in Kenya

People Name:	Oromo, Garre
Country:	Kenya
10/40 Window:	No
Population:	789,000
World Population:	919,000
Primary Language:	Garre
Primary Religion:	Islam
Christian Adherents:	0.02 %
Evangelicals:	0.01 %
Scripture:	Unspecified
Online Audio NT:	No
Jesus Film:	No
Audio Recordings:	No
People Cluster:	Somali
Affinity Bloc:	Horn of Africa Peoples
Progress Level:

Introduction / History

The Garre are one of the Somali clans. Surprisingly, more of them live in Kenya than Somalia.

What Are Their Lives Like?

The members of a Garre clan are very loyal to each other, be they in Somalia or further south in Kenya. The smallest unit of their society is the family. Garre villages consist of several related families. Their huts are arranged in a circle or semi-circle surrounding the cattle pens. Villages are enclosed by thorn-shrub hedges to provide protection from intruders or wild animals. The men's responsibilities include caring for the herds, making decisions dealing with migration and trading. The women are in charge of domestic duties, such as preparing the meals, milking the animals, caring for the children, and literally building the home. Like other nomads, the Garre consider craftsmen a part of the lower class and they scorn them. The moving patterns of Garre nomads are dependent upon climate and the availability of grazing land. If water or grazing land becomes scarce, the families pack up their portable huts and move across the desert as a single, extended family unit. The Garre are very loyal to one another, spreading evenly across the land to make sure that everyone has enough water and pasture for his herds. According to Islamic law, a man may have as many as four wives. Each wife has her own hut where she raises her biological children. Unfortunately, the divorce rate among the Garre is high. The children of divorced parents are usually split by gender, with the wife taking the girls and the husband taking the boys. Formerly, the Garre's diet consisted of almost solely dairy products. Today, however, they also eat maize, rice and some vegetables.

What Are Their Beliefs?

They were converted to Islam in the 1400s. Today, the Garre are virtually all Muslims, and they are very orthodox in their religious practices.

What Are Their Needs?

The Garre people need the chance to find the only Savior, the one who offers life to the full.

Prayer Points

Pray for the Lord to thrust out workers to the Garre Oromo people. Pray that the Garre Oromo people will have a spiritual hunger that will open their hearts to the King of kings. Pray for workers who are driven by the love and boldness of the Holy Spirit to go to them. Pray for a movement to Christ among them to begin this decade.