The Somali Bantu Community Development Council of Denver represents the interests and concerns of the 300 Somali Bantu refugee families resettled in Denver from Africa by the State Department beginning in 2002.  The Somali Bantu community in Denver has remained cohesive.  Their sincere desire to learn English and become successful, independent members of American society has impressed many.  The children of the Somali Bantu are achieving in school, and young adults are learning new skills and maintaining jobs. While adapting to American culture has been a challenge for most Somali Bantu, below is some historical information and some highlights of Somali Bantu culture for you to read and contrast to your own. SOMALI BANTU HISTORY & CULTURE History- The Somali Bantu are descendants of slaves brought present day, and in the 18 and 19 centuries by the Sultan of Zanzibar.  From 1991 to date, remains in a state of anarchy where many Somalis are displaced or have fled to neighboring centuries to avoid violence. Somali Bantu fled to and where the United Nations and other parties have placed them in refugee camps.  It is from these camps that the Somali Bantu have been brought to. Somali Bantu were resettled in several different states from coast to coast. The Bantu have been a nomadic people with a rich diversity in culture and heritage.  The Somali Bantu community is comprised of Bantu who for centuries settled in America.  Much of Somali Bantu traditional culture has its roots in religion, with some traditional beliefs from their ancestors. Geography: is located on the east coast of Africa north of the equator, known.  It is surrounded by and on the north and mid-west and on its southwest. The majority of Somali Bantu people reside in the valleys and rural areas of the Lower Juba , and Middle Juba Shabelle regions.  The Somali Bantu are considered a minority group in . Livelihood:  The main livelihood of Somali Bantu in Africa depends on irrigation and seasonal crop production.  They grow both cash and subsistence crops, such as sesame, maize, tobacco, peas, vegetables and fruits. The Somali Bantu live together in permanent agricultural villages. They differ from other Somali clans in that they are a sedentary population, not pastoralists like other Non-Bantu Somalis who live in rural areas. Muslim Religion: The Somali-Bantu are predominantly Sunna Muslim.  They are moderate in their Muslim Beliefs.  They attend small mosques in their villages, praying five times a day.  The Islamic religion does not permit Muslims to eat pig, warthog or mammals with upper front teeth (horse).  In addition this, drinking alcohol is prohibited for Muslims and is seen as a sin. Pets:  Somali Bantu do not believe they should touch a dog. It is offensive to Somali Bantu to have a dog greet, sniff, and rub its wet mouth, or wet body, against them.  Obviously dogs are not viewed as members of the family.  Somali Bantu Holidays: Somali Bantu observe three Muslim holidays and several important life cycle rituals. The yearly calendar is Lunar and the major holidays are as follows:          Idul-fitri          Idul-adha          Mowliid Greeting:  Like other Muslims who practice Islam, men don’t shake a married woman’s hand when greeting. The women, too, do not shake men’s hands if they are not spouses. Sometimes the Somali Bantu people wave their hand for greeting if the person is far away, while they say “Bariida” which means “good morning” or “Hergela” “good afternoon.” Marriage: Somali Bantu practice polygamy. Men marry up to four wives at a time in accordance with the Islamic faith. Relatives and family members are determined by the father’s family. Both men and women marry as young as 15 years old. If the groom tells his future father-in-law, “I want marry your daughter,” it is seen as offensive. Instead he says, “I want to have your daughter for bearing young ones in the future.” Pregnancy and Family Size:  Childbearing usually starts immediately after the marriage.  The average Somali-Bantu family size is seven to ten children; more when they practice polygamy. Illness:  Somali Bantu believe that people get sickbecause of invisible creatures locally known as “jinni”.  This is particularly the case when someone has a mental health problem.  When a person appears to be mentally ill, families and relatives will sell animals and use the money to hire specialized Jinni healers. Respect and Behavior:  Somali Bantu communities place great importance on showing respect. Children are taught to show respect by not looking their father, mother, brother, sister and other Somali Bantu elders in the eyes. If children look elders in the eye it’s considered disrespectful. Somali Bantu have a strong tradition of telling their children that they should respect anyone who is older than they are. They are taught that whoever is the same age as their father, mother, brothers, sisters, grandfather, grandmother, uncle and aunt is to be treated with equivalent respect. Work: Somali Bantu men typically go out and earn a living for their families, while wives stay home and take care of the children and household chores. In some families, husbands and wives go out and work on the farm. Men make the economic decisions for the family. The Somali-Bantu are industrious and open to learning the new skills necessary for successful resettlement.  Somali Bantu Community Development Council of Denver was established to safeguard the rights and well being of the Somali Bantu resettled in Denver, Colorado . For More Information on Somali Bantu Please call any of the below people.     1. Rasulo Rasulo; Autobiographical experiences         E-mail: rrrasulo@juno.com  Cell: (720) 280-5057   2.  Yakob Mohamed; interviewed Somali Bantu          E-mail:  yakob.Mohamed@sbcglobal.net           Cell: (210) 286-386-8439   3.   Mayow Khamis; Interviewed Somali Bantu           E-mail: mayow575@hotmail.com            Cell: (314) 229-1091   4.  Dr. Omar Eno, National Somali Bantu Project;           Driector of National Somali Bantu Project;           E-mail: enoo@pdx.edu Tele: (503) 725-8358   5.  Mr. Daniel Van Lehman Somali Bantu Project          Deputy Director E-mail: danlehm@pdx.edu          Tel (503) 725-8587