Zeila and the Issa Archives

From Aysha to Ellis Island: Issa Somalis and America’s Human Exhibitions, 1914

Zeila Heritage7 months ago7 months ago010 mins

There wasn’t a permanent “Issa Somali village” in New York in 1914, but a distinct group of over 60 Issa Somalis arrived at Ellis Island in March 1914, brought for exhibition. Ciise Sitti oo bandhig Carweed dhaqana geeyaay New York bishii saddexaad 1914 kii. Part I. On a cold morning, 14 March 1914, the…

Zeila and the Issa: History, Geography, and Culture.

Zeila Heritage9 months ago8 months ago011 mins

Zeila, an ancient port in the Horn of Africa, has long been a hub of trade and cultural exchange. During the Middle Ages, the Jewish traveler Benjamin of Tudela linked Zeila with the Biblical Havilah, though modern scholarship identifies it more likely as Avalites, mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea and by Ptolemy…