Camel Milk: A Source of Sustenance for Somalis.

Camel Milk: A Source of Sustenance for Somalis, Curative or a "Gojiberry-Miracle Juice" of the Moment

Camel, Culture and Collective Memory

Camel, a genteel, tall, one-humped, and gorgeously lanky creature, is raised at various degrees by over hundred communities, mainly in Africa and Asia. Yet, "there is no other community in the world where camel plays such a pivotal role in the local economy and culture as in the Somali community." (Kamla-Raj 2004, Anthropologist, 6(1): 45-55 (2004). Camel was first transplanted into Somalia from Rome via South Arabia in 10 B.C, and today it is the center piece of Somali existentialism. That is why the current debate by Western nutritionists on whether or not camel milk has therapeutic benefits, versus "goji-berry" fad values, is all the more interesting and relevant.

The role camel plays in the day-to-day life of Somalis is indeed unmatched  in terms of utilitarian aspects, lest it is both the producer and the product that sustains life for millions of Somali pastoralists. In the semi-primitive household-based economy, camel products, on which Somalis regularly subsist (milk, meat and skin), and the means with which they transport products, in turn shape (1) the formation of whatever market economy there is, and (2) the patterns of seasonal settlements that are centered around camel commodity exchange. In the sense of Alain de Janvrry of UC Berkeley, camel is the thread that binds the urban-rural interdependence.

As a primary means of transportation, both for short and long distance trekking, camel in essence shapes the rather more intricate cultural ties/behaviors of the society. It is the means by which social integration, one characterized by oneness and at the same time warring many, is created. In essence, Somalis are cousins who are in the same token sworn enemies to one another. At the center of this anthropological construct is the camel, which shapes the day-to-day culture, patterns of movement, and the contours of inter-clan and intra-clan conflicts as well as coexistence.

As expressed by the Great Somali Dervish poet and cultural icon, Sayyid Mohammed Abdile Hassan, camel is the premier livestock of the Somalis that is uniquely qualified to provide sustenance and sustainability in the Somali ecology:

O' God the victorious
Camels never to man
Who is unable to manage them well
by inferior goats are kept
Not much value has they
for in droughts severe
worthless goats are
no better cattle are
without maintenance constant
it is Goha that life sustains
O' pride of the home
antelope-like she-camel
noblest of animals all surely she
the furry-necked she-camel
with belly huge
sour milk abundant produces she
you, curly-furred camel of mine... (Ahmed Ali Abokor, Uppsala,1987)

How Somalis move around with their camels, where they water or graze them, deeply shapes patterns of ecologically sustainable transhumance. It is often the case that clans whose camels come in contact with each others' in the many wells of Walwaal and Ciid (Haro Ciideed) forge visible intermarriages and cultural integrations that inturn tame conflicts which could have otherwise turned much more deadlier.

The water wells of Walwaal were at the turn of the last century the focal point for water supply for camels in the Danood region that housed several heavily intermarried Somali clans who had fought wars while at the same time mending fences. It is in this context that the epic poems of Guba, which ended up pitting Ali Dhuux, versus Salaan Carabay, versus Qamaan Bulxan were individuals who were all related to one another in one way or another, was instigated by a causal conflict on a popular camel watering point in the vicinity of Walwaal.

So central camel is to Somali existentialism that the late president of Somalia, Abdi-Rashid Ali Sharmarke, once said of camel poetry (or pastoral verse) to be "one of two national assets of inestimable values" for Somalis, and is only paralleled in importance by Islam. Thus, God and Camel are praised in the same verse exclusively sung for camels to coax them to drink water:

God, men and camels are prayed to
for their bounties limitless….

No wonder, then, that camel occupies an enviable position of mythic proportions in Somali politics, poetry and culture that it in turn largely defines the very being of Somaliness. Despite a handful of up starter revisionists within the Somali studies community who denounces the camel culture as an invading force, or, often as they call it, the "Dervishization" of the Somali society, this "furry-necked, belly-huge" animal centers the totality of the Somali being - his harsh ecology, his desires for possessions and in what stock, his metaphysical and existential values are all expressed in camel stock. Thus, Abdi Gahayr raises camel status, Somali's sustainable source for sustenance, to a level of religion, and has aptly articulated his peopl's deep affection of it beyond mere superlatives. His closing verses of his famous camel approbation poem  "Aakhiro nimaan geel lahayn, lama amaanayne" has been romanticized by all Somalis:

Idin-Bacaso awrkey dhashiyo, aarankay wadatay,
wa ilal ibili kuma soo dageen, aayadaha diine,
aakhiro nimaan geel lahayn, lama amaanayne.

The baby calf of Idin Bacaso, that male camel she mothered as well,
are they not praised in the verses of Koran,
are they not benefited the prophet soldiers,
men without camel weren't admired in the hereafter world.

In the words of Ali Eilmi Afyare and M. Qaasin, two powerful contemporary poets, the close-to-heart she-camel, otherwise "Mandeeq," the mother of tranquility, or the Sayyid's "Goha" euphemistically stands for nationhood and its sustenance; it is the ultimate symbolism thorough which public discourse of any sort is engaged. For example, Ali Elmi Afyare, in expressing his disillusionment with post-independence government of Somalia, a myopically corrupt government that lasted from 1960 to 1969, caricatured the smashed hopes of his society to a "Mandeeq" that went stray:

.....When maaandeeq the camel beloved,
Abundant milk produced for all,
Few people drunk all of it
Not once but many times more
Disappointing the hungry and the brave
Who for the camel fought hard for long..... (Ahmed Ali Abokor, Uppsala, 1987)

Somalis take camel images and its symbolism to wherever they go. In the new world, a she-camel portrait is found in Somali neighborhoods be it in Cedar, Minneapolis,(Minnesota), or in Winona, San Deigo (California). The image of a larger-than-life, over-sized she-camel poster that has been a permanent fixture since the 1950s on the better part of one of the walls of the the Somali Section of the BBC, for example, is symbolic of the Somali Diaspora's resolve to bring Somali identity into the heartland of its old colonial ruler. After all, one of Britain's Colonial officers, one Smith, in the Haud and Reserve area was lambasted with stern verses when he confiscated thousands of camels owned by "belligerent" clans:

Isma oga Ismiid iyo ninkii ayro foofsadaye
Isma oga Agoon iyo ninkii aabaheed dilaye

Unaware of each other are Smith and those blessed with Ayro (camel)
Unaware of each other are the orphan and that one who committed the murdering

The latest country where camel symbolism is to be imported to is the Nordic country of Norway. Wenche Stenseth, head of the refugee section at Loeten in southern Norway, said the local authority has applied for one million crowns ($149,100) from the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration for a feasibility study of a camel farm that might start with 10-20 of the humped animals. We're trying to think in new ways," Stenseth told Reuters. "This is about exploiting the skills people have." About 100 refugees, including people from Somalia and Sudan, live in Loeten, a village about 120 km (75 miles) north of Oslo. But, one may ponder, what about the medical benefits to be extracted from camel and its milk!

Camel Milk: A Curative or a "Goji-berry-miracle" Juice?

The issue of the inherent curative attributes to camel milk is not new. In fact, Somali literature is abound with verses and songs about the linkage between camel milk and person's health and wellbeing:

Without a full belly
Of your milk nourishing
Strength and stamina mine
Forever I lose
Helpless a man to become .... (Ahmed Ali Abokor, Uppsala, 1987)

But are the healing properties of camel milk all myth, or can they be proved and therefore provide a bright future for camel dairying? Barry Popkin, the Carla Smith Chamblee Distinguished Professor of Global Nutrition at the UNC Chapel Hill School of Public Health, said the health claims for camel's milk or any nutritional credit bestowed on it are "largely unfounded." Popkin, without hesitation, adds the claim of camel milk curing a number of diseases is "the goji-berry-miracle juice of the moment."

However, other scientist maintain that anti-infection, anti-cancer, anti-diabetes benefits of camel milk are real and attainable. Dr. Bernard Faye of the France-based researchorganization CIRAD (Centre de cooperation international en recherché agronomique pour le développement) catalogues areas of diseases where camel can help; and these are diabetes, tuberculosis, stomach ulcers, gastro-enteritis, cancer, etcetera. Bold claims these as may be, researchers have found preliminary scientific basis for some of the claim it cures. As a result, one could already see that "the medical sector is very interested in the
immunoglobulin of camel milk." Immunoglobulin is the substance in the camel milk that contributes to immunity against infection," says Dr. Hinkle.

As to the curative benefits of camel milk, diabetes is less contentious. With camel milk consumption, "some kind of insulin replacement therapy appears to be taking place," says Dr. Rajendra Prasad Agrawal, associate professor of medicine at the S. P. Medical College in Bikaner and principal investigator of an authoritative study, who began his study of the effect of camel milk on patients with diabetes about five years ago. In the first study, he picked 24 young patients with type I diabetes, all below the age of 30 years. The doctors divided the patients into two groups — 12 patients received the standard treatment which included diet, exercise, and insulin injections, and the other 12 received 500 ml of raw camel milk each day in addition to the standard treatment. The standard treatment for insulin-dependent diabetes, also called Type I diabetes, involves diet, exercise and insulin injections. The group that received 500 ml. of raw camel milk requirement reduced their insulin dependence in some patients by about 30 per cent.  "There is something in camel milk that behaves like insulin," says Dr Rajendra Prasad Agrawal."

The prospect of a cure-all is what inspires Dr. Hinkle, a naturopathic physician who read about the health benefits in a magazine three years ago and decided to lead a national drive for approval of camel milk in the United States. "We have great hope for it," Dr.Hinkle said, noting that regulatory approval would enable producers to conduct scientific studies and give the milk some bona fides.

Responding to a growing interest in the curative aspect of camel milk and camel products, Faisal Roble of WardheerNews went directly to Dr. Hinkle, the most outspoken proponent for the curative benefits of camel milk and conducted the following interview to learn more whether Somali's lanky and huge-belly animal, whose sour milk sustained life for many millenniums, has curative or "goji-berry miracle juice" benefits.

WDN: Let me ask you the first question about yourself: How did you become interested in studying camels?

Dr. Hinkle: I became interested in the effects of the camel milk after reading a small article about the health benefits for allergies in children. I began the quest to get the milk into the US for sale.

WDN: How would you describe your research work, and how long have you been doing it and who is supporting you?

Dr. Hinkle: I have been in practice for approximately 25 years and have been doing the research with the camel milk for the last 3 years. I am totally supporting all the research so far by myself but am now having to look for investors because the milk is getting so big here with the demand by so many people. I am working now on a study that compares the effects of the raw milk vs. the effects of the pasteurized milk on patients with autism and diabetes.

WDN: What are the major findings of your research about camel milk that your work on so far? Do you only study camel milk in the Somali inhabited regions of the Horn of Africa or there are other regions that you would cite?

Dr. Hinkle: I rather like to do my studies in the US and therefore do not study in Somalia but have had many demands by Somali citizens here in the US for the milk. They want it for themselves and for their children. There is such a high rate of autism in the US with the Somali population that it is in great demand.

WDN: Tell us about your efforts to introduce camel milk into the U.S. and how it was received by the scientific community and federal agencies such as Food and Drug Administration (FDA)?

Dr. Hinkle: I had a law changed to allow the camel milk to be sold in the US and the FDA approved a law to allow the milk to be sold. Although it is not available for the market just yet because we have to design kits to test the milk for pathogens and then we will test the milk with the kits. This is coming along nicely and we should be able to see milk available within the next 6 to 10 months. The scientific community here in the US is very interested in the milk and doing studies with the milk. We have recently supplied milk to a large university here in the US to study the effects of the camel milk on the
neurotransmitter levels in the brain. This is important because it could replace many of the drugs with the terrible side effects for such things as autism, depression, and Parkinson disease.

WDN: In your estimation, how long would it take, if at all, for camel milk to appear on grocery store shelves in the U.S.?

Dr. Hinkle: I expect the milk to be available within the next 6 to 10 months for sale in certain areas and for mass sale within the next 12 to 16 months.

WDN: For those who want to support efforts to introduce camel milk in the U.S., what is the best way to help?

Dr. Hinkle: Obviously we need financial support or donations to help with the expense of the legal work to get the milk into the US and for the cost of getting the labs to speed up their work. I have spent my entire life saving on this. I am not in this for profit but just to make the milk available to the people of the US and for people in all the other countries who have contacted on me. I am also working with Canada and several other countries like Singapore, Thailand, and Europe to make the milk available but this is an expensive process to meet all the legal demands for the licensing and the permits and the testing. It is also very time consuming but we are making great progress. I want to thank all the kind and caring Somali people here in the US and around the world who have contacted me and hope to have good news soon.

Faisal Roble,
Email: Fabroble@aol.com
Wardheernews.com, editorial board