SUMMARY

Makahin is a subdivision of the Maaqabul sub-clan of the Ogaden clan, which in turn is one of several sub-clans of the wider Darod clan. The Makahin are thus part of the Somali ethnic group. The Ogaden is by far the largest Somali clan in Ethiopia, and the group also inhabit Somalia and Kenya. In Ethiopia, the Makahin mainly live in the Dollo Zone, one of the subdivisions of the Somali Region. As the Ogaden clan is predominantly pastoralists, this most likely applies also to the Makahin. As a result of resource scarcity and environmental stress, the Makahin has been involved in conflicts over land and water with neighboring groups, such as the Geri.

The complexity of the Somali clan system limits the amount of information available on the different sub-clans. Furthermore, the different sub-clans often disagree about their origins, and genealogy is often passed to the next generation orally without written records.