Worr Libin
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Worr Libin was an alliance of Cushitic-speaking population groups that inhabited various regions of northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia. It has been argued that the adoption of the Borana language by the other Somaloid Worr Libin groups reflected their acceptance of a regional Boran political hegemony. This period is thought to have lasted from 1550 to 1920.[1][2]
Schlee proposes that prior to 1550 two pastoral societies occupied the northern and southern reaches of Kenya and Ethiopia respectively. One group comprised 'Somaloid' pastoral groups that shared a cultural complex centered on arid-land camel keeping. The other was an Eastern Cushitic speaking community, best represented by the Borana who originated in southern Ethiopia.[3]
c.1550 Alliance
The Worr Liban alliance brought together the Borana with groups derived from the Worr Dasse (i.e. culturally Somaloid but Boran-speaking).[4]