Arawelo

Arawelo or Arraweelo (Caraweelo) was a proto-Somali Queen in traditional folklore.

Biography
Arawelo is said to have lived and ruled most, if not all of the Somali territories. Semi-biographical tales which give many personal details of this queen are given. For instance, Arawelo's mother was said to have been called Haramaanyo; but no mention is made in the tales about who her father was. However, other stories found by Enrico Cerulli describe one female ruler of Hararghe (Ogaden) in the Makhzumi era, whose father was Amir Maya. She was the first born of three daughters and natural heir to the dynasty. Like many female rulers, Arawelo fought for female empowerment; she believed society should be based on a matriarchy. There is no solid evidence of her existence other than testimony.

Location
The exact location of her Kingdom is uncertain but she is believed to be buried somewhere in Northern Somalia, specifically in the Sanaag region of Somalia. Her throne was passed down to an unknown next of kin, though many versions suggest it was her niece, Araxsan.

Defying Gender Roles
The queen defied gender roles of the time. Before she was queen, it is said that during the Buraan droughts, she and a team of women fetched water and hunted to prevent her town from migrating and to relieve starvation. During her reign, Arawelo's husband objected to her self-ascribed role as the breadwinner to all of society, as he thought women should be restrict themselves to merely domestic duties about the house and leave everything else to men. In response, Arawelo demanded that all women across the land abandon their womanly role in society, and started hanging men by their testicles. The strike was successful, forcing men to assume more child-rearing and creating a role reversal in society. This didn't lead to greater equality, rather women took the superior roles men and men were oppressed and forced into subservience.

Arawelo thought this role reversal was necessary since she saw women as natural peacekeepers. Growing up she believed that women were not treated well and the men were more often instigators, participants and conductors of war and politics. She not only fought for the liberation of women in feudal society but for the dominance of women as she saw them as better, more efficient leaders.

In Popular Culture
References to Arawelo in Somali culture today include nicknaming a girl/woman who is very assertive and dominant "Caraweelo". She is also, by one source, claimed to have been the Harla queen of the ancient Somali people but this does not conform with the fact that she is just commonly interpreted as a folkloric figure, with there being no evidence that she existed. Opinions on her legacy vary widely, with critics denouncing her for her androcidal nature and introducing the practise of infibulation, a type of FGM, while supporters eulogize her gynocentric attempts at female empowerment.