By Brianna Vitands
Murphy News Service
The Somali Museum of Minnesota has become the home to a traditional Somali hut this March. The traditional hut travelled from Somalia, through Dubai, and to Minneapolis-a distance of almost 8,200 miles. The hut was constructed by women from the Xingalool community in Northern Somalia using wood and cloth rugs woven by hand.
“The men don’t build the house in Somalia, the women do, which is really cool,” said Sarah Larsson, anthropologist and outreach director.
The ultimate goal of the museum is to educate children, adults and non-Somalis about traditional nomadic culture in Somalia. The museum does this by hosting nomadic weaving classes, traditional dance, and poetry sessions as well as providing tours of the museum. The museum especially appeals to Somali families with children who grew up in the U.S.
“That lifestyle is changing, and especially kids growing up here in Minnesota, don’t get to access that at all, they have no idea what that’s like,” Larsson said.
The Somali Museum, 1516 E. Lake St., opened its doors in October 2013. The founder and executive director, Osman Ali, has personally collected more than 700 artifacts for the museum, with the hope of preserving the quickly disappearing nomadic way of life. Ali is a businessman and community leader, and has had three successful businesses since 1995, when he moved to the U.S. He began collecting artifacts in 2009 during his first trip back to Somalia.
“Whenever they had something they were coming and selling to me,” Ali said. “So every time I travel, they know who I am.”
In the 1990s, Minnesota’s foreign born population more than doubled from 110,000 to 240,000. Minnesota is attractive to prospective immigrants for the same reason it’s attractive to current residents; Minnesota has a good economy, accessible education, and a high standard of living. A 2009 study found that there were nearly 30,000 Somalis living in Minnesota, although some estimates were as high as 60,000. So it’s no surprise that the only Somali museum in North America is located in Minneapolis.
“So here we are in MN, we have the biggest Somali community in the United States, so this is where the museum is taking shape,” Larsson said. “The community is sort of rallying around it to make it happen.”
The collection was originally showcased in Ali’s Sanaag Café before being moved into the Plaza Verde building on Lake Street. However, within the coming years Ali would like to find a larger space to house the collection.
“We have a vision of having a full scale museum someday,” Larsson said. “The mission of the museum is to both showcase and celebrate, and truly preserve this really quickly disappearing traditional culture from Somalia.”
“I have a couple architects working with me and planning for the future of the museum,” Ali said. “We have a plan for what’s going to be inside, you know libraries, documentary rooms, meeting rooms.”
A number of community organizations and individuals have helped the museum financially, but the desired project is expansive and could take years to complete.
“We are trying our best to make it happen, whatever it takes, no matter how many years,” Ali said. “If I cannot finish it, maybe those after me can finish it.”
Reporter Brianna Vitands is studying journalism and Spanish at the University of Minnesota.