[3] The Dhulbahante traditionally had two adjacent kingdoms: The Dulbahante, as far as I have seen them, are a fine martial race of men, second to none of the branches of Darrood either in conduct or appearance, and they are described as being courteous and hospitable to the stranger who visits them.

Even by pastoral standards, the Dulbahante have a reputation for pride, independence and martial spiritA common nomenclature used by the British to describe the head of the Dhulbahante clan was "sultan" during the colonial era.

[10] The nobility of the Shirshoore, who had two kingdoms, is coalesced with their Dervish identity in the following verses: Hawa beena Soomaalidaa, hadafka raacdaa leh Hadal ruma Daraawiishta iyo, weli hanoonaa leh Raggii diinta hooyga u noqdiyo, hanad shirshooraa leh Somalis whom are by and large deceitful, they belong to the terminus of their journey Those truthful words of Darawiish, still belongs to the kind-hearted Those men who are the vanguards of faith, bravery truly belongs to the Shirshoore The poem Wiilyahow Daloombiyi forges a link between Garad Ali's former Dhulbahante kingdom as being superseded by Dervishism using the metaphor duubcad meaning white scarf, a well known Dervish insignia:[11] Oo aan dunjiga Cali Garaad, duub cad wada saaray Whereby I covered the kingdom of Ali Garad with the white scarf The fourth Garad ali was the first garad to dissipate of the hereditary tradition, as he no longer had royal recognition beyond the year 1898, the position being usurped by Diiriye Guure.

In the unlikely event of the Mullah offering to surrender ... Deria Gure – only an unconditional surrender should be accepted, no guarantee of any kind as to future treatment being given.The transcript from James Hayes Sadler to general Eric Swayne, and subsequently forwarded to levies was rendered by Somali historian Jama Omar Issa as follows:[24] Diiriye Guure waxa qur ah oo laga oggolaan karaa isdhiibid aan shuruud lahayn; wax sugan oo ballanqaad ah oo noloshooda dambe laga siin karaa ma jirto.

An Evening Express piece published by Walter Alfred Pearce referred to Diiriye Guure as the head of the Dhulbahante clan during the Dervish era.

[25] A report in 1903 in the Evening Express states that Diiriye Guure's role was equivalent to the commander of the Royal Engineers, whom in 1903 happened to be Richard Harrison.

This report also states he was a veteran of the Gumburru battle,[26] and his brother Maxmud Guure mentioned in the Geoffrey Archer's list[27] was mentioned as witnessing after-effects of Cagaarweyne battle, i.e. an eagle filled the remnants of human testicles: "waxaana calooshiisii laga soo saaray 500 oo xiniinyo rag ah",[28] an event described by Douglas Jardine as "the enemy force was represented by the leading die-hards".

Nonetheless, the chief caaqil of Barkad, who was Maxamed Cali Bulay, was considered bellicose and contentious for his consistent refusal to part with dia payments, even in the event of a killing.

[42] According to Major F. Cunliffe Owen, in terms of Dhulbahante political allegiance "the great preponderance lay" with Dervishes (darawiish), whilst that of Isaaq tribe was "mostly attached" to the British.

Musa Farah has gained no benefit by killing my men and my country is of no good to youDouglas Jardine likewise noted the propensity of maarsasho (minimalism) among Darawiish, and said this extended to avoiding drugs such as the Khat leaf:[47] With all the corrosive invective of the born agitator and the recklessness of the reformer, he inveighed against the luxury of the age.

Many of the tribesmen, loath to leave such luxuriant pastures, had remained in close proximity to the Dervish post; and their immunity from attack had shown that some sort of understanding existed between them and the Dervishes with whom they had exchanged visits and presents.The Mariyama Shiikh poem suggests a culture of nativism in the Nugaal with the usage of muhajir (emigrant) for non-natives:[49] 5 Kun lag oo muhaajiriina waa, ma hurihiisiiye 5 a thousand emigrants have arrived; and she (Mariyama) is indispensable for them The Dhulbahante and her sister clan the Warsangali both practice a dance called the Jaandheer, which is a cultural dance native to the Isaaq clan that birthed the Dhulbahante, that reside in the states of Sool Sanaag and Cayn.