Aw (Harari: ኣው Āw; sometimes spelled Au) is an honorific title in the Harari and Somali languages. It commonly designates a father, respected elder or saint in Harari and Somali languages.Transactions of the Somali Academy of Sciences and Arts Volume 1 page 164Encyclopedia of Africa south of the Sahara page 47 It is used widely and most commonly in the Somali territories.
Etymology According to linguist Edward Ullendorff term '"Aw"' from Harari language is linked to the Proto-Semitic term Ab meaning father. According to Giorgio Banti the term has been adopted by various Somali clans from the Harari language.
History During his research in the ancient town of Amud, the historian G.W.B. Huntingford noticed that whenever an old site had the prefix Aw in its name (such as the ruins of Awbare and Awbube), it denoted the final resting place of a local saint.G.W.B. Huntingford, "The Town of Amud, Somalia", Azania, 13 (1978), p. 184 The honorific prefix Aw was a customary title in Adal and among the Somali
Most notably applied to the founder of Harar Aw Abadir. According to the southern Somali Geledi clan, the appellation Aw was common amongst them and was used “scrupulously” in interactions between the nobles and half casts. Sorcerers among the Arsi Oromo are known as Awan Shan, a designation derived from the Somali title Aw, with shan meaning "five" in the Oromo language.
Notables People with the title include:
Aw Barkhadle, saint Aw Barre (Awbare), Adal era saint Aw Buba (Awbube), pre Ifat era saint Aw Abdal/Idal, saint Aw Ali Hamdogn, saint and scholar Aw Abadir (Aw Badir), saint and scholar Aw Umar Ziad, saint Aw Ansaar, saint Aw Hashim, saint and scholar Aw Seid Ali, saint Aw Sofi Yahya, saint and scholar Aw Khutub, saint and scholar Aw Qurrabe Limay, saint
Further reading Emile Foucher, Names of Mussulmans venerated in Harrar and its Surroundings A List. Harrassowitz Verlag, 1988
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