In addition to sharing a common nomadic tradition that places a high value on livestock and virtues of bravery and individualism, a strong adherence to the Islamic faith, and an oral tradition that holds singers and poets in high esteem, the country's two dominant ethnic groups - the
Afars and the Issas - have maintained strong social networks that form the basis of everyday life, especially within the rural areas.(6) The Issas maintain an especially egalitarian form of social organization based on clan membership in which all |men' are considered equal, and each has the right to voice his opinion about the affairs of his Clan.(7) As such, decisions are arrived at through consensus.