TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION H. 833 



FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3. 

 The following Papers were read : — 



1. On the Native Tribes of the Egyptian Sudan. 

 By Sir Charles Wilson, K.G.B., F.B.8. 



The native races of the Sudan may be divided into four distinct groups— the 

 Hanutic, Semitic, Nuba, and Negro ; but the first three only are dealt with in the 

 present paper. 



I. Samitic. 

 The Ababdeh extend from the Nile at Assuan to the Eed Sea, and from the 

 Korosko desert northwards to the Keneh-Kosseir road. They represent the 

 iTiTT ^^ r'""^ geographers They speak Arabic, and have a large admixture 

 of fellah blood; they claim Arab descent, and their sheikh families are descended 

 from members of the Rabya Arab tribe. The sub-tribes are Ash-Shebab, Abudvin 

 and Foggara ; in all, 6,000 men. ' "uujiu, 



The Bishm-in sti-^ichimm the Nile, between the Atbara and Abu Ahmed to 

 the vicinity of Mount Elba on the Red Sea. They speak Tobedawiet, and are of 

 purer blood than the Ababdeh They are divided into several clans-Shentirab 

 Hamed-Orab, Ahab, Ami-ab, Ilamar, Eireiab, Geihamab, &c., and number 20,000 



The ^«i«mr extend from the Sawakin-Berber road, between Hamdab and 

 Axiab northwards to Mount Elba. They speak Tobedawiet, and claim descent 

 from the Koreish of Mecca They are divided into three groups-the Weled 

 Gwilei, Weled Aliab, and Weled Kurbab-Wagadab, and several smaller clans 

 numbering 15,000 men. i-^aua, 



The Saivdkinese are not Hamitic, but of Hadramaut orio-in 



The Hadendoa occupy the country from Sawakin and Ariab to the vicinity of 

 Kassala They speak Tobedawiet, and are of pure blood, thou<rh one clan— 



fn7numw1S00 meT '™" ^'^ ^°"^^'- ^""'^ ^^^ """^^'^ -*° ^--^^ ^^-^ 



5,OO^o':en;Xiv?:fTo^kt''""'' '"* ^^ ^^^ hadramaut origin; they number 



The Kabbabish, the largest tribe in the Sudan, extend from Dono'ola and Abn 

 Gussi to the confines of Darliir ; they speak a pure Koranic Arabic, and hafe a 

 tradition that they came from Tunis ; they are possibly of Berber descent, but the 

 sheikhs are apparently of Arab origin. They are divided into two great branches 

 and several minor clans. One clan-Kawahleh-appears to be of Arab origin 



ihe hazi are said by Selim el Assiiaui to be a Beja tribe 



The Beja, or Tobedawiet-speaking tribes, are probably the representatives of the 

 people who erected the monuments at Meroe. The Arab conquerors seem to have 

 estabhshed amongst them the patriarchal form of government, and to have consti- 

 tuted themselves the ruling families. There is a marked diiference of type between 

 the sheikh families and the common men. ^^ "cuween 



II. Semitic. 



The Beni Am?- extend from the Khor Baraka to the sea-coast alon? the 

 Abyssinian frontier. A portion of the tribe speak Giz and a portion Tobedawiet 

 among the northern clans are many families of Beja orio-m o-wiet, 



The Sallmiffa speak Giz and Tobedawiet; they claii descent from Ahmed ibu 

 Hallag, the barber of the Prophet. 



The Sabab Be)uk Mensa, Bogos, &c., are aUied to the Abyssinian famHies 



Ihe Ashraf, near Sawakm, immigrated in 1550 a.d. They claim descent fmm 

 the Prophet, and know Arabic, though their vernacular is Tobedawiet 



The Rasnhatda and Zebada are recent arrivals from Arabia: they Kve near 



1886. ■ , 3^ 



