152 NOETH-EAST AFEICA. 



The Tigré and Amharas. 



The civilised Abyssinian Highlanders are divided into two main groups, differ- 

 ing from each other in speech and traditions — the Tigré nation, occupying the 

 north-east highlands, and the Amharas and Shoas of the western and southern 

 regions. The features of the Tigré, who have given their name to their province, 

 are perhaps somewhat more characteristic than those of the other Abyssinians, from 

 whom, however, they cannot easily be distinguished. But they speak the Tigrifia, 

 a peculiar form of speech derived from the Ghez, the classical language, in which 

 are written all the religious works and liturgies of the Abyssinian nation. Like 

 the Tigrié (Tigré, Tigrai), a kindred dialect current amongst the peoples of the 

 northern slopes along the headstreams of the Barka, the Semitic roots of the Ghez 

 are found more or less intermingled in the Tigriiia, with Galla and other elements 

 of foreign origin. The " Bedouin " language of the Hababs is a well-preserved 

 form of Ghez, and many Abyssinian theologians have resided amongst these humble 

 highland shepherds in order to study the origin of their sacred language. The 

 Hassa, another dialect of the same family, differing slightly from Tigrié, has sur- 

 vived amongst the Beni- Amers of the Samhar plains on the coast of the Red Sea. 

 In this direction the Abyssinian linguistic domain is being gradually encroached 

 upon by the Arab, just as the Christian religion itself has recently yielded to 

 Mohammedanism. 



Of the two chief Abyssinian languages, the Tigrina and the Amharina, the 

 latter, also derived from Ghez, predominates, thanks to the higher civilisation and 

 political preponderance of the Amhara people. The Amharina is the language of 

 trade, diplomacy, and literature, possessing a special alphabet of thirty-three letters, 

 each with seven forms, or two hundred and fifty- one characters altogether, written 

 from left to right, like the European languages. Whole libraries of books have 

 been written in this tongue. The most important works are found in Europe, 

 especially in the British Museum, which possesses as many as three hundred and 

 forty-eight, obtained chiefly from the collections of King Theodore. Most of the 

 Amharina books have been written for the edification of the faithful ; but magic, 

 history, and grammar are also represented in the national literature. Science 

 already possesses three dictionaries of the Amharina language, the last a philological 

 work of great importance on which d'Abbadie spent more than twenty-five years. 

 The Tigrina dialects possess no literature. 



The Abyssinians. 



The inhabitants of the various Tigré and Amhara provinces present striking 

 contrasts according to their locality, trade, food, and racial crossings. But apart 

 from the extremes, varying from the pure Negro to the European type, the 

 Abyssinian on the whole may be considered as possessing shapely limbs and regular 

 features. They are mostly of middle height, broad-shouldered, with somewhat 

 slender body, and of very graceful action and carriage. They wear the shuma, a 



