White Nile Arabs

Political Leadership and Economic Change Volume 53

Abbas Mohamed

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9780485195538
• eBook ISBN: 9781000324389
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Economics
• Subtopic: Economic History
• Index: Economics

This book is an account of the changing social and political structure of the Hassaniya and Hissinat, two Sudanese Arabic speaking tribes inhabiting the northern part of the White Nile Province in the Sudan. The account is based on field research over 15 months, between June 1969 and November 1970, among these groups.

4 Tribal History and Politics in the Pre-Dam Period

In this chapter a brief account of the early political history of the Hassaniya and other Kawahla will be presented with emphasis upon the main features of the Hassaniya polity and political leadership in the pre-Condominium era. Against this background, I proceed to discuss the administrative and political developments which occurred during the early part of colonial rule, that is, in the pre-dam period. These developments affected the legal structure of the tribal polity rather than the basic features of that polity. Real changes in the political structure became evident only in the latter period of colonial rule, during the 1930s and afterwards, that is, after the dam had been built.

EARLY HISTORY AND POLITICS OF THE HASSANIYA AND OTHER KAWAHLA IN THE WHITE NILE¹

¹ For more information on the history of the Kawahla and the Hassaniya see MacMichael 1912,1922, Muhammad 1951, YusufF. Hassan 1967, Petherick 1861, 1889, and Reicl 1930.

The Northern Sudan is today the homeland of a great number of tribes claiming Arab origin and descent. They are thought to have migrated from Arabia to the Sudan through several routes of which the most important and widely used were those through the Red Sea in the east, and through Egypt in the north. The Arab population of the Sudan is commonly classified into three groups: the Ja'alyin, the Juhayna and the Kawahla. This division is based on their alleged common descent and origin in Arabia.

The history of the Arabs in the Sudan dates as far back as the pre-Islamic period, but the history of the Kawahla tribes and the Hassaniya in particular is a relatively recent one. Muhammad A wad Muhhamad (1951) suggests that the Kawahla must have moved to the Sudan during the eleventh century A.D. or thereabouts. He considers that all the Kawahla migrated to the Sudan through tne Red Sea, and that they settled with the Beja for some time and then moved to the White Nile and to other parts of the Sudan. Some of the Kawahla tribes, particularly the Hissinat, accept this view. The Hassaniya, however, do not and say that they migrated to the Sudan through Egypt and before moving to the White Nile settled first in Jebel al-Jilif, a well-known place in the Bayuda Desert, west of the White Nile near Shendi. The movement of the Hassaniya to the White Nile seems to have been caused by a conflict with the Abdallab rulers of the northern part of the Funj Kingdom. The Hassaniya maintain that a certain Abdallab chief, called Agib al-Manguluk (1589-1611),² virtually crushed them by a surprise attack because they refused to pay him tribute. Accordingly, it may be calculated that the Hassaniya move to the White Nile took place at the beginning of the seventeenth century. They chose to move to the White Nile possibly because some of their 'cousin' tribes were already there. The other Kawahla moved into the White Nile region in about the sixteenth century. They dwelt to the south of Jebel Awliya as far down as Abu Hugar on the east bank of the White Nile.

² For information on this Abdallab chief see Shibaika 1964, pp. 48-9. G

When the Hassaniya came to the White Nile they found that the land to the south of their 'cousins' was inhabited by a multitude of tribes, such as the Massalimiya, the Kurtan, the Khanafra, the Dueih and others. The Hassaniya were said to have been diplomatic in their relations with these 'host' tribes and managed to rent land from them. They seem to have been a submissive, poor and disorganized people who did not seem to be related to one another. As they grew in power, however, through their increasing numbers and further immigration from the north, they rebelled against their host tribes by refusing to pay tribute and by claiming ownership of the land. This rebellion was led by their first heroic and charismatic leader, Keiwat, whose emergence had the function of unifying these formerly disorganized groups of kin - the Hassaniya and the Kawahla in general. In response, the host tribes united under a leader, Feteihat, who was said to have belonged to the Massalimiya tribe. They sought help from the Kunjara cousins, the Massaba'at, who were rulers in Kordofan on behalf of the Kunjara, the Sultans who established the Funj Sultanate in 1596, Different stories are told today of the way in which Keiwat managed to win the support of the Massaba'at against the disappointed host tribes and defeat them. This, together with the role of the Hassaniya leader, Keiwat, is reported by Reid (1930) who describes various stories telling of the qualities and attributes ascribed to the Hassaniya leader Keiwat: his bravery, alertness and outstanding diplomacy. This incident was such that today a Hassanit tribesman, confronted with difficulty or a problem in his day-to-day life, will be heard to say 'ya gbarat Keiwat alai feteihat', meaning literally, 'Oh, Keiwat's determined victory over Feteihat'.

After this victory, Keiwat made his first approach on behalf of his people to the Funj Sultan, presumably to Badi Abu Digin.³ He is said to have taken 20 mares to the Sultan as a present and as recognition of his power. He also promised to pay the Sultan tribute from time to time. In return the Sultan endorsed Keiwat's chieftainship and gave him a wasiqa (certificate) entitling him in person and on behalf of his people to the ownership of a clearly demarcated area of land. The boundaries of this land appear to have been Abu Hugar and Wadi Afu in the north, and Goz Marfa'eib just to the north of Tura's al-Khadra. Hence, this demarcated land came to be known as Bahr Keiwat, that is, Keiwat's river. Keiwat and the ummar of the various lineages were said to have distributed this land in tribal blocks between the various lineages, according to the size of their membership and, hence, their ability to cultivate. Each lineage was given a block of land running east to west and including both river and rainland for cultivation and livestock herding.

³ This diplomatic move is also reported by Reid 1930.

Keiwat was supposed to have paid an occasional tribute on agricultural land which was known as sharia, amounting to one-tenth of the crop, but it seems that this tribute was collected only from strangers, non-Hassaniya. The sharia tribute on agricultural land was claimed to be separate from the tribute collected and paid to the Fun] Sultans from time to time. This latter was collected in animals and presented to the Sultan in Sennar by Keiwat. There was no indication, however, that this tribute to the Sultan was paid in a regular form, nor was there any developed or clearly set procedure for its collection. It was mainly an ad hoc matter.

EXTERNAL RELATIONS DURING KEIWAT'S ERA

Keiwat was not only a 'statesmanbut also an enactor of'foreign policy'. His role as a political leader and ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• INTRODUCTION
• I. THE TERRITORIAL AND TRIBAL SETTING: THE PRE-DAM ECOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK AND TRADITIONAL ECONOMIC ORGANIZATION
• 2. the genealogical and ideological framework: some aspects of lineage, corporateness and solidarity IN the pre-dam period
• 3- THE TRADITIONAL SOURCES OF SOCIAL STRATIFICATION AND POWER: THE UMMAR LEADERSHIP
• 4- TRIBAL HISTORY AND POLITICS IN THE PRE-DAM PERIOD
• 5. the dam: the changing ecology, technology and economy
• 6. AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION AND ECONOMIC ORGANIZATION UNDER AGRARIAN DEVELOPMENT I
• 7. THE STRUCTURE OF THE LINEAGE IN THE POST-DAM PERIOD I
• 8. ADMINISTRATION AND TRIBAL POLITICS IN THE POST-DAM PERIOD (I937-69)
• 9. CONCLUSION
• APPENDICES
• LIST OF WORKS CITED
• GLOSSARY
• INDEX