sybba (sábah) has been appointed, who exercises a distinct function from
that of the Kamkolák of the east, and has his residence in Bír-Tawíl, a
place near the frontier of Dár-Fúr, though originally his authority
extended only over the Kórobát.
The following is a list of the present agíds or ágade, together with the
tribes over which they rule, and the chiefs each tribe has of its own.
Name of the Agíd. Name of the Name of the
Chief. Tribe over
which they rule.
{ ʿAbd e’ Salám Máhamíd.
{ Hagar
{
{ Mʿallem Bení Helba.
{ Búrma[109]
{ Dendáni[110]
{
{ Tamóki Shíggerát.
{
Jérma, nephew of Mohammed { { Séf e’ Dín.
Sáleh { {
{ Goddúm {
{ { Bení Hassan.
{
{ Músa Khabásh Welád Jenúb.
{
{ Sherf e’ dín Maharíye Welád
{ ʿAlí.
Mágené Yaríma Missiríye
Zorúk.
Dágga Magáddam Missiríye
Homr.
(Kamkolák Nehéd) Allajád Zoyúd.
Mámmedí Riyát Nuwaíbe.
{ Sheikh Sáleh Jʿaátena.
Fadalállah (Fadhl-Allah) {
{ Al Bahér Dúggana.
Jérma Shógoma (Not known to Khozám.
me)
{ Dilla }
Hanno { } Hamíde.
{ Rádama }
Barka Méser Sindur ʿAbidíye.
Jérma ʿAbd el Azíz Sáleh Kólomát.
Gádi Fákih Yakúb Térjem.
Bakhéd, Agíd e’ sybba (Chief not Kórobát.
known)
{ Diyáb, with the Sálamát.
{ surname “sídí
{ jénún”
{
Sʿaíd { Rekék, whose Shárafa.
{ daughter is
{ married to the
{ king
{
{ Jedd el Móla Hemád.
Horr Sheikh Anje Sábbada.
Danna Halíb, a woman Ráshid.
(Not known) Máfer Sábalát.
ʿAbd-el-Wáhed Diyáb Debába, a
section of the
tribe of this
name.
{ Ádim, next to Asále’.
{ whom in
{ authority is
{ Kharith
{
Fákih ʿAlí, or ʿAlío, {
called Agíd-el-bahr; his {
father Beshára died at {
Kúsuri { _Tebu Tribes._
{
{ Áb Kashélle Kréda.
{ Shinnakóra,
{
{ Sákerdá.
{
Bírre Ábú Nakór { Sákeré.
{
{ Madamée.
{
{ Fámálle.
These agíds, the most powerful of whom is Jérma, to whom the half of
Wádáy is said to belong, exercise a very great authority in times of
peace, as well as in case of war; for they have not only to inspect the
state of their respective districts, and to collect the tribute, but
they have also to assemble the troops, and lead them into battle; and
they are continually undertaking great expeditions on their own account.
After Jérma, the agíd el bahr, to whom Moíto, the north-easternmost town
of Bagírmi, has still to pay a special tribute, besides the general one
which Bagírmi pays to Wádáy, is the most powerful on account of his
numerous cavalry; then follows, it seems, the Agíd of the Jʿaátena, and
Dúggana. The Agíd-e’-sybba, is very unpopular on account of the
extortions and vexations to which he is continually subjecting
travellers and pilgrims, who on that account shun his territory as they
would the haunt of a wild beast.
Each of these agíds has a khalífa, or substitute, called agíd-el-birsh,
whom he sends into his province if he does not wish to go himself, and
some of whom exercise considerable authority by themselves; and besides
this person an Emín is also added, on the part of the sultan, in order
to inspect and control the collection of the tribute, and to see that
the due proportion, viz. half of the dhiyáfa, is sent to the sultan.
_Tribute._—The tribute or tax, called here “diván,” varies greatly
according to the wealth and character of the productions of the several
districts. But as a general rule, an inhabitant of any town in Wádáy
Proper, besides occasional contributions or presents, has to pay for
himself two mudd—a measure containing twenty-two handfuls of corn, or
rather dukhn; and, together with the other inhabitants of his town, a
certain number of camels; while with regard to the Arabs, every chief of
a family has to give a káffala of two heads of cattle every third year,
and if he be a fákih, but one. But besides this general tax, there are
some smaller ones for the black natives; as, for example, on each of the
great Mohammedan holidays, every village has to present to its Ajuwádi,
that is to say, to the person upon whom it has been settled as an
estate, one makhaláye—a measure containing three mudd or medád—of dukhn,
and has also to make the same present to an officer in the palace called
“Sídi-e’-derb,” as well as to the “Sídi-el-alboye;” the larger villages
or towns have to give more in proportion, as much as ten mekháli; and
besides this, on bringing their tribute to the king, the smaller
villages have to present their Ajuwádi with one camel-load of dukhn, and
the larger ones with more. The native negro population of Wádáy Proper
have not to pay any cattle or tokáki (strips of cotton), except at the
special request of the king; but certainly with them also the various
character of the productions of their district, and the wealth they
possess, are taken into account; the Sungóri, for instance, whose
excellent race of horses I have mentioned above, are said to pay every
year a tribute of one hundred horses; and the tribute of the Gémir and
the Týnjur is entirely confined to rice—wild rice—with which they have
to supply the household of the king.
As for the Arabs, besides the general tribute or káffala mentioned
above, they have to give to the king himself the “nóba,” that is to say,
once in three years, every four men, one cow; and on each holiday, every
encampment has to furnish a young cow; and besides this, they are
greatly annoyed by the expensive dhiyáfa, which, as I have stated above,
they have to present to the agíd-el-birsh on his annual visit, while on
the whole it is well known that the Wádáy people keep the Arabs settled
in their country in very strict subjection, and do not allow them to
collect any considerable property for themselves. As for the Máhamíd,
they pay their tribute entirely in camels, and are said to make up every
third year the number of one thousand camels, while the ʿAbidíye, who
have very little cattle for themselves, but breed cattle for the king,
they have to pay their tribute in butter.
With respect to the indigenous tribes in the outlying provinces of Wádáy
Proper, the tribute or diván imposed upon them varies greatly. For
example, the Dájo have to give 1000 tokáki, besides honey, wherein
consists the whole regular tribute paid by the provinces of Dággel,
Kebáit, and of the Bándalá; while Sílla, besides honey, has to furnish a
certain number of handsome female slaves; and Rúnga, in addition to a
certain quantity of this favourite article (viz. honey), 100 large
elephants’ teeth every year, or half of the value in slaves. The tribute
of Gúlla, and of the adjacent pagan states, consists solely of slaves.
As for the Tebu tribes, the Zogháwa have to furnish a certain number of
horses, while the tribute raised on the Gurʿaán, as far as they are
dependent on Wádáy, consists of camels.
Here, finally, I have to mention the diván paid by the king of Bagírmi,
down from the period when ʿOthmán, father of the present ruler of that
country, solicited the assistance of Sabún, in order to reconquer his
country from the facha, as I have stated in my account of Bagírmi. This
tribute, which was levied the very year of my residence in Más-eñá,
consists of 100 horses of indifferent description, 100 slaves, 30 serári
or handsome female slaves, and 1000 shirts, or gumsán. This tribute, the
whole value of which, in Bagírmi, is from 2500 to 3000 dollars, is paid
every third year, besides a present of 10 serári, 4 horses, and 4 gumsán
to Jérma, Weled el Méram, who has the superintendence of this
dependency. For there is a superintendent, or as the Wádáwy call it a
“Kursí,” for every province without the borders of Wádáy Proper; and
Jérma, besides having all those Arab tribes above mentioned under him,
is the Kursí, not only of Bagírmi, but likewise of the whole Fittrí, of
the Dájó, and of Míddogó. The present Kursí of Runga, whose name is
Sheríf, has his residence in Sheníni, which, together with the
neighbouring villages, has to furnish him with necessaries, and he
visits that province annually, in order to levy the tribute. The Welád
Ráshid also, partly owing to their considerable distance from the
capital, and partly, as it would seem, on account of their being deeply
sunk in paganism, although they have a special agíd, have likewise,
together with the Sálamát, had a kursí established over them.
_The Fásher and Members of the Fásher._—After having given this short
account of the external government of the country, if I may so call it,
I now proceed to the interior; but, as there is naturally no civil
government, I content myself with naming the persons composing the
Fásher, or Royal Council, where the present sultan Mohammed Sheríf
however never appears. This council is held in an open place, which is
likewise called Fásher, where all public business is transacted. The
president of the Fásher, and the first of the “Fásher-melé” or members
of the Fásher in authority, is the Sing-melék, or, properly speaking,
the master of the gate, but whose character and authority evidently
approach those of a vizier, all business, as far as regards the internal
operations of government, being principally transacted by him. The
present Sing-melék is said to be a person of intelligence, of the name
of Ashén, the younger brother of the powerful Jérma, Weled el Méram, who
surpasses him in material power and wealth. But with regard to the
composition of the Fásher this Jérma is to be ranked next to Sing-melék.
Then comes Kamkolák Rákeb, who appears to have the authority of a major-
domo, then Emín ʿAbd-Alláhi, a brother of Sing-melék, who is the
inspector of the shirts, that is to say, the private treasurer of the
monarch; next in order is Kursí Ábú Bakr, son of Ábú Horra, the person
mentioned above, at present stationed in the territory of the Kodoyí;
Kursí ʿAbd-Alláhi, who has the inspection of the Welád Ráshid; the Agíd
el Máhamíd; the Agíd of the Welád Ráshid; the Agíd el Jʿaátena; Agíd e’
Sálamát; Agíd el Khozám; Agíd el Birsh; Agíd el Édderí; Maigenék, a
person whose duty it is to proceed with his troop in advance of the
sultan, in case of an expedition, like the Jérma in the Bórnu army;
Kamkolák Mohammed Wókilík, K. Nehéd, K. Tandó, K. Ábú Bakr, Agíd el
ʿAbidíye, Kursí Rúnga, Agíd e’ sybba; K. ʿAtamán (ʿOthmán), Agíd
Ammárga, an officer of the household, Agíd Sálem, inspector of the corn
supplied to the palace, Agíd Yúngo, likewise for the interior, Milleng-
díme, khalífa of the Kamkolák of the southern provinces, Milleng-túri,
Khalífa of the governor of the eastern districts, Mohammed Jégeles,
khalífa of the agíd of the Máhamíd, Mohammed Dahába Bódda, substitute of
Kamkolák Mohammed, khalífa Fód, whose station is towards the S.; Kubár,
an Ajuwádi, who has his residence in Ábgudám, eleven days S. from Wára,
and others of minor authority.
The order in which I have enumerated the members of the Council, is
nearly that of their rank. As for the Mómó, or queen mother, she is
sometimes asked to give her opinion, but she never appears in the
assembly.
_Army._—I shall add but a few words concerning the military department.
After various minute inquiries, I think I shall not be wrong in stating
the cavalry of Wádáy, in which, as in almost all these countries, the
strength of the army consists, at seven thousand horse. Of these about
one thousand appear to be clad in coats of mail or “derret,” while, on
account of the communication with Ben-Gházi, the number of these coats
of mail are annually increasing, every caravan bringing several camel-
loads of them, which sell for one or two female slaves apiece. The
horses are said to be excellent; and exposed as they are to storm and
heat, never enjoying the protection of a roof or shade, they are able to
support the greatest fatigue, while at the same time those of the great
men at least are said to be fed sumptuously with rice and milk. All the
horses of the sultan, which bear the special title of “aruwáil” (_sing._
rawáil) have each of them a particular name. The number of muskets in
the army is very small, the Wádáwy themselves having assured me that
there are not more than about 300; for the strength of the people of
Wádáy consists in their spears, while the Fúráwy trust almost entirely
to their swords.
As for the commanders on an expedition, their rank, according to the
number of the troops which they lead into the field, is as follows.
After the sultan and the Sing-melék, certainly nobody can emulate Jérma,
the agíd of the Máhamíd, after whom follows Jérma ʿAbd el Azíz, and then
Kamkolák Rákeb; these are free men; then follow the slaves, viz. the
powerful agíd el Bahr; then Fadalálle, the agíd of the Jʿaátena, Sʿaíd,
agíd of the Sálamát; then Dánna; Dágga, who is the Édderí of the army,
that is to say, he has the command of the rear; then Mágené; El Horr;
Hánno, the Agíd of the Hamíde, who is not a slave, but a native of
Wádáy; Jérma Shógoma; Káffa, and others.
There are several captains of the sultan’s own cavalry with the title of
Jérma: as Jérma Angarútú, Jérma Dhohob, J. Rebek, J. Kaukob, J. Hassan,
J. Siyáde, J. Dháhab, J. Fudhl, who has his station generally in Kánem,
J. Mongó, and J. Benáy.
_Household of the Sultan._—The principal persons composing the household
of the sultan of Wádáy are the kolótus and the mérams, the former title
being given to every son of the monarch, and the latter to all his
daughters. Of kolótus there were during my stay in Bagírmi five.
Mohammed, the heir apparent, who already at that time was said not to be
on good terms with his father, was born of a Púllo or Fellatníye woman,
whom Mohammed Sáleh married in Kordofán, and for this reason the greater
part of the people of Wádáy did not wish him to succeed to the sovereign
power. ʿAlí and Ádim were born of one and the same mother, Mádem
Shékoma. Khodr, the third son, and Makhmúdi, are by another mother.
After the kolótus and mérams follow the hábbabát, or, as the Wádáwy call
them in their own tongue, elísi (sing. elík), the wives or concubines of
the sultan, of whom Shékoma and Sokáy were said to be the favourites.
The officers who have the management of the household of the monarch, or
part of it, under their inspection, are as follows: the barákena-kolí,
meaning royal servants in general; the daláli-kolí, or “siyáde el
alboye,” who have to make and repair the tents; the tuwerát, or
messengers; the motór-melé, or bearers of the spears; the tangna-kolí,
or pages and chamberlains; the ayál-legedábe, or messengers waiting in
the shed or hall, “legedábe,” for the occasional orders of their master;
then the kórayát, or siyád el khél, the masters of the horses, the
gárrafín, or “siyád el kholgán,” the masters of the shirts and “tokáki,”
and, finally, the ártu (_sing._ arak), or, as they are called here,
shiúkh, the eunuchs, or the masters of the female department.
_Character of the Towns and Villages._—The dwelling-places throughout
the whole extent of Wádáy are in general small; and I have been assured
by the natives themselves that there is no town containing one thousand
separate dwellings. Indeed Wára, till recently the capital and residence
of the monarch, which in 1852, on account of the seat of government
having been transferred to Abéshr, was every day becoming more and more
deserted, scarcely contains above four hundred houses, while Nimró, the
famous seat of the Jellába, is stated not to exceed two hundred. In
general the towns or villages of the Kodoyí are said to be the largest,
some of them containing as many as six hundred houses, while those of
the Mímay are said to be the smallest. But the largest place in the
whole of Wádáy is said to be Kódogus, two days west from Sheníni.
The houses or huts consist, like those of all the rest of Negroland, of
groups of round, bell-shaped huts, made of reed, and called “máharéb,”
or “samavi,” in the Wádáy language, enclosed by a wall or fence,
“sherágena-dalí,” and but very rarely, as is the case with the houses of
the king and those of the persons of rank on one side and the Jellába on
the other, built of clay. But the Arabs live in portable huts, made of
mats which they themselves manufacture of the leaves of the deléb-palm,
and which are called “réri” by the Wádáwy.
_Commerce and Market-places._—Almost all the commerce, on a large scale,
which is carried on in Wádáy, is in the hands of the Jellába; a
considerable number of this peculiar stock, whom I have not classed
above among the various tribes inhabiting that country, having migrated
into Wádáy about a hundred years ago, from the valley of the Nile, and
principally, though not exclusively, settled at present in Nimró, a
place about eight miles S.W. from the former capital. Separated into
several bodies, these merchants by birth have each of them his own route
of commerce; thus, there is one body of Jellába who go annually to
Runga; another body frequents the copper-mines south of Dár-Fúr; others
take their merchandise only to the distant provinces towards the S.W.,
viz. the territory of the Welád Ráshid and the neighbouring pagan
countries on the borders of Bagírmi, namely, Bedánga, Gógomi, Ándi;
while others again visit the markets of Bagírmi, Logón, and Bórnu; some
of them visiting Más-eñá during my residence in such numbers that they
built a considerable village for themselves outside of the town, on the
road to Ábú-Gher; while another band visits annually the markets of Dár-
Fúr and Kordofán, others, and especially the wealthier individuals,
frequently follow the recently-opened caravan-road to Ben-Gházi, of
whose history M. Fresnel has given such an elaborate account. Each of
these bodies when _en route_ has its chief or agíd appointed over them
by the sultan, to whom he is responsible for a handsome tax raised on
the profit obtained.
The principal objects of this commerce in general are the following
articles: salt, brought by the Máhamíd and the Tebu to Nimró and Wára,
and bought by the Jellába in large quantities, in order to be sold by
them in detail to the most distant provinces—even as far as Logón;
copper, brought chiefly from the famous copper-mine “el Hófrah,” and
from Runga, and exported, principally to Bórnu, where it fetches a high
price; European articles, brought by the caravans from Ben-Ghází, or
imported also from Egypt by way of Dár-Fúr, such as fine clothes,
bernúses, coats of mail, beads, and other ornaments, calico, paper,
needles, &c., ivory, principally taken in exchange from the Rungáwy, the
Welád Ráshid, and in Bagírmi, in order to be exported, with very great
profit from Wára to Ben-Gházi; asses, of the Eastern breed, very much in
request in the western part of Sudán; túrkedí; tobacco; kóhol; and
sundry other articles brought by the retail merchants of Háusa to
Bagírmi, where they are taken in exchange by the Jellába. Slaves, as in
the whole of Sudán, are certainly the most important article of
commerce.
With regard to the market-places, I have to observe that there is no
considerable market-place in the whole of Wádáy where a person might
find the productions of the different parts of the country collected
together, neither at Wára nor at Nimró, nor in any other place, and one
has to go some distance in order to supply himself with the necessaries
of life. Thus the people of Wára, as well as the Máhamíd, when they wish
to lay in a provision of dukhn, which is their principal food, have to
go to Gírre, a place a little to the west of Nimró, or to the villages
of the Kodoyí; or else they go to the settlements of the Kashémeré, such
as Kúldi, Bútir, Kúndungó, Kornayé, Héjir and others, while in the
southern districts dukhn is bought at the cheapest rate in Abker,
Gnamúniya and Mistakhéde, and in the valley of the Bat-há; principally
in Dumbóli, Rás el fíl, Summúkedúr, Agílba, in a village called Kósi-
wáhed (“one hut”) and in Asáige.
The standard price of every article is the tokíya (pl. tokáki), a term
signifying two long strips of cotton, measuring eighteen drʿa in length,
and three wide, made of smaller strips, which however far surpass those
used in Bagírmi, Bórnu, and all the western parts of Sudán in width,
though they are much coarser. This is the currency of Wádáy, and with it
all the smaller bargains are made, while the larger ones are made in
cattle, in which consists the chief wealth of the Wádáy people in
general, or in slaves; dollars have only lately been introduced by the
Ben-Ghází merchants. One tokíya will fetch, it is said, three or four
sheep, with the Máhamíd, who, as has been stated above, are very rich in
small cattle, and where consequently they are the cheapest; and about
thirty ewes will fetch a cow, while from twelve to fifteen cows are said
to buy a good horse. As for the price of corn, one tokíya is said to buy
from four to five wéba—a measure, eight of which constitute a bullock-
load of dukhn, at the time when it is dearest, and six after the time of
the harvest; while a cow is said to fetch from thirty to thirty-six
wéba, but the bullock only from sixteen to twenty.
_Manufactures and Productions._—It is clear that in a newly-founded
kingdom, such as that of Wádáy, composed of a mere agglomeration of
almost entirely barbarous tribes, there can only be very few
manufactures, or rather none at all, except the roughest productions of
industry, such as weapons and rural implements, made from the iron found
in the country, while besides iron, copper alone is found, namely, in
Runga, and in small proportion in the wádí called Jélingák. Indeed the
Wádáwy themselves do not even know how to make use of the fine indigo
found in their country, in order to dye their clothes, or rather their
shirts, as there are very few persons who are able to afford anything
better than this most essential article of dress. It is even stated that
before the time when the considerable spoil was carried away from
Bagírmi by ʿAbd el Kerím Sabún, the great majority of the people of
Wádáy were clad in nothing but the well-known fáruwá. As for the
business carried on with indigo, it is entirely in the hands of Bagírmi,
or Bórnu people, established in Wádáy; but the Bórnu people are the most
famous and numerous, and their settlements in the country, to which
great importance is attached on this account, are the following:—The
greatest fame for giving the finest tint of indigo to the clothes has
been obtained by the inhabitants of Jemíl e’ Síd, a place situated two
short days S.W. from Wára, and second to it is Bírbashón, another
settlement of Bórnu people, situated between Jemíl e’ Síd and Wára; west
from Jemíl e’ Síd, there is another dyeing settlement called Shálla, and
close to it Léyin, and likewise Birén, a somewhat larger place, situated
on the Betéhá, two days S.W. from Wára. Other Bórnu dyers are
established in Karríngalá (two days south of Wára), and in Dérdigí (one
day south from the former), while others again have settled in Kélingen
Méser, a place situated in the district of the Kélingen. But
nevertheless a black or blue shirt is a great luxury in Wádáy, and a
mark of distinction for persons of rank; indeed, when on their
expedition against Bórnu, as related above, the Wadáwy satisfied
themselves by tearing the black shirts from the backs of all the Bagírmi
or Bórnu people they could lay hold of, instead of leading the persons
themselves into captivity.
_Learning._—Certainly no one will look for any great amount of learning
in such a country as Wádáy; but the Wádáwy fákihs and ʿUlama are the
most famous of all the nations in Sudán for their knowledge of the
Kurán, the Fúlbe or Féllani not excepted. But besides, they possess
several small books or tracts which are generally read as well as the
Kurán, partly for grammatical partly for religious instruction, namely,
Nóh, Elfíye, Khalíl, Resála, Ákhdar-Mandhúm, Ákhdar-Mansúr, Bakádi,
Taʿalík, Abú-el-Hassan, Thamán al jénne, ʿÁjeli or Áujeli el kúbbara,
Áujeli-el-ustha, and others. As for the Sheríya, it is exercised with
ability by these fákihs or doctors; but the Siyása, or the usage of the
country, has greater authority than the book.