The Manasir people ( ar, المناصير) constitute one of many
Sunni
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
riverine
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
tribe
The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English language, English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in p ...
s of Northern
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
. They are not to be confused with the
Manasir
The Manasir people ( ar, المناصير) constitute one of many Sunni Arab riverine tribes of Northern Sudan. They are not to be confused with the Manasir (tribe), Manasir of the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, Persian Gulf region in the Arabi ...
of the
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...
region in the Arabian Peninsula-based mainly in the United Arab Emirates. They inhabit the region of the
Fourth Cataract
The Cataracts of the Nile are shallow lengths (or whitewater rapids) of the Nile river, between Khartoum and Aswan, where the surface of the water is broken by many small boulders and stones jutting out of the river bed, as well as many rocky ...
of the
Nile
The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin language, Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered ...
and call their homeland
Dar al-Manasir
Dar al-Manasir ( ar, دار المناصير) is the region of the Fourth Cataract, the most impassable of all rapids of the Nile. It is the homeland of the Arab tribe of the Manasir and from them gets its name. Still today the water rapids canno ...
. Similar to their neighbouring tribes, the upstream
Rubatab
The Rubatab people ( ar, الرباطاب, ar-rubāṭāb) constitute one of many Sunni Arab riverine tribes of Northern Sudan. They inhabit the region of the Fourth Cataract of the Nile. Similar to their neighbouring tribes, the mid-stream Mana ...
(الرباطاب) and the downstream
Shaiqiyah (الشايقيّة), the Manasir are an indigenous Nile culture who adopted Islam and became Arabic speakers. Unlike other riverine tribes of the Sudan, a considerable part of their population lives as Bedouins in the adjacent
Bayudah Desert. The nomadic life of herding their stock of goats, sheep and camels in desert valleys is however limited for many to the rainy season, coinciding with the annual inundation of the Nile.
Origin
Similar to other Arab tribes, the people trace their origins back to one historical ancestor. According to the current oral tradition of many Manasir, this person is called Mansur and belongs to the line of descendants of
al-'Abbas
ʿAbbās (also Abbass; ar, عباس) is an old Arabic name that means "Lion". The name traces back to Al-‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib in 536 CE (an uncle of Muhammad) and Abbas ibn Ali, a son of Ali ibn Abi Talib, who participated in the battle ...
, the uncle of
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...
.
According to their self-presentation in a publication by a committee of Manasir responsible for relocation issues resulting from the
Merowe Dam
The Merowe Dam, also known as Merowe High Dam, Merowe Multi-Purpose Hydro Project or Hamdab Dam, is a large dam near Merowe Town in northern Sudan, about north of the capital Khartoum. Its dimensions make it the largest contemporary hydropower pr ...
, which is going to affect all villages of
Dar al-Manasir
Dar al-Manasir ( ar, دار المناصير) is the region of the Fourth Cataract, the most impassable of all rapids of the Nile. It is the homeland of the Arab tribe of the Manasir and from them gets its name. Still today the water rapids canno ...
, multiple explanations of their origin are offered (LAGNAH 2005:2):
# The Manasir living in Gezira claim that their apical forefather is called Mansur bin Qahtan (منصور بن قحطان), belonging to the Southern Arabs called Qahtaniin (القحطانيين).
# Some historians (sources not mentioned) trace the origin of the Manasir back to the
Kawahla Kawahla are an Arabic tribe inhabiting Eastern Sudan. They speak Sudanese Arabic and members of this ethnicity are Sunni Muslim. There are over 40 million members worldwide, with over 2 million in Southern Egypt (Al-Ababda) and 15 million in Moro ...
(الكواهلة), saying that they are sons of Mansur bin 'Aim (منصور بن عايم).
# Other historians (sources not mentioned) insist that they are the descendants of a group of cousins from a Shaiqi clan called al-Hankab (الحنكاب), who had to migrate after internal fights. According to the last opinion Mansur is a direct descendant of King Sabir (الملك صبير).
Earlier travellers witnessed
Beja and
Bisharin influences from the
Red Sea Hills
Itbāy ( ar, اطبيه) or ʿAtbāy is a region of southeastern Egypt and northeastern Sudan. It is characterized by a chain of mountains, the Red Sea Hills, running north–south and parallel with the Red Sea. The hills separate the narrow c ...
among the Manasir (INNES 1931:187).
Strong similarities of their burial customs with that of the
Nubians
Nubians () (Nobiin: ''Nobī,'' ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the region which is now northern Sudan and southern Egypt. They originate from the early inhabitants of the central Nile valley, believed to be one of the earliest cradles of c ...
can still be observed (cf. CAVENDISH 1966, Local beliefs among the Manasir).
Critical research suggests that the current Manasir community should be viewed as a voluntary amalgamation throughout the centuries between indigenous mostly Nubian groups, descendants of emigrating Arabs and recruited tribal minorities living among them or in the adjoining areas. By recognizing a common genealogical pedigree, all members of the tribe establish a system of mutual respect, rights and obligations, thereby uniting themselves in their claims for land and other resources against neighbouring tribes.
Varying detailed charts of their genealogy can be studied in SALIH (1999:20) and TAIYEB (1969:between 4-5).
The current Manasir clans are divided into Riverain Manasir (Manasir al-Nil, مناصير النيل) and Bedouin Manasir (Manasir al-Badiyah, مناصير البادية), (cf. TAIYEB 1969:2).
* Manasir al-Nil: al-Wahabab (الوهاب), al-Suleimaniyah (السليمانية), al-Kabanah (الكبانة), al-Diqeisab (الدقيساب), al-Hamsab (الهامزاب), al-Ga'al (الجعل), al-'Ababsah (العبابسة), al-Farei'ab (الفريعاب)
ubatab al-Hamdatiab (الحمدتياب)
haiqiand al-'Amasib (العماسيب).
* Manasir al-Badiyah: sharing the grazing grounds of Abisba' (ابسباع) and Sani (سانى) are al-Khabra (الخبرا), al-Hamamir (الحمامير), al-Muleikab (المليكاب) and al-Kagbab (الكجباب).
During the dry season some clans migrate to the desert area of the
Kababish
The Kababish () are a nomadic tribe of the northern Kordofan region of Sudan. The Kababish comprise about 19 different groups, which are all led by a single ''nazir'' or chief. Their main occupation is as camel herders, which gives them a high sta ...
tribe to the west (Khala' Kabushiyah, خلاء كبوشية) others to the grazing grounds of
Wad Hamid
Wad Hamid is a city on the Nile about 100 kilometres north of Khartoum, Sudan. Most of the people are farmers. Wad Hamid is part of Almatama Province. Wad Hamid is the center of a big area constituted of many villages and islands, a few to menti ...
(بادية ود حامد) in the Ga'ali Country (الجعليين) or to the Rubatab (الرباطاب) Country. (cf. LAGNAH 1969:3, TAIYEB 1969:2)
Population
The de facto population of the Manasir (in the Shiri Rural Council) in 1993 had been 30,000, according to data of The Federal Department of Statistics of Sudan cited and empirically verified by SALIH (1999:10-11). The publication of the Manasir committee is talking about 33,000 residents and 17,000 non-resident Manasir (تعداد السكان المقيمين فى 92/1993 م=33.000 نسمة, تعداد الاسر المترددة فى92/1993 م=17.000 نسمة), (LAGNAH 2005:6).
Both figures remain vague and don't specify to what extent they include the Bedouin Manasir in the Bayudah Desert.
Tribal marks
Like other tribes in Sudan, most Manasir of the grown-up generations have tribal marks (Shilukh, الشلوخ) which possibly originate from a Sheikh's animal burning mark (Wasm, وسم). The tribal marks are cut with a razor on the cheeks of a child to mark it belonging to a specific tribe. Among the
Donqolawi and the
Shaiqiya
The Shaigiya, Shaiqiya, Shawayga or Shaykia () are an Arab or Arabised Nubian tribe. They are part of the Sudanese Arabs and are also one of the three prominent Sudanese Arabs tribes in North Sudan, along with the Ja'alin and Danagla. The tribe ...
these marks usually consist of three horizontal scars, among the
Rubatab
The Rubatab people ( ar, الرباطاب, ar-rubāṭāb) constitute one of many Sunni Arab riverine tribes of Northern Sudan. They inhabit the region of the Fourth Cataract of the Nile. Similar to their neighbouring tribes, the mid-stream Mana ...
and the
Ga'aliin the lines are vertical, the scars in the case of the Rubatab being rather larger and closer together (cf. CROWFOOT 131–132). The Manasir do not have a unique design of tribal marks, but copy either the upstream or downstream neighbouring tribes.
Economy and culture
![Manasir farmer with a Turiah](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Manasir_farmer_with_a_Turiah.jpg)
The riverain Manasir pursue small scale agriculture on alluvial soils in the immediate vicinity of the Nile. Their most important cash crop sold on the national market is a wide variety of
dates
Date or dates may refer to:
*Date (fruit), the fruit of the date palm (''Phoenix dactylifera'')
Social activity
*Dating, a form of courtship involving social activity, with the aim of assessing a potential partner
**Group dating
* Play date, a ...
(cf.
Date Cultivation in Dar al-Manasir). They are also renowned for their skill in building mud houses (Galus, جالوص) and they used to float wood from the region of
Atbarah (cf. TAIYEB 1969:3, SALIH 1999:152).
Their material culture is simple and consists mainly of a variety of storage containers and tools (cf.
Material Culture of the Manasir). An insight into their culture and perception can be obtained by studying the
Diwan of their recent poet
Ibrahim 'Ali Salman
Ibrahim 'Ali Salman ( ar, إبراهيم علي سلمان) (1937 – March 30, 1995) is the most famous contemporary poet of the Arab Manasir who inhabit the area of the Fourth Cataract of the Nile in Northern Sudan. He is referred to by the Mana ...
.
References
* Cavendish, M. W. (1966): "The Custom of Placing Pebbles on Nubian Graves". In: ''Sudan Notes and Records'', Vol.47, pp. 151–156.
* Crowfoot, J. W. (1918): "Customs of the Rubatab". In: ''Sudan Notes and Records'', Vol.1, pp. 119–134.
* Innes, N. McL. (1930): "The Monasir Country". In: ''Sudan Notes and Records'', Vol.14, pp. 185–191.
* Lagnah al-Tanfidhiyah lil-Muta'thirin (2005): ''Khasan al-Hamdab wa Qissah Tahgir Ahali al-Manasir''. 20 p. (اللجنة التنفيذية للمتأثرين (2005): خزان الحامداب و قصة تهجير أهالي المناصير)
* Qasim, 'A. al-Sh. (2002): ''Qamus al-Lahgah al-'Amiya fi al-Sudan''. 3rd ed. 1076 p. (عون الشريف قاسم (2002): قاموس اللهجة العامية في السودان. الطبعة الثالثة. الدار السودانية للكتب)
* Salih, A. M. (1999): ''The Manasir of the Northern Sudan: Land and People. A Riverain Society and Resource Scarcity''. 282 p.
* Taiyeb, M. al-T. et al. (1969): ''Al-Turath al-Sha'ibi li-Qabilah al-Manasir. Salsalah Dirasat fi al-Turath al-Sudani''. Khartoum University Faculty of Adab. 155 p. (الطيب محمد الطيب و عبد السلام سليمان و علي سعد (1969): التراث الشعبي لقبيلة المناصير. سلسلة دراسات في التراث السوداني, جامعة الخرطوم, كلية الآداب )
External links
Homepage of the Humboldt University Nubian Expedition (H.U.N.E.)
{{authority control
Arabs in Sudan
Ethnic groups in Sudan