DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49271#0201
The Kababish, a Sudan Arab tribe
139
Of the ten marriages recorded with unnamed Nurab women it is probable that the
majority were between the children of two brothers. These cases were mostly told us
by men, and men do not usually remember the exact relationship of the women; if pressed
they would probably say the woman in question was bint 'amm to her husband for all
Nurab are aulad 'amm. To obtain more exact genealogical information it was always
necessary to make inquiries from the women, and this was done as often as possible.
The two marriages with women of the Ghazai are given separately, as the Ghazai
were classed as a division of the Kababish until recently.66
The fact that only one marriage has been recorded with the maternal uncle’s child
is at first sight surprising, when it is remembered that the Kababish always say that this
is the next best marriage if the father’s brother’s daughter is not available. The explana-
tion for this apparent anomaly is really very simple; the children are betrothed while
they are young, and the children of all the brothers are soon all promised. Though
families are not large — except those of great men who keep harims — only sons are rare;
as a rule a man will marry and remarry until several sons are born to him; so that it would
be unusual for a man to have no brother whose daughters he might ask for his sons.
If, however, a man should have no brothers, or his brothers should have no daughters,
it is quite probable that though he might wish to arrange marriages for his sons with his
sisters’ daughters, they would be already promised to the sons of her husband’s brothers,
whose proposals would have the first consideration. This is seen in the marriage of Ibayd
with Fatma, his father’s sister’s daughter, recorded in the genealogy. Ibayd is the son
of one of the sons of Kuraysh, and Fatma is the daughter of Matria, a daughter of Kuraysh
who had married a man of the Dar Kebir. As will be seen in the genealogy, three of the
daughters of Kuraysh married out of the Nurab division, and though we have no exact notes
on the subject we may hazard the suggestion that two of these marriages took place during
the Mahdia, when Kuraysh broke away from his loyal brother and joined forces with the
Mahdi. (The reason for the third marriage is given below). The sons of Kuraysh have
since rejoined the Nurab division and, as we have already stated, Muhammad of the Dar
Kebir having brought his wife Matria to her people’s ferik there was no brother’s son
close at hand to marry his daughter Fatma. The marriage of Salih, son of Muhammad,
is also interesting. As already noted above he is betrothed to Nafisa, the daughter of
Arz esh-Shams. It has been explained that as it was not possible to arrange a marriage
for him with his father’s people, the daughter of his khala (mother’s sister) had been
chosen for him. Evidently Matria and Arz esh-Shams look upon each other as sisters.
They are really the daughters of the two brothers Fadlulla and Kuraysh.
66 MacMichael, op. cit., p. 177.
139
Of the ten marriages recorded with unnamed Nurab women it is probable that the
majority were between the children of two brothers. These cases were mostly told us
by men, and men do not usually remember the exact relationship of the women; if pressed
they would probably say the woman in question was bint 'amm to her husband for all
Nurab are aulad 'amm. To obtain more exact genealogical information it was always
necessary to make inquiries from the women, and this was done as often as possible.
The two marriages with women of the Ghazai are given separately, as the Ghazai
were classed as a division of the Kababish until recently.66
The fact that only one marriage has been recorded with the maternal uncle’s child
is at first sight surprising, when it is remembered that the Kababish always say that this
is the next best marriage if the father’s brother’s daughter is not available. The explana-
tion for this apparent anomaly is really very simple; the children are betrothed while
they are young, and the children of all the brothers are soon all promised. Though
families are not large — except those of great men who keep harims — only sons are rare;
as a rule a man will marry and remarry until several sons are born to him; so that it would
be unusual for a man to have no brother whose daughters he might ask for his sons.
If, however, a man should have no brothers, or his brothers should have no daughters,
it is quite probable that though he might wish to arrange marriages for his sons with his
sisters’ daughters, they would be already promised to the sons of her husband’s brothers,
whose proposals would have the first consideration. This is seen in the marriage of Ibayd
with Fatma, his father’s sister’s daughter, recorded in the genealogy. Ibayd is the son
of one of the sons of Kuraysh, and Fatma is the daughter of Matria, a daughter of Kuraysh
who had married a man of the Dar Kebir. As will be seen in the genealogy, three of the
daughters of Kuraysh married out of the Nurab division, and though we have no exact notes
on the subject we may hazard the suggestion that two of these marriages took place during
the Mahdia, when Kuraysh broke away from his loyal brother and joined forces with the
Mahdi. (The reason for the third marriage is given below). The sons of Kuraysh have
since rejoined the Nurab division and, as we have already stated, Muhammad of the Dar
Kebir having brought his wife Matria to her people’s ferik there was no brother’s son
close at hand to marry his daughter Fatma. The marriage of Salih, son of Muhammad,
is also interesting. As already noted above he is betrothed to Nafisa, the daughter of
Arz esh-Shams. It has been explained that as it was not possible to arrange a marriage
for him with his father’s people, the daughter of his khala (mother’s sister) had been
chosen for him. Evidently Matria and Arz esh-Shams look upon each other as sisters.
They are really the daughters of the two brothers Fadlulla and Kuraysh.
66 MacMichael, op. cit., p. 177.