DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49271#0219
The Kababish, a Sudan Arab tribe
157
day is an inauspicious day to start to travel. It is described as tegtl, “heavy”, yet both
Monday and Friday are auspicious days for the circumcision of boys, and it was on a
Monday that the circumcisions witnessed at Hellet Nurayn took place.83 Saturday was
said to be a specially auspicious day for the infibulation of girls; but the ceremony wit-
nessed at Hellet Nurayn took place on a Monday. A Monday or Friday is selected when
it is necessary to put a fresh tympanum of sheep-skin on the big copper drum called nahds,
of which every really important sheykh possesses an example, and which under the Egyp-
tian government was an insignia of office. We may note that a good deal of ceremony is
associated with the nahas throughout the Arab Sudan; the Kababish said that a sheep
would be killed for it every Friday, though it was admitted that nothing terrible would
happen if this were omitted.84
Not only are the days of the week auspicious or inauspicious for certain acts, but the
date of the month, and the month itself all need consideration; and it is a common practice
to consult a feki concerning a favourable date. In practice almost anyone who could
read and write would be considered a feki and might be consulted.
It is believed that some people are born with the evil eye, and there are definite pro-
tective gestures, but the belief does not seem to play any considerable part in the life
of the people, nor are the common South European protective gestures or amulets known.
It is said that a man believed to possess the evil eye does not find any difficulty in marry-
ing; but this may in part be due to the fear he would inspire, and it was pointed out that
a man with good looking daughters might take precautions lest they should be sought in
marriage and refusal entail disaster. The protective gestures are (i) the open hand held
in front of The face palm forwards, moved as though to push away the evil; (ii) the hand
placed on the head so as to expose the axilla. Both gestures must be used with discretion
lest quarrels should ensue.
It will probably be found that the Kababish have names for all the more striking stars
or constellations, but our knowledge of the heavens was not sufficient to enable us to go
thoroughly into the matter. We can, however, state that they do not group the stars
as we do, nor have they any knowledge of the old Arabic names which figure on our star
maps. Aldebaran is named Abu Raya, while the name Rigel is unknown. The three
brightest stars in Orion are called el-'Ast, “the Sticks”; the Pleiades are es-Suraiya, “the
Hanging Lamp”; a bright star to the right of the Pleiades is el-Mtzdn, “the Scales”;
while Sirius is el-Berstm, which in common speech means “clover” or “trefoil”. Two bright
83 Vide supra, p. 149.
84 At Jebel Gule between the White and Blue Nile we were shown two large copper drums belonging to the
Sheykh Idris which had somehow been hidden from the Dervishes. They were said to go back to the times of the
kings of Sennar, and one of them bore the date A A •, i. e. A. H. 880.
157
day is an inauspicious day to start to travel. It is described as tegtl, “heavy”, yet both
Monday and Friday are auspicious days for the circumcision of boys, and it was on a
Monday that the circumcisions witnessed at Hellet Nurayn took place.83 Saturday was
said to be a specially auspicious day for the infibulation of girls; but the ceremony wit-
nessed at Hellet Nurayn took place on a Monday. A Monday or Friday is selected when
it is necessary to put a fresh tympanum of sheep-skin on the big copper drum called nahds,
of which every really important sheykh possesses an example, and which under the Egyp-
tian government was an insignia of office. We may note that a good deal of ceremony is
associated with the nahas throughout the Arab Sudan; the Kababish said that a sheep
would be killed for it every Friday, though it was admitted that nothing terrible would
happen if this were omitted.84
Not only are the days of the week auspicious or inauspicious for certain acts, but the
date of the month, and the month itself all need consideration; and it is a common practice
to consult a feki concerning a favourable date. In practice almost anyone who could
read and write would be considered a feki and might be consulted.
It is believed that some people are born with the evil eye, and there are definite pro-
tective gestures, but the belief does not seem to play any considerable part in the life
of the people, nor are the common South European protective gestures or amulets known.
It is said that a man believed to possess the evil eye does not find any difficulty in marry-
ing; but this may in part be due to the fear he would inspire, and it was pointed out that
a man with good looking daughters might take precautions lest they should be sought in
marriage and refusal entail disaster. The protective gestures are (i) the open hand held
in front of The face palm forwards, moved as though to push away the evil; (ii) the hand
placed on the head so as to expose the axilla. Both gestures must be used with discretion
lest quarrels should ensue.
It will probably be found that the Kababish have names for all the more striking stars
or constellations, but our knowledge of the heavens was not sufficient to enable us to go
thoroughly into the matter. We can, however, state that they do not group the stars
as we do, nor have they any knowledge of the old Arabic names which figure on our star
maps. Aldebaran is named Abu Raya, while the name Rigel is unknown. The three
brightest stars in Orion are called el-'Ast, “the Sticks”; the Pleiades are es-Suraiya, “the
Hanging Lamp”; a bright star to the right of the Pleiades is el-Mtzdn, “the Scales”;
while Sirius is el-Berstm, which in common speech means “clover” or “trefoil”. Two bright
83 Vide supra, p. 149.
84 At Jebel Gule between the White and Blue Nile we were shown two large copper drums belonging to the
Sheykh Idris which had somehow been hidden from the Dervishes. They were said to go back to the times of the
kings of Sennar, and one of them bore the date A A •, i. e. A. H. 880.