CHAPTER XIV.

MARRIAGE AND OTHER CEREMONIES OF DONGOLAH. — CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE, THEIR HABITATIONS. — WOMEN, THEIR AMUSEMENTS. — ARAB TALE. — GOVERNMENT OF DONGOLAH.

An account of the ceremonies of marriage, &c. in this part of the interior of Africa may not be uninteresting to the reader, as differing much from those we are accustomed to, and elucidating the manners of the present inhabitants of Ethiopia. Though I travel for the purpose of studying the remains of the ancient grandeur of these realms, I omit no opportunity of observing the customs of the present inhabitants, their condition and government.

The ceremonies of marriage vary in a slight degree in almost every district of the valley of the Nile; but in no place are they more curious than in the province of Dongolah. The nuptial ceremony of every country appears singular in another. The Arab would be astonished at the solemnity of our weddings, particularly at the weeping which sometimes takes place, although, perhaps, he would have no objection to the plum-cake; and, if impatient to possess his treasure, would not dislike the marriage _sans façon_ by the blacksmith at Gretna Green. Our customs would appear as strange to him as even the following description of an Arab wedding to a British reader.

As soon as a Dongaloue has collected a small sum, sufficient, according to his condition, to defray the expenses of the fête, he looks out for a girl suited to his taste. Having fixed his choice, he sends two persons to make his proposals to her father, or whatever relation has charge of her. When he is accepted, and the friends on both sides agree to the wedding, he sends his intended bride a variety of presents; the _gourbab_, or drapery of linen which they wear around their waists, and also other pieces of wearing apparel, shawls, and linen; and, besides these gifts, he sends her also money, wood, and, according to his fortune, from four to forty ardebs of grain. Accompanied by his friends, he then goes to the house of the bride; her father meets him at the door, and in the presence of the cadi, and of the relations and friends of both parties, and of the fakeers of the village (men who can read and write a little, and have the reputation of being pious Mahometans), the father gives away his daughter, and the bridegroom receives the gift. “I give you my daughter for wife:”—“I take your daughter for wife,” is all that passes; the cadi and other witnesses of the contract then invoke God and the Prophet to bless their union. In the mean time the girls and matrons of the village are inside the house with the bride.

The cadi having witnessed the agreement and taken his departure, the father of the girl invites the bridegroom into the house. A curious scene then commences, which baffles description: the female friends of the bride, having hid her in some secret room, as soon as the bridegroom enters, rush upon him, and begin pulling him about, and pinching him, often not in the gentlest manner. The husband hunts in every direction for his bride; but her friends, first drawing him on one side, and then on the other, and pinching him unmercifully, fully occupy his attention, and prevent his making the discovery. At length, worn out with fatigue, and having supported his character by fighting as good a battle as he was able, he gives them a handsome present of money to inform him where she is. Then commences another ceremony—the tearing of the rat, or cincture, as I have already mentioned. The rat, on this occasion only, is protected and covered with folds of linen, tied and knotted in the most complicated manner. The bridegroom endeavours to undo this Gordian knot, amidst the laughter of the bride and her friends: but the latter are not merely idle spectators; they commence again pulling him about, and pinching him most maliciously. The bride also does not omit the opportunity of giving him slily an affectionate pinch or two. At last, he is obliged to purchase again the assistance of the girls; and they generally make him pay dear. If his first present is not sufficiently liberal, they continue tormenting him until he has satisfied their expectations.

The women having taken off the covering that protected it, the bridegroom seizes the rat, and tears it in pieces; the bride, on this occasion only, has a piece of linen underneath; yet it sometimes happens that the wicked bridegroom succeeds also in snatching away this under-covering, and turns the laugh against his bride; this, however, is considered here little more than a harmless jest.

For seven days they continue feasting and dancing. The bride generally keeps her face covered during this time, but the bridegroom is permitted to laugh and practise with her what we should call rather rough jokes, as their chief amusement seems to be pinching. On the seventh evening, the bridegroom conducts his bride to his house, and another curious custom is practised. The male friends of the husband and the female friends of the bride assemble around a large board, on which a great quantity of grain or dates is placed. When the signal is given, the parties commence a scramble, each striving most earnestly to collect the largest quantity. If the women succeed, the wife is to rule her husband; if the contrary, the husband is to be master of his own house. If this ceremony took place in Europe, the men, through indolence and politeness, and being engrossed in various pursuits, not to say deference for the good sense and peculiar talents of the fair sex in managing domestic affairs, might gladly cede the greater quantity to the women; but here it is considered too great a disgrace for a man to relinquish any portion of his authority to his wife, to admit of such courtesy.

When they name their children, there is very little ceremony: four days after the birth the name is given, and a sheep is killed for the fête.

The ceremony of the circumcision of the male is also curious: it takes place when the child is about four or six years of age. All the friends and relations of the family assemble at the house of the father, bringing with them presents according to their means,—horses, oxen, cows, corn, money, &c. After partaking of some refreshment, they walk in procession to the river, and all the males bathe together. On their return to the house, the child is placed on an angoureeb, and the ceremony performed. A bunch of flowers is then placed in his hand, with scents, and the relations and friends pass the one after the other, kiss and smell the bouquet, and give the child as liberal a present as they can afford. There is, generally, so great a mixture of persons on these occasions, that these gifts vary from upwards of two pounds to one penny: all, however, are expected to give as much as they can afford. In Egypt they often postpone this ceremony until the child is twelve or fourteen years of age; but in this country the family gain so large a sum by it, that they seldom if ever delay it so long. For the girls there is no fête: at most they merely kill a sheep. This ancient ceremony probably had its origin in this country. Herodotus, after mentioning that the Phœnicians and Syrians derived the custom from the Egyptians, seems to doubt whether the Egyptians had it from the Ethiopians, or the Ethiopians from the Egyptians.

I described a funeral at Gibel el Birkel in Dar Shageea. Here, also, they sometimes dance on these occasions, but not often. It is an old custom, and not considered strictly Mahometan. Both sexes are buried on the very same day that they die, generally a few hours afterwards.

The contests which took place between the Arabs of the mountains and the Berberene peasants, cultivators of the land, are suppressed by the authority of the Turkish rulers; but their contempt for each other is often displayed. When an Arab of the desert is oppressed by a soldier, his first exclamation is, “Do you take me for a Berberene?” The latter, in return, pride themselves on not being obliged to lead the vagrant lives of the wandering Arabs. The peasants of Dongolah are extremely honest: no bar nor lock is necessary, to secure the door against the thief; nor is falsehood known among them. They are always hospitable to the extent of their means. I never saw a peasant sit down to eat, without inviting all that were near him to take a share; and the poor and fatigued traveller is never refused a night’s lodging and an evening meal.

[Illustration: Pl. 36.

_On stone by W. Walton, from a Drawing by L. Bandoni._

_Printed by C. Hullmandel._

EXTERIOR OF A DONGOLAH COTTAGE.

_Published by Longman, Rees & Co. April 6th. 1835._]

The inhabitants of Upper Nubia have been so many years accustomed to the Turks, that white men are now no longer looked upon with horror. Burckhardt tells an amusing tale, that, in the bazaar at Shendy, he raised his turban, and showed his white shorn head to a peasant girl, who, I suppose, had never seen flesh so white before, and, terrified at the sight, exclaimed, “Um del Allah min Shatan!”—“May God preserve me from the Devil.” This is one of their favourite expressions; but the white man now incurs no risk of having it so peculiarly applied to himself.

Most of the houses of the peasants are of mud, that is, the alluvial soil of the Nile, mixed with cow and horse manure; the latter is much used: straw is rarely added. Many of the houses in the country, built of dourah straw, are extremely picturesque. The two views (Plates XXXVI. and XXXVII.), taken from nature, will give the reader a good idea of their construction, and also their inhabitants. The lordly Turk is smoking on the only angoureeb in the house; one man is grinding on a stone, for his lazy wife, whose business it is considered to be, merely as much dourah as will suffice for their mid-day and evening meal; and others are occupied in making and drinking their favourite beverage the bouza. I have already noticed the graceful style of the costumes both of the men and women; the latter are often handsome, having fine forms and a good expression.

The wives are generally virtuous and gay: the dance is their favourite amusement, but not so much indulged in here as in the province of Dar Shageea. Their greatest delight is listening to the tales of the country, which, though simple, are full of imagery, and have, in the Arab language, a peculiar charm. A translation, I fear, cannot give a full idea of their beauty. The following is a tale I heard related by a little Ababde girl of thirteen; and even at an earlier age their memories are stored with similar stories, which, if any one had the disposition and the leisure to collect them, would form a considerable and not uninteresting supplement to the Thousand and One Nights.

DONGOLAH TALE.

“Amnah was the most lovely of the daughters of the Nile: fair as the sand of the desert, the gazelle was not more elegant in form, or more graceful in its movements. Her bust was beautiful, and her skin soft and pliant to the touch. Her face was as the light of day; her eyes were bright as the stars; her teeth whiter than the polished ivory; and a lovely and ever-constant smile illumined her countenance. Nature had done her utmost; Fortune equalled her rival in loading her with its favours. Her necklaces were numerous, and of the finest gold; and great was the weight of gold on her wrists and ankles. Her hair was beautifully plaited, and decorated with the largest and rarest pearls, and broad plates of gold above her forehead; and two large and most precious ornaments set with diamonds hung gracefully from her ears. Her rat (cincture) presented every variety of colour; the skin of the hippopotamus was never cut so fine: it was ornamented with the most curious shells and pieces of gold and silver attached coquettishly in the most becoming manner; and the border of the rat around her waist consisted of coral and pearls. From her waist to her knees, only, this graceful ornament skreened her form; and there was not one of the youths of the village and of the neighbourhood, who had ever seen Amnah, who did not sigh and regret bitterly his being unworthy that her rat should be broken for him. ‘The houries of the paradise of the prophet cannot,’ said they, ‘be more enchanting, endowed with such ravishing beauty, or such extraordinary talents.’

[Illustration: Pl. 37.

_On stone by J. Hamerton from a Drawing by L. Bandoni._

_Printed by C. Hullmandel._

INTERIOR OF A DONGOLAH COTTAGE.

_Published by Longman, Rees & Co. April 6th. 1835._]

“She was, at the same time, the gayest of the gay, and also acquainted with all the learning of her tribe. Her father and other travellers had related to her the history and customs of other countries, and from them she had learnt the traditions and wars of her native land. Every passage of the Koran was familiar to her; and it was whispered she had devoted herself secretly to the study of astrology (el ahlem el felek), and the more hidden sciences of the Arabians. At midnight she was often seen alone, gazing at the heavens; and for this reason the nomage she received for her beauty and understanding was blended with a certain feeling almost approaching to fear. Too beautiful, pure, and learned to be of this world, she was considered by the ignorant peasants more as an angel of light (melik e’ nour), than a frail inhabitant of earth.

“At the death of her father, after she had accompanied his remains to the grave, and for some time had lamented his loss, Amnah, weary of the constraint to which her sex subjected her, and anxious to visit those scenes which she had so often heard described, left her native village. The morning after her departure, at the entrance of a small town, she observed an old man covered with vermin. ‘My father,’ said she, ‘let me free you from those tormentors;’ and she began killing the animals, until suddenly the man fell dead at her feet. ‘It is the will of God!’ she exclaimed, and immediately dressed herself in his clothes, and pursued her journey.

“Thus disguised, and safe by the power of magic from detection, she procured a dromedary swift as the wind, and visited the different regions she had heard described; sometimes joining one caravan, and sometimes another. The immense treasures on her person were little diminished by this expense; when, one day, the people of the caravan with which she travelled perceived a cloud of sand approaching them, and shortly afterwards distinguished a troop of horsemen at full gallop. Amnah and her companions urged on their camels, but, finally, finding flight useless, they endeavoured to hide themselves in a large well, which the heat of the summer had dried up. But the horsemen had seen them enter, and, delighted to have their prey secured, they offered to the young leader of their band his choice, whether he would have for his portion the first or the last of the persons whom they should find in the well.

“Their chief, named Mustapha, was only twenty-one years of age, but renowned for his skill in the use of the matchlock, the sabre, and the lance. His shield, of the hide of the hippopotamus, was almost useless; for with his sabre he parried the blows of his enemies; with a slanting cut of his Damascus blade, which his father, who had travelled far towards the north, had brought him, he separated the limbs of his foes, and even severed the iron chain. At the shake of his lance all fled before him; and never was a matchlock in more skilful hands. In form, he was the perfection of manly beauty and vigour, and his mind was richly endowed, displaying a judgment beyond his years, and greater presence of mind in danger than the oldest warrior. The Koran he knew by heart, and his chief delight was in listening to the traditions of his country. Young and generous, he could never repress his indignation at the recital of the evil deeds of the tyrants who had reigned over the land: his eyes kindled with enthusiasm, and his cheeks glowed with pleasure and emulation when they told him of the valorous exploits of his ancestors, their generosity and hospitality. Like the rest of his race, much of his time was spent in excursions against the tribes with whom they were at war.

“Perceiving where the caravan had taken refuge, Mustapha, having the first choice allowed to him, said, ‘I will take for my share the captive at the extremity of the well: he who has most to lose will have fled the farthest.’ His companions cast lots for their portions. Some had young women, others young active male slaves; all with some treasure. None were apparently so unfortunate as Mustapha, who found at the extremity of the well Amnah disguised as an old man, miserably clad, the picture of poverty. His companions, with the freedom of friends, rallied him on the wisdom of his choice, in the following lines, which one of them sang, and the others joined in chorus[41]:—

‘Our chief, what wisdom he has shown!

God has blessed him with great judgment.

O, what a prize he has gained!

So young and so active a slave;

So splendid and costly his dress;

So sweet the scent of his body!

Our chief,’ &c.

‘He will lead your horse to the field;

Give you your lances in battle,

And ward off the treacherous blow.

Our chief, what wisdom he has shown!

God has blessed him with great judgment.

O, what a prize he has gained!’

“Mustapha bore good-naturedly the jests of his companions, and, not wishing to appear to despise the gift of Providence, although apparently useless, he led to his castle, as prisoner, the disguised Amnah. On his arrival, he asked her what she could do: ‘Can you cut wood?’ said he. ‘No,’ replied Amnah, ‘I have no strength: see you not that my arm is shrivelled up with age?’ ‘Can you carry it?’ said the chief. ‘No,’ she said, ‘my back is already double; I should sink under the lightest weight.’ ‘Can you guard the cows, or sheep?’ ‘Alas, no!’ replied Amnah, ‘they walk too fast and far for me.’ ‘Can you clean the horses?’ ‘I know not how.’ ‘Can you wash the sand for gold-dust?’ ‘My eyes are not good enough.’ ‘You are too dirty to make bread. Can you attend the geese?’ ‘I think I can,’ said Amnah; ‘at all events, I will try.’

“Mustapha gave her for her companion a dumb youth, called Yabebe. After some days, when Yabebe was bathing in the river, Amnah took off her disguise, and showed herself, to the astonished peasant, as the perfection of beauty, covered with gold and precious stones, her hair ornamented with fine pearls and plates of gold, and her earrings studded with diamonds: laughing, she sang to him the following lines[42]:—

‘Open your eyes, Yabebe:

See! I am young and lovely,

Covered with gold all over;

My necklace of gold,

My earrings of gold,

My bracelets of gold,

And gold round my arms,

And gold round my legs,

Gold on my forehead,

And gold on my rat;

Pearls and silver also.

Open your eyes, Yabebe;

See, I am young and lovely,

Covered with gold all over!’

“The astonished peasant left the river, and Amnah, laughing, resumed her disguise. On his return to the castle, the dumb youth made signs to his chief that Amnah was a woman, beautiful, and covered with gold. They surveyed her, and, not finding out her disguise, beat the boy for his improbable falsehood.

“The day afterwards they were at the same river: Amnah threw aside her disguise, put her ornaments together, and bathed herself, with the lad, in the shaded stream. The peasant went first out of the water, and unobservedly stole one of her rings. Amnah, having counted them, found one missing. Yabebe denied having taken it. Amnah beat him, but still he denied, and, escaping from her, fled to his master, and gave him the ring, describing, by signs, that she had similar ones on all her fingers, and was covered with gold and precious stones; that she was a woman, and that her beauty was, as the mid-day sun (jemeel mittel e’ shamps fel dohr), too powerful to gaze at. Mustapha sent for Amnah, and, flying suddenly upon her, tore open the rags that covered her, but fell senseless at the sight of such exquisite beauty.

“Great was the fête of the marriage, countless the camels and sheep that were killed. The music was incessant for seven days and seven nights, and they danced until they could dance no more. None, for many years, saw the brilliancy of her face, being ever in her harem, or closely veiled, when, occasionally, she appeared in public. The fame of her beauty, knowledge, and goodness was spread through all lands; the learned were anxious to converse with her; but none, except her husband, had seen her face.

“One day her dearest son fell from a tree that he was climbing. His cries reached the ears of his anxious mother. Without a veil, without a garment, she rushed forth. The crowd, on seeing her, fell as dead. They knew not if the effect was produced by magic, or by the power of her exquisite beauty. At her touch her son was restored; and, having clothed herself with a gourbab, and thrown a veil over her head, the crowd recovered; but the tree withered from that day: the branches decayed fast; the leaves fell on the ground, and it no longer afforded shade.”

THE ANCIENT GOVERNMENT OF DONGOLAH.

The Meleks who formerly reigned here were of the Zebain, to which tribe belong almost all these rulers, including Melek Tumbol, Melek Nazr e’ Deen, and, in fact, all those from Sennaar to Wady Halfah, with the exception of the meleks of the Shageea tribe. The peasants under these chiefs were generally called by the names of their villages, as those of Dongolah, Dongoloue, Korti, Kortie: but, since the conquest of the Pasha, they are called Berberene; a name derived from Berber. Sheakh Muktah[43], the most intelligent Arab I have ever met with, being, like several in Upper Nubia, of the race of cadis,—son after son the chief cadi,—and, therefore, as pure a source of information as by tradition can be obtained, informed me that all these peasants are of the great tribe of Ababja from the Yemen, who came here in the reign of the fourth caliph after Mahomet, and, finding the country inhabited by infidels, drove some out, but forced the greater number to become Mussulmen; and that thus the former inhabitants became blended with the Arabs, and have not been distinguishable from them for ages. This is a curious and highly interesting tradition, proving, historically, almost, what might naturally be supposed: but I will say more on this subject in my Historical Appendix.

The king of Sennaar held a doubtful and precarious rule over this country, receiving, according to the character of her monarchs, more or less tribute. The brave Shageea, alone, never bent the knee to this king. Two hundred years ago, the Sultan of Sennaar, as some call him, sent here a detachment of the tribe called the Funge, to which he belonged, to keep this country under his subjection. A great many of this race are still here, and they are considered to be inferior only to the Shageea in courage. They are supposed to be originally a colony of pagans, from the Bahr el Abiad, but they have nothing of the appearance of negroes. They ruled over the country 150 years. Ibrahim was the first, and he was succeeded by his son Musnet: their united reigns lasted eighty years; they sent considerable quantities of corn, oxen, and horses to Sennaar. The descendants of Musnet enjoyed less authority over their subjects, and the tribute to Sennaar was less regularly paid.

In the year 1782 the Shageea overthrew the government of the Funge, and reigned peaceably in their stead, under three meleks,—Melek Shouish, Melek Omar, and Melek Zebair. The account Burckhardt gives of the treacherous conduct of the Mamelukes towards Mahmoud el Adalenab is very correct, as far as it goes. Hadji Mahmoud Sheakh received them with every mark of hospitality, ministered to all their wants, and was in return barbarously murdered at Maraka, this very place which is now called El Ourde, or The Camp. The following particulars of this circumstance, which I received from the best sources at Dongolah, may not be perhaps uninteresting to the reader. The Mamelukes arrived at Captot; and Sheakh Mahmoud, the chief of the Shageea, descended the river on the opposite side, with a numerous suite. He bade the Mamelukes welcome to his kingdom, and informed them that, if they wished for grain, he would furnish them gratis with any quantity they desired. He told them, also, that whatever they asked for, which he possessed, should be immediately sent to their camp; and if they were anxious, as they professed to be, to proceed up the country to Sennaar, he would supply them with provisions for the journey, but if they chose to remain at Captot Marabat, they were welcome.

Four days afterwards, fifteen Mamelukes, or katshefs, as they are called, rode up and stopped at the door of the house of the grand Cadi Mahomet, having learnt that the Sheakh Mahmoud was with him. The sheakh having come out to salute them, they complained that they had no grain for their horses. The sheakh sent immediately for a bag for each horse, and ordered his people to fill a boat with grain, and convey it to the camp. The Mamelukes appeared still dissatisfied, and would not dismount whilst their horses were feeding. But their object was soon accomplished; for, as the sheakh approached the horse of one of them, to arrange the bag of corn it was eating, and said, “This is sufficient for your horses now, and I will send you as much as you desire,” the Mameluke, who had his carabine on one side of his saddle, without putting it to his shoulder, pointed it at the sheakh, pulled the trigger, and wounded him in the breast. The sheakh had scarcely drawn his sword a few inches from the scabbard, when another fired a blunderbuss at him, containing six balls, and he fell dead: another instantly separated his head from his body, and they afterwards mangled the corpse in a horrid manner with their sabres. The Cadi Mahomet, who was with him, was killed also by a blow of a sabre, and a black slave, who was in attendance, met a similar fate. Ten of the Shageea peasants, his servants, were present at this murder, but being unarmed they could not attempt to revenge the death of their chief, and therefore fled.

The Mamelukes remained nine years masters of the country. Including the servants, they were about 600 in number. Many died here; the remainder, on the invasion of the Pasha, went to Shendy, whence they passed to Darfour, and thence to Bornou, Baghermi, Fezzan, and Tripoli. Adouram Bey, one of their leaders, was killed near the latter place; but their other leader, Marfou Bey, arrived in safety at Tripoli.

I received the greater part of this account from the most authentic source, Sheakh Muktah, my informant, being the son of the Cadi Mahomet, who perished with the unfortunate Mahmoud. I ought to mention, as some palliation of this treacherous breach of hospitality, that it is said that the Berberene, weary of the Shageea, represented to the Mamelukes that Sheakh Mahmoud was devising some plan to destroy them, and therefore they may be said to have murdered him in self-defence. The object of the Mamelukes was to possess the country; and they were glad to avail themselves of this feeble excuse to break the laws of hospitality. Great praise is due to the few who accomplished the courageous and immense undertaking of crossing the centre of Africa. Such a journey would immortalise any European, but who would attempt it? At Darfour, Brown was detained a prisoner; and in the kingdom of Bornou or Fezzan Hornemann lost his life.