CHAPTER XII.

* * * * * =TRIBAL BOUNDARIES.= * * * * *

The Bedouin tribes[139] inhabiting South-Eastern Egypt are:—

_North of the administrative boundary_ (Ababda tribes):—

Ashabab.

Meleikab.

_South of the administrative boundary_ (Um Ali Bisharin tribes):—

Hamedorab

{ Kurbeilab { Aliab { Balgab { { Koatil { { { Sarrarab { Mallak[140] { { Mohammad Omerab[140]

I had hoped, in surveying the country, to be able to place the boundaries of the territories of the different tribes on the field maps, and with this object in view I ascertained the claims of each tribe as precisely as possible from representative men of the different tribes who accompanied me over the ground.[141] I found that in several places the tribal claims overlapped, and in consequence I have not inserted the boundaries on the general maps. But I was able to obtain a clear and definite idea of the various claims made at the time, and as this information was obtained on the actual ground, I propose to set it down here as being a useful basis for consideration if ever it is necessary to decide upon the question of rival claims.

On the small scale map[142] which forms Plate XXVI, I have shown the various claims as accurately as the scale will admit of, and a reference to it will enable the statements of claim to be generally followed; but as the disputed portions frequently concern somewhat small wadis, it will in some cases be better to refer to the larger scale maps on Plates XV, XVII, and XVIII, to follow the smaller details.

I would remark that there did not appear to be anything in the nature of a quarrel between the various tribes over the areas of disputed ownership, these areas being occupied indifferently by either tribe, or by men of both tribes living amicably together. It was only when I attempted to lay down on a map the precise boundary of each tribe that I found certain areas had two or more claimants. In the country south of the administrative frontier, the wells and vegetation are sufficiently abundant, in proportion to the population, for the question of ownership never to be a matter of heated controversy in ordinary years; and I am told that the present relationships of the tribes are so friendly that although each tribe would resent any statement as to ownership of its traditional grounds by the others, yet as a matter of fact no objection is raised to camels and sheep of one tribe grazing in the grounds of another, a give-and-take policy being usual. When I was at Halaib, Sheikh Batran Ali Tiut (of the Hamedorab) told me they never had disputes about grazing rights, as there was plenty of ground for all; but if a dispute should arise, he would no doubt be able to settle it amicably with his neighbours, by going to the place and hearing the evidence of the oldest Arabs in the particular district and letting custom and tradition decide the point.[143]

=Boundary between the Ashabab and Meleikab.=—This boundary is defined in the Ministerial _Arrêté_ of June 25, 1902, to run along the Wadi Hodein from the sea to Gebel Abraq, and thence southward to Gebel Um el Tiur. The only difficulty in laying down this line on the map is in deciding which part of the great plateau of Gebel Abraq to take as the point, and which of the two Gebels Um el Tiur is meant.

With regard to Gebel Abraq (_see_ the large scale map on Plate XV), the Wadi Hodein passes its south portion; but the context of the _Arrêté_, defines the wells of Abraq (Bir el Sunta, Bir Abu Dibesat, Bir Abraq, and Bir Gumbit) to be in the Meleikab area, and as these lie further north it is obviously necessary, in the spirit of the _Arrêté_, to take a point in the north portion of Gebel Abraq. From an examination of the map on Plate XV it will be seen that an easy and rational interpretation would be to regard the triangulation point, marked by a beacon on the plateau 1,700 metres north-west of Bir Abraq, as being a point on the boundary; the line from Gebel Um el Tiur to pass through this point northwards till it outs the Wadi Abraq, and thence the boundary line would lie along the course of Wadis Abraq and Naam to Wadi Hodein. This boundary fulfils the obvious intention of the _Arrêté_, and at the same time has the advantage of being easily traceable on the ground.

As to the two Gebels Um el Tiur, I have already mentioned this difficulty in connexion with the location of the administrative boundary (_see_ p. 74), and have taken the higher of the two mountains of the same name as being the one intended.

Before leaving the subject of the Meleikab boundaries, it may be worth while to mention that at the time the _Arrêté_ of 1902 was issued the country had not been surveyed; it was then thought that Bir Shalatein lay some fifty kilometres further along the coast southward than the mouth of Wadi Hodein, and the _Arrêté_ defined the eastern boundary of the Meleikab territory to be the coast-line from Wadi Hodein to Bir Shalatein. But as Bir Shalatein is actually _in_ the Wadi Hodein, the real result is that the Meleikab area ends in a point on the coast, and does not include any sea-board at all. The matter is not one of great moment, because the coast-plain for some distance southward of Wadi Hodein is very barren; but it illustrates the impossibility of defining boundaries without either going over the actual ground or having a reliable map.

=The Hamedorab Boundary.=—The Hamedorab claim their boundary to run from Bir Meneiga southward along the watershed of Gebel Gerf, along the east side of the basin of Wadi Diqdib to just south of Bir Baaneit, thence to the hill called Kilia Arib, thence to the hill of Eqrun, thence to the pass of Bani Sana; at Bani Sana the boundary turns south-westward so as to pass west of Wadis Hamida and Nubitra, then bends to the south-east passing west of Wadis Mashushenai and Dibir, thence eastward along the south side of Wadi Di-ib.

PLATE XXVI.

[Illustration: SKETCH-MAP SHOWING TRIBAL BOUNDARIES

Ball—Geography & Geology of South-Eastern Egypt.

Photo-Metal-Process. Survey Dept. Cairo 1911. (60-190)]

The Hamedorab state that much of the country included in the Egyptian administration as belonging to the Ashabab is really Hamedorab country; they claim the north limit of their tribal territory to commence at the mouth of Wadi Khoda on the coast (in latitude 23° 42′) and to pass north of Wadis Khoda, Shenshef, and Shut, thence southward passing west of Wadi Beida to Bir Meneiga.[144] This is of course contrary to the Ministerial _Arrêté_ of 1902, and as Bramly Bey (_The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan_, Vol. I, p. 93) mentions that on the other hand the Ababda tribe assert that _their_ country should rightly extend south of the administrative boundary, it is probable that the administrative frontier represents a fair division of the rival claims.

=The Kurbeilab Boundary.=—The Kurbeilab claim their eastern boundary to run as follows: From Bir Meneiga southward along the watershed of Gebel Gerf to near the Sherefa pass, thence south-eastward along the north side of Wadi Sherefa el Sharqi on to the small hill called Tibashoi Tomokolat, thence east-north-eastward to Gebel Hamra Dom. From Gebel Hamra Dom south-eastward to the hill of Osnei, thence southward to the hills of Ti Keferiai, thence to the pass of Bani Sana. From Bani Sana southward to Gebel Warabeit, thence along the east side of Wadi Dibir, along the north side of Wadi el Qurat, across Wadi Di-ib, and then southwards along the east side of Wadi Di-ib.

=The Balgab Boundary.=—The Balgab boundary coincides with the main watershed from the parallel of 22° northwards to Gebel Adar Qaqa, then passes between the drainages of Wadi Hasium and Wadi Soaorib to the hill called Kulet Tinasal. From Kulet Tinasal the boundary runs east-south-eastward across Wadi Soaorib, passing north of Wadi Dishlo; thence it turns south along the mountains separating the basin of Wadi Soaorib from that of Wadi Baueiwai, thence it passes south of the heads of Wadi Miatit, eastwards across Wadi Aqwem, along the north side of Wadi el Qurat, across Wadi Di-ib, and then southwards along the eastern side of Wadi Di-ib.

=The Koatil Boundary.=—The Koatil claim their boundary to run from the head of Wadi Diqdib, along the mountains forming the eastern side of the basin of Wadi Diqdib to a point just south of Bir Baaneit, thence eastward to Gebel Hamra Dom. From Hamra Dom, west-south-westward to Tibashoi Tomokolat, thence along the north side of Wadi Sherefa el Sharqi and along the mountains forming the west side of the basin of Wadi Diqdib up to the head of that wadi.

The Koatil further claim as their territory the upper portion of the basin of Wadi Medarai west of longitude 35° 18′.

The Koatil also own the well called Bir Um Rasein, though all the wadis in its neighbourhood belong to the Kurbeilab.

=Overlapping of Claims.=—When the boundaries of the different tribes as specified above are laid down on the map (_see_ Plate XXVI), it is found that there are three tracts claimed by more than a single tribe. These three disputed areas are:—

(1) A tract south and east of Bir Baaneit, claimed both by the Koatil and by the Hamedorab. The western part of this area is relatively well wooded. Its eastern portion includes the water source called Ti Dabai Hamra Dom.[145]

(2) A tract extending southward from Gebel Hamra Dom to the Wadi Qurat, claimed both by the Kurbeilab and by the Hamedorab. This area includes the Wadis Hamida, Nubitra, and Dibir, and four not very important water sources, _viz._, Galt Osnei, Megwel Hamida, Bir Nubitra, and Bir Mashushenai.[146]

(3) A narrow tract including the Wadis Qurat and Di-ib, claimed by all three tribes Balgab, Kurbeilab, and Hamedorab.

=Ownership of Water Sources.=—With the exception of the five water sources just mentioned as lying within the areas claimed by more than one tribe, there are no disputes about ownership of water supplies. The wells of the different tribes are partly enumerated in the _Arrêté_ of 1902, but as the list there given is far from complete and many of the names are incorrect, I give below a list of the water sources belonging to the various tribes within the area surveyed. For particulars of the various water sources reference should be made to Chapter VII (p. 234).

_Wells, etc., of the Ashabab._

Bir Muelih Bir Helie Igli Galt

Bir Ghadir Bir Abu Hashim Galt Um Tundeba

Bir Murra Bir Shenshef Zabara Galts

Bir Abu Had Bir Betan Ghuel Galts

Bir Um Gubur Bir Rahaba Galt Um Karaba (Migif)

Bir Masur Bir Abu Reye Megal Harami

Bir Ranga Bir Abu Beid Galt Um Gerifat

Bir Khashab Bir Gahlia Galt Um Gunud

Bir Abu Hamamid Bir Orga Galt Batoga

Bir Metawit Bir Um Reit Galt Um Maiat

Bir Shadli Amar Spring Galt el Aguz

Galt Seiga

_Wells, etc., of the Meleikab._

Bir el Sunta Bir Gumbit

Bir Abu Dibesat Bir Abu Saafa

Bir Abraq Bir Dif

Bir Beida

_Wells, etc., of the Hamedorab._

Bir Shalatein[147] Bir Meheriqa Bir Salalat O Sir

Bir Adal Deib[147] Bir Nabit Bir Sararat Serimtai

Bir Meneiga[148] Bir Abu Ramad Megwel Akau

Bir Muqur Bir Kansisrob Ti Kureitra

Bir Baaneit Bir Akwamtra Bir Frukit

Halaib Wells Bir Qabatit

_Wells, etc., of the Kurbeilab._

Bir Madi Bir Shinai Meis-heit-ar

Bir Korbiai Bir Kagog[149] Megwel Adar Aqdeib

Bir Meneiga[148] Bir Guqub Megwel Um Ein

Bir Sararat Seyet Bir Himeitra Megwel Um Edwa

Bir Bint el Dreb Bir Um Bishtit[150] Megwel Didaut[151]

Bir Odis Maaleq[149] Bir Qidmib Megwel Aqwem

Bir Abu Hodeid Bir Meisah[151] Galt Hilwit Hasium

Galt Kirir

_Wells of the Koatil._

Bir Diqdib

Bir Um Rasein

According to the _Arrêté_ of 1902, Bir Egat is Mallak property.

[Footnote 139: _See_ notes by Mr. W. E. Jennings Bramly in _The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan_, edited by Count Gleichen. London, 1905. Vol. I, pp. 91-93.]

[Footnote 140: Of these two sub-tribes (Mallak and Mohammad Omerab), I did not hear anything during my travels. The Mallak country is mostly south of latitude 22°, but extends into South-Eastern Egypt round about Bir Egat, a locality which I did not visit. The Mohammad Omerab are stated by Mr. Bramly (_op. cit._) to own the wells of Bir Meisah and Megwel Didaut, which, as will be seen from what follows, are included in the area claimed as Kurbeilab by the Sheikh who accompanied me.]

[Footnote 141: The men were Sheikh Isa Ali Tiut, Sheikh of the Hamedorab; Sheik Hatab (brother of Mohammad Katul, Sheikh of the Kurbeilab); and Mohammad Katul Batkai, of the Kurbeilab-Aliab.]

[Footnote 142: In order to render it easier to follow the descriptions of the boundaries, I have purposely omitted from this map most of the place-names other than those mentioned in the descriptions. The map is to the same scale as the general orographical map on Plate I.]

[Footnote 143: Jennings Bramly Bey, the Senior Inspector of Berber Province, who has kindly favoured me with some useful criticisms of this chapter, remarks: “My experience up to date is that each principal man has a different idea of his own boundaries and that those ideas differ from day to day. My impression is that the Bisharin are as yet one big family, and that the grazing is ample for all so that the boundaries are very vague between the different tribes. Disputes of course do arise as to the possession of wadis, but I find that a week after a certain wadi has been allotted to one of two tribes, both tribes are amicably grazing in it side by side without payment. The ownership of wells is more strictly defined.”]

[Footnote 144: Bir Shenshef and Bir Beida are in fact classed as belonging to the Hamedorab in a MS. list of wells drawn up by Bramly Bey. But he has doubtless so classed them before their true locality was known; as they lie well to the north of the Sudan administrative boundary (Shenshef is over one hundred kilometres from the nearest point of that boundary, on the Egyptian side) the Hamedorab claim can hardly be maintained.]

[Footnote 145: This water source is recorded in Bramly Bey’s MS. list of wells as Hamedorab property.]

[Footnote 146: Mr. Bramly (_Anglo-Egyptian Sudan_, Vol. I, p. 92), classes Bir Mashushenai as Koatil. I am, however, informed that there are two wells of this same name, and this classification probably refers to another well than the one mentioned above.]

[Footnote 147: The _Arrêté_ of 1912 ascribes these two wells to the Ashab, a tribe of whom I heard nothing when in the neighbourhood; Bramly Bey informs me that they are a sub-tribe of the Hamedorab.]

[Footnote 148: Joint Hamedorab-Kurbeilab.]

[Footnote 149: Bramly Bey, in his MS. list of wells already referred to, classes Bir Odis and Bir Kadot (probably the same as my Kagog) as Hamedorab. But they were not so claimed by the Hamedorab sheikh who accompanied me, and lie well outside the Hamedorab boundary as claimed by that sheikh.]

[Footnote 150: Bramly Bey informs me that the ownership of Bir Um Bishtit is disputed between the Kurbeilab and Koatil, but the wadi of the same name appears to be undisputed Kurbeilab ground.]

[Footnote 151: I have included these two water sources (Bir Meisah and Megwel Didaut) in the Kurbeilab list, because they lie within the boundary claimed for the Kurbeilab by the sheikh who accompanied me; but according to Mr. Bramly (_Anglo-Egyptian Sudan_, Vol. I, p. 92) they belong to the Mohammad Omerab.]