Awlad Himayd
Encyclopedia
Awlad Himayd is a group of people that are part of the greater Baggara Arabs fraternity of Kordofan and Darfur
.
. Awlad Himayd live in eastern parts of South Kordofan. They were nomadic people who shared routes (sig. Morhal, pl. Marahiil) with the Halafa, a branch of the Hawazma
, and the Kenana and Habbaniya tribes. Their travels take them as far as the Shilluk and Nuer of the White Nile
. Their inner southern nomadic area is part of the wilderness of South Kordofan, a dense high savanna forest land.
The majority are pastoralists, and the rest are farmers; they grow all types of South Kordofan crops: sesame, millets, okra, and ground nuts. They grow Gum Arabic
and collect gums and honey from the woods.
They are widely viewed among Baggara
peoples as being courageous; great hunters of elephants and big game like giraffe, antelope, tiang
, and Ostrich; they are also known as great fighters of wild beasts such lions, tigers, wolves, and others at earlier times. Baggara people are good hunters and gatherers of wild fruits, wild okra, and honey from undomesticated bees. Gray-bees (Nahala el ghibasha in Arabic), the fiercest type of bee in South Kordofan, are nicknamed "Awlad Himayd" because of their courage.
ancestors may have settled around Tekali in the eastern part of South Kordofan at a time of the great Guhayna
movement, and they have been reinforced by others of their kin who have returned from the western countries (probably from present-day Chad).
Darfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
.
Description
They speak Sudanese ArabicSudanese Arabic
Sudanese Arabic is the variety of Arabic spoken throughout northern Sudan. It has much borrowed vocabulary from the local languages . This has resulted in a variety of Arabic that is unique to Sudan, reflecting the way in which the country has been influenced by both African and Arab cultures...
. Awlad Himayd live in eastern parts of South Kordofan. They were nomadic people who shared routes (sig. Morhal, pl. Marahiil) with the Halafa, a branch of the Hawazma
Hawazma
Hawazma, part of Sudan's Baggara tribe, are cattle herders who roam the area from the southern parts of North Kurdufan to the southern borders of South Kurdufan, a distance of about 300 kilometers...
, and the Kenana and Habbaniya tribes. Their travels take them as far as the Shilluk and Nuer of the White Nile
White Nile
The White Nile is a river of Africa, one of the two main tributaries of the Nile from Egypt, the other being the Blue Nile. In the strict meaning, "White Nile" refers to the river formed at Lake No at the confluence of the Bahr al Jabal and Bahr el Ghazal rivers...
. Their inner southern nomadic area is part of the wilderness of South Kordofan, a dense high savanna forest land.
The majority are pastoralists, and the rest are farmers; they grow all types of South Kordofan crops: sesame, millets, okra, and ground nuts. They grow Gum Arabic
Gum arabic
220px|thumb|right|Acacia gumGum arabic, also known as acacia gum, chaar gund, char goond, or meska, is a natural gum made of hardened sap taken from two species of the acacia tree; Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal...
and collect gums and honey from the woods.
They are widely viewed among Baggara
Baggara
The Baggāra Arabs are a set of communities inhabiting the portion of Africa's Sahel between Lake Chad and southern Kordofan, numbering over one million. They have a common language which is one of the regional colloquial Arabic languages...
peoples as being courageous; great hunters of elephants and big game like giraffe, antelope, tiang
Korrigum
The Korrigum , also known as Tiang, is a subspecies of the Topi. It was formerly classified as Damaliscus lunatus korrigum....
, and Ostrich; they are also known as great fighters of wild beasts such lions, tigers, wolves, and others at earlier times. Baggara people are good hunters and gatherers of wild fruits, wild okra, and honey from undomesticated bees. Gray-bees (Nahala el ghibasha in Arabic), the fiercest type of bee in South Kordofan, are nicknamed "Awlad Himayd" because of their courage.
Origins and divisions
The Awlad Himayd belong to the wider group of Baggara Arabs of Kordofan and Darfur. They are Sunni Muslims. MacMichael mentioned that their ArabArab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
ancestors may have settled around Tekali in the eastern part of South Kordofan at a time of the great Guhayna
Guhayna
Guhayna is an ethnic group of Central Sudan. The number of its members is about one million. Most persons of this group are Muslims. They speak Arabic....
movement, and they have been reinforced by others of their kin who have returned from the western countries (probably from present-day Chad).