Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 1.djvu/333

 THE NUBAS— THE TAOALAS. 268 The Nubas. The Nubas, who occupy the Jebel-Dcyer, aouth of Eordof&n, and a few of whom are still found on other uplands, have a language of their own ; but it can- not be positively asserted that they are related to the Nubians, from whom they are sopuratt'd by a desert and by other j)opulations. Driven from the plains and massed in the mountain^, they lead a precarious life, being considered as wild beasts and hunted as such. In Eordof&n the name of Nubas is synonymous with slave, and when captured this is indeed the condition to which they are reduced. As their small republican communities have not been able to form a solid con- federation, they make no resistance to their enemies. Nevertheless there are a few Nuba villages which by payment of a tribute acquire the right to live unmolested near the plains, and are allowed to descend to the markets to dispose of their gocnls. The Nubas dress like the Arabs, but do not plait their hair. They are completely black, with the face very prognathous, nor do their features possess that peculiar sharpness which distinguishes the riverain Nubians of the Nile. According to Munzinger, they are also amongst the least intelligent Nigritians ; as slaves they can be employed only in rude and monotonous labours, but they arc good-naturc<l, honest, and constant in friendship. When they are in the company of Mahommedans the Nubas call themselves servants of Allah ; but they do not appear to render him any kind of worship. Their only priests are the " makers of rain," and magicians who heal diseases by gestures and incantations. The rite of circumcision was practised by them previous to the influences of Islam. The vocabularies collected by Munzinger, Russegger, Ruppell, and Brugsch prove that the dialect of the Nubas differs little from that of the Nilotic Nubians, the principal differences bearing in certain portions of the language. To the west of the Nubas are said to live a still more savage people, the Gnumas, Negroes of tall stature who go naked, and of whom it is related that they kill the old men, the infirm, and those attacked by contagious diseases, so as to shorten their voyage to a better world ; by the side of the corpse in the grave they place food, a pii)e of tobacco, weapons, and two pairs of sandals. The Tagalas. The Tagalas (Tegeleh, or Dogoleh) dwell in the mountains of the same name. Although neighbours of the Nubas, they speak a language entirely distinct in words and structure. They themselves say they are Funj, although they can no longer understand their kindred of Sen&r. Their king wears the three-homed headdress which formerly served as a crown to the king of the Funj, and which has been borrowed from them by the drglel, or princes of the Ilallengas, IIadendoas« and Beni-Amers. The Tagalas have not the flat nose and prognathous jaw so common amongst the bulk of the Nigritian tribes; their features are regular, the expression animated, while their intelligence and skill are highly spoken of. As slaves they