Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 1.djvu/568

 4G4 APPENDIX II. and in various other pursuits. They are a strong, muscular people, essentially agricul- tural, more warlike and energetic than the Egyptians, whom they also excel in moral qualities. Their Moliammedanism is not of a fanatical type ; and although the present Mahdi is a Nubian of Dongola, he has found his chief support not amongst his country- men, but amongst the more recently converted Negroes, and especially the Arab and Ilamite communities of Kordofan and other parts of Eastern Sudan. There is a marked difference between the physical appearance of the two great branches of the Nuba race. The Nubian (Barabra) tyi>e is obviously Negroid, very dark, often almost black, with tumid lips, largo black dreamy eyes, dolichocephalic head (73-72 as compared with the normal Negro 73-40, and the old Egyptian 75-58), woolly or strongly frizzled hair. The scant beard is still worn xmder the chin, like the figures of the Negro fugitives in the battle-pieces sculptured on the walls of the Egj'j>tian temples. But, as amongst all mixed peoples, there are considerable devia- tions from the normal Nubian standard, some showing affinities to the old Egyptian, as already remarked by Blumenbaih. some noted for their fine oval face and regular features, others for their long or slightly crisp hair, and bronze,* reddish brown, or deep mahogany complexions. In general it may be said with Burkhardt that the nose is less flat, the lips less thick, the cheekbones less prominent, the colour less dark ("of a coppery tinge "), than amongst the true Negroes. The Nile Nubians must therefore be regarded as essentially a mixed race, presenting every shade of transition between the original Nuba type and the various Ilamitic and Semitic elements with which they have intermingled in the Nile Valley. ^ The original Nuba type itself must be studied in the Kordofan higlilands, where it persists in its greatest purity. The Kordofan Nuba? are unanimously described b}' Russeger, Petherick, Lepsius, and other intelligent observers as emphatically a Neg^o race. " Ncgerstanime," " Negerfolk," "Negroes," "Niggers," are the unqualified terms applied to them in all books of travel, so that there can be no doubt at all on this point.f Its importance is obvious, for it settles the question of the true affinities of the Nile Nubians, about which so much controversy has prevailed. It is remarkable, however, that Lepsius traces the Nile Nubians, not to the Kordofan Nubas, but directly to the Uaua Negroes of the Nile Valley. These Uaua are the oldest people, of whom there is any record, in this region. Their name occurs on a tomb at Memphis dating from the time of Pepi, sixth dynasty, 2500 b.c. They are again men- tioned in the Wady-Halfa inscription amongst the tribes reduced by Usertesen II., of tlie twelfth dynasty. Allusion is also made to the Uauat country, and in many subse- quent inscriptions the Uaua figure largely as at the head of all the Negro races beyond the Egyptian frontier. In fact, the word became the conventional or stereotyped name of the Nile Negroes generally down to the time of the Ptolemies, after which it suddenly disappears from historic records. This disappearance has not been explained. But it was probably due to the already mentioned irruption of the Bugaitse (Bejas), by whom the Uaua were reduced, if not exterminated. There is consequently no necessary connection between them and the Nubians, whose more recent migration from Kordofan to the Nile Valley may be regarded as clearly established. Whatever doubt might remain on this point is removed by a consideration of the linguistic argument. In his masterly treatise on the Nubian language quoted farther back, Lepsius himself has shown that the speech of both branches of the Nuba race is identical, presenting merely some slight dialectic varieties, easily explained by the length of time that has elapsed since the migration. The structure is the same^ and the dunklc Hroncefarbe vor, dunkler als die der Habeasinier." He adds : " Der alte Negertypus bricht nicht sellen wieder ziemlich deuilich durch ; namentlich ist das Wollhar ziemlich haiifig." t All have woolly hair, says Riippel (*' Reisen in Nubien"), pouting thick lips, short flat nose, com- plexion quite black. Further comment is needless.
 * The bronze i^hade is also noticed by Lepsius, op. cit. p. 74 : " Bei don Nubiem horrscht eine