Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 1.djvu/283

Rh ETHNOLOGY.] A FRIG A 261 leguminous plants. At Cairo, whither many of this race resort, they are esteemed for their honesty. They profess Islam. The Barabra are divided into three sections by their dialects, which are those of the Nuba, the Kenous, and the Dongolawi. According to Dr Prichard, it is pro bable that the Berberines may be an offset from the original stock which first peopled Egypt and Nubia. The country of the Nubians is limited on the west by that of the Tibbus, who are spread over the eastern por tions of the Sahara, as far as Fezzan and Lake Chad. Dr Latham considers it probable that their language belongs to the Nubian class. They inhabit the locality of the ancient Libyans or Libyes. Their colour is not uniform. In some it is quite black, but many have copper-coloured faces. They are slim and well made, have high cheek bones, the nose sometimes flat like that of the negro, and sometimes aquiline. Their mouth is in general large, but their teeth fine. Their lips are frequently formed like those of Europeans ; their eyes are expressive, and their hair, though curled, not woolly. The females are especially distinguished by a light and elegant form, and in their walk and erect manner of carrying themselves are very striking. Their feet and ankles are delicately formed, and not loaded with a mass of brass or iron, as is the practice in other countries of Northern Africa, but have merely a light anklet of polished silver or copper, sufficient to show their jetty skin to more advantage ; and they also wear neat red slippers. The Tibbus are chiefly a pastoral people. They keep horses, cattle, sheep, and goats, but camels constitute their principal riches. The villages of the Tibbus are very regularly built in a square, with a space left on the north and south faces of the quadrangle for the use of the cattle. The huts are entirely of mats, which exclude the sun, yet admit both the light and the air. The interior of these habitations is singularly neat : clean wooden bowls for the preservation of milk, each with a cover of basket-work, are hung against their walls. They are greatly exposed to predatory incursions into their country by the enemies who surround them. The Tibbus of Tibesti are described by Dr Nachtigal as of medium stature, well made, of elegant though muscular frame ; in colour they vary between a clear bronze and black.: the greater number are dark bronze-coloured, yet without the slightest trace of what is generally recognised as the negro physiognomy. They carry on a considerable traffic in slaves between Sudan, Fezzan, and Tripoli. &quot; All that is not Arabic in the kingdom of Marocco,&quot; says Dr Latham, &quot; all that is not Arabic in the French provinces of Algeria, and all that is not Arabic in Tunis, Tripoli, and Fezzan, is Berber. The language, also, of the ancient Cyrenaica, indeed the whole country bordering the Mediterranean, between Tripoli and Egypt, is Berber. The extinct language of the Canary Isles was Berber ; and, finally, the language of the Sahara is Berber. The Berber languages, in their present geographical localities, are essen tially inland languages. As a general rule, the Arabic is the language for the whole of the sea-coast from the Delta of the Nile to the Straits of Gibraltar, and from the Straits of Gibraltar to the mouth of the Senegal.&quot; The Berber nation is one of great antiquity, and from the times of the earliest history has been spread over the same extent of country as at present ; the ancient Numidian and Mauritania!! names of Sallust, and other writers, have a meaning in the modern Berber. It has affinities with the Semitic languages. In the northern parts of Atlas these people are called Berbers ; in the southern tracts they are the Shuluh or Shelhas. In the hilly country belonging to Tunis, the Kabyles; in Mount Auress, the Showiah; and in the Desert, the Tuarick, all belong to the same group. The mountains of Atlas are said to be inhabited by more than twenty different tribes, carrying on perpetual warfare against each other. They are very poor, and make plun dering excursions in quest of the means of supporting life. They are described as an athletic, strong-featured people, accustomed to hardships and fatigue. Their only covering is a woollen garment without sleeves, fastened round the waist by a belt. The Shuluh, who are the mountaineers of the Northern Atlas, live in villages of houses made of stone and mud, with slate roofs, occasionally in tents, and even in caves. They are chiefly huntsmen, but cultivate the ground and rear bees. They are described as lively, intelligent, well- formed, athletic men, not tall, without marked features, and with light complexions. The Kabyles, or Kabaily, of the Algerian and Tunisian territories, are the most indus trious inhabitants of the Barbary States, and, besides till age, work the mines contained in their mountains, and obtain lead, iron, and copper. They live in huts made of the branches of trees and covered with clay, which resemble the magalia of the old Numidians, spread in little groups over the sides of the mountains, and preserve the grain, the legumes, and other fruits, which are the produce of their husbandry, in mattoures, or conical excavations in the ground. They are of middle stature ; their complexion is brown, and sometimes nearly black. The Tuarick are a people spread in various tribes through the greater portion of the Sahara. The expedition under Richardson, Barth, and Overweg, who traversed and ex plored a great portion of the Tuarick territories, has greatly added to our knowledge of these people. The following are the names and localities of the principal tribes : 1. Tanelkum, located in Fezzan. fOuraghen, family of Shafou, located 2. Azghers, &amp;lt; Emanghasatan, of Hateetah, V, Q-, { Amana, of Jabour, J a 3. Aheethanaran, the tribe of Janet. 4. Hagar (Ahagar), pure Hagars and Maghatah. They occupy the tract between Ghat, Tuat, and Timbuktu. 5. Sagamaram, located on the route from Aisou to Tuat. 6. Kailouees, including the Kailouees proper, the Kaltadak, and the Kalfadai. 7. Kilgris, including the Kilgris proper, the Iteesan, and the Ashraf. These and the tribes under the preceding head inhabit the kingdom of Ahir. 8. Oulimad, tribes surrounding Timbuktu in great num bers. This, probably identical with the Sorghou, is the largest and most powerful tribe, while the Tanelkums are the smallest and weakest. The various tribes are very different in their characters, but they are all fine men, tall, straight, and handsome. They exact a tribute from all the caravans traversing their country, which chiefly furnishes them with the means of subsistence. They are most abstemious, their food consist ing principally of coarse brown bread, dates, olives, and water. Even on the heated desert, where the thermometer generally is from 90 to 120, they are clothed from head to foot, and cover the face up to the eyes with a black or coloured handkerchief. The Moors who inhabit large portions of the empire of Moors. Marocco, and are spread all along the Mediterranean coast, are a mixed race, grafted upon the ancient Mauritanian stock; whence their name. After the conquest of Africa by the Arabs they became mixed with Arabs ; and having conquered Spain in their turn, they intermarried with the natives of that country, whence, after a possession of seven centuries, they were driven back to Mauritania. They are a handsome race, having much more resemblance to Europeans and western Asiatics than to Arabs or Berbers, although their language is Arabic, that is, the Mogrebiu dialect, which differs considerably from the Arabic in