Professor Al-Amin Abu-Manga and I undertake a trip to the villages along the Blue Nile between Wad an-Nail and Damazin. In Sireu, we interview Abdullahi Muhammad Sa’id al-Qarawi, a settled Pullo (sing. of Fulɓe) whose family was originally from Adamawa, Cameroon. He is a learned man, 80 years of age. The Mbororo are featured only incidentally in this interview, which concerns, mainly, the history of the village of Sireu and other villages of settled Fulɓe that were founded by its inhabitants. Although this interview is also available in full length, I would like to cite here the passages which tell us something about the attitudes of the settled Fulɓe towards Mbororo. In Sudan, these two Fulɓe groups are lumped together with other groups originating from West Africa, such as Hausa and Kanuri, under the category 'Fellata' (also 'Fallaata' or 'Fallata'). In all the interviews included in this documentation as well as in the present text, however, the terms 'Fellata', 'Fallaata' and 'Fallata' are only used to refer to Fulɓe.
Here is a part of the interview conducted with Abdullahi Muhammad Sa’id al-Qarawi (transcription, transliteration and translation were done by Al-Amin Abu-Manga):
Q25: Are there any Mbororo here? |
| س25: في امبررو هنا؟ |
The Mbororo came recently. The Mbororo are nomadic Fulani; they came recently, about 40 or 50 years ago. Now they have gotten this far and settled. But, previously, they were living on the eastern side of the White Nile in a place called Kirekirra, near Al-Jabalein or beyond Al-Jabalein. When I was young, we visited them, my father and I. They sent for my father from Al-Jabalein, and he went and visited them. It was during Ramadan (fasting month); he went to lead them in tarawiḥ prayers.[5] We went and spent the month of Ramadan with them, my father leading them in tarawiḥ prayers and so on. Surprisingly, these Fallata are also Ansar; and there are Mbororo who are Ansar.[6] So, this was the reason why my father went and spent the month of Ramadan with them and returned to Al-Jabalein and then to Gezira Aba. That was the first time that I saw some Mbororo and their big-horned cattle. | Umbororo jo gariib hina. Umbororo deel Fallaata badawiyyiin wa jo gariib da, yaʿni ḥaajat arbaʿiin khamsiin sana kida. Hassaʿ jo sakano waṣalo laḥaddi hina. Laakin gabli khamsiin sana di sakniin gharb an-Niil al-Abyad ḥitta isimaa Kireekirra janb aj-Jabaleen bee ghaadi min aj-Jabaleen. Ana kunta min saghayyir zurnaahum ana wa waaldi. Arsalo lee waaldi min aj-Jabaleen masha zaarum hinaak; ad-dunya ramaḍaan ʿashaan yiḥalli beehum at-taraawiiḥ. Masheena hinaak gaʿadna muddat ramaḍaan di biṣalli beehum at-taraawiiḥ wa kida. Wa l-ghariiba l-Fallaata al-hinaak deel ḥattum anṣaar barḍu – fi Umbororo anṣaar. Fa da s-sabab waaldi masha hinaak tamma maʿaahum shahar ramaḍaan wa baʿad daak rajaʿ aj-Jabaleen, wa min aj-Jabaleen rajaʿ beena Aba. Min al-wakit daak ana shuufta Umbororo deel wa shuufta bagarum umm al-guruun al-kabiira di. | امبررو جوا قريب هنا. امبررو ديل فلاته بدويين، وجوا قريب دا، يعني حاجة أربعين خمسين سنة كدا. هسع جوا سكنوا وصلوا لحدّي هنا. لكن قبل خمسين سنة دي ساكنين غرب النيل الأبيض حتة اسمها كريكرَّة جنب الجبلين بي غادي من الجبلين. أنا كنت من صغير زرناهم أنا ووالدي. أرسلوا لي والدي من الجبلين مشى زارهم هناك، الدنيا رمضان عشان يصلي بيهم التراويح. مشينا هناك قعدنا مدة رمضان دي بصلي بيهم التراويح وكدا. والغريبة الفلاته الهناك ديل حتهم أنصار برضو. في امبررو أنصار. فدا السبب والدي مشى هناك تم معاهم شهر رمضان وبعد داك رجع الجبلين، ومن الجبلين رجع بينا أبا. من الوقت داك أنا شوفت امبررو ديل وشوفت بقرهم أم القرون الكبيرة دي. |
Q26: Do they come here every year during their seasonal migration to the south? |
| س26: يجيئون هنا كل سنة في رحلتهم إلى الجنوب؟ |
Yes, they come here every year. They used to proceed to Ethiopia. But now there is not enough security. Now they have all gathered here. All the nomadic Fulani, or the great majority of them, have settled here, because there is no security (there). | Aywa fii kulli sana yarḥalu yaju hina. Kaano yimshu lee juwwa l-Habash. Laakin bas al-ʾamaan biga maa katiir hassaʿ. Hasaʿ kullahum tajammaʿo hina, kulla l-Fallaata l-badawiyyiin aw ghaalibum al-ʾaʿam sakano hina, laʾannu maa fi amaan. | أيوه في كل سنة يرحلوا يجوا هنا. كانوا بمشوا لي جوه الحبش. لكن بس الأمان بقى ما كتير هسع. هسع كلهم تجمعوا هنا، كل الفلاته البدويين أو غالبهم الأعم سكنوا هنا، لأنه ما في أمان. |
Q27: Do you intermarry with them? |
| س27: في تزاوج معاهم؟ |
Not at all. The Fallata tend towards religious ‘puritanism’. | La abadan. al-Fallaata ʿindahum at-tazammut. | لا أبدا. الفلاته عندهم التزمت. |
(Back to Fulfulde) | ||
Q28: But these (Mbororo) are also Fulani, just as they are! |
| Q28: Amma ɓee ɗum Fulɓe iri maɓɓe ay! |
It is not a matter of ethnicity or tribalism; it is (a matter of) religious ‘puritanism’… |
| Naa naa ɗum lenyolku ay; naa ɗum qabaliyya. Tazammut diini. Fulɓe… |
Q29: Why doesn't he (the husband) convert her (the Mbororo woman) to Islam and educate her? |
| Q29: Naa o nastina mo diina o ekkitina mo? |
Even if he did (educate her), people would annoy him by saying: “He brought a wife who doesn't know how to pray.” It would take time to educate her and lead her on the right path, especially as she used to be allowed to move about freely, selling milk and so on. |
| Ko o yaha o nastina diina ɗum yimɓe najahnotoo mo: “O woddii debbo mo waawaa juuluki.” Khalaas sey tawaa ko o addabnoo mo haa o nanngina mo diina ɗum, hakko maa diga badri o joofanaaɗo; o hooshay kosam maako ɗume ɗume o nastay gure o waansha. |
(Switching to Arabic) | ||
This is because the other Fallata observe the seclusion of women. The man doesn't enter a house (that is not his) and the woman doesn’t go out moving about freely. This is the only reason; but they both belong to the same ethnicity. | Deel kamman al-Fallaata l-baagiin maa bimrugu; ar-raajil maa bikhush fi l-ḥoosh wa l-mara maa bitaṭlaʿ tamshi taḥuum. Fa bas da s-sabab, laakin aj-jinis waaḥid. | ديل كمان الفلاته الباقين ما بمرقوا، الراجل ما بخش في الحوش والمرة ما بتطلع تمشي تحوم. فبس دا السبب، لكن الجنس واحد. |
Q30: I have the impression that they (Mbororo), if approached, would not offer their women either! |
| س30: أنا يبدو لي هم ذاتهم كان طلبوا منهم ما بدوا! |
That is true; the Mbororo don't offer (their women). They look upon people as Negroes – as Sheele’s people. Sheele was the king of the Negroes. They (i.e., the Mbororo) don’t see people (like us) as 100% Fallata. It is true that the language is the same, but they think that the settled Fulani have maternal uncles from other tribes, while they, the Mbororo, only marry among themselves. Now you see their women with very long hair and their men too. Therefore, there is no intermarriage (between us) up to today. Now our Sheikh, Ibrahim, is one with whom they have very close contact. Whenever you go to his house, you regularly find about 10, 20 and 15 of them. Irrespective of all this, I don’t think he ever entertained the idea of marrying one (of their women to one of his relatives) or of giving them (one of his female relatives) in marriage. If he tried to do, his relatives would not accept it. And I also don’t think these Mbororo would accept it, if he approached them with the intention of having his relatives marry one of their women. They believe that they are the Aryans (among the Fulani). | Al Umbororo maa biddu ṣaḥiiḥ. Binẓuru le n-naas ka zunuuj yimɓe [Fulfulde] Sheele: Sheele da malik az-zinj. Maa binẓuru le n-naas ka Fallaata miyya fi l-miyya. al-lugha waaḥda laakin bishuufu deel al-gaaʿdiin fi l-ḥilla deel ʿindahum akhwaal min gabiila taaniya, beynamaa Umbororo deel maa yitzawwaju illa minnahum. Hassaʿ tashuufum al-mara ḥaggatum shaʿaraa laḥaddi hina, wa r-raajil barḍu shaʿaru laḥaddi hina. Fa lizaalik biga maa fi tazaawuj lee yoom al-leela. Hassaʿ ʿindana sheekhna da, sheekhna Ibrahim da, yaʿni murtabṭiin beehu irtibaaṭ shadiid, wa lamma tamshi fii beetu fii ayyi wakit talgaahum ʿashara ʿishriin khamisṭaashar kullu yoom be istimraar. Maʿa zaalik maa aẓinnu khaal innu yizawwij minnahum waaḥid, walla kamaan fakkar innu yizawwijum waaḥda. Law fakkar yizawwijum waaḥda ahalu hina maa bigbalu. Wa hum zaatum law masha ʿaawiz yizawwij minnahum waaḥda maa iʿtaqid bigbalu. Hum bishuufu biʾinnahum Aariiyyiin (bitaaʿiin al-Fallaata). | للناس كزنوج yimɓe Sheele: شيلى دا ملك الزنج. مابنظروا للناس كفلاته مية في المية. اللغة واحدة لكن بشوفوا ديل القاعدين في الحلة ديل عندهم أخوال من قبيلة تانية، بينما امبررو ديل ما بتزاوجوا إلا منهم. هسع تشوفهم المرة حقتهم شعرها لحدّي هنا، والراجل برضو شعره لحدّي هنا. فلذلك بقى ما في تزاوج لي يوم الليلة. هسع عندنا شيخنا دا، شيخنا إبراهيم دا، يعني مرتبطين بيه ارتباط شديد ولما تمشي في بيته في أىِّ وقت تلقاهم عشرة عشرين خمسطاشر كل يوم باستمرار. مع ذلك ما أظن خال إنه يزوج منهم واحد، وللا كمان فكر إنه يزوجهم واحدة. لو فكر يزوجهم واحدة اهلة هنا ما بقبلوا. وهم ذاتهم لو مشى عاوز يزوِّج منهم واحدة ما اعتقد بقبلوا. هم بشوفوا بإنهم آريين (بتاعين الفلاته). |
Click here to read the full text of the interview.