peculiar to themselves ; in which, from the time of Moses, they were
hieroglyphed as BaRaBeRa, no less than as N u b a . They are in the
habit of coming down to Egypt, where their offices are wholly menial ;
and among other articles of traffic, some clans bring Negroes procured
from the caravans of Sennàar, and are commonly known at
Cairo under the name of Grellabs, “ fetehers,” or slave-dealers.
The discrepancy in the descriptions given of this Nubian race by
travellers, demonstrates that there exists among them considerable
variety of colors ; and hence, at once, we feel persuaded of no little
mixture of races. Denon describes them as of a “ shining jet-black,”
but adds, “ they have not the smallest resemblance to the Negroes of
Western Africa.” Other travellers speak of them as copper-colored,
or black, with a tinge of red, &e. The fact is, the mothers are often
pure negresses, and their children mulattoes of all shades. Their
proper physical character is, we think, well described by M. C ostaz : —
“ La couleur des Barâbras tient en quelque sorte le milièu entre le noir d’ébène des habi-
tans de Sennaar et le teint basané des Egyptiens du Sayd. Elle est exactement semblable
à celle de l’acajou poli foncé. Les Barâbras se prévalent de cette nuance, pour se ranger
parmi les blancs. . . Les traits des Barâbras se rapprochent effectivement plus de ceux des
Européens que de ceux des Nègres : leur peau est d’un tissu extrêmement fin — sa .couleur
ne produit point un effect désagréable ; la nuance rouge, qui y est mêlée, leur donne un
air de santé et de vie. Us différent des Nègres par leur cheveux, qui sont longs et légèrement
crépus sans être laineux.
Dr. Rüppell’s veiy scientific account of the races inhabiting the
province of Dongola contains the following : —
Ê The inhabitants of Dar Dongola are divided into two principal classes : namely, the
Barabra, or the descendants of the old Ethiopian natives of the eountry, “and the races of
Arabs who have emigrated from Hedjas. The ancestors of the Barabra, who, in the course
of centuries, have been repeatedly conquered by hostile tribes, must have undergone some
intermixture with people of foreign blood ; yet an attentive inquiry will still enable us to
distinguish among them the old national physiognomy, which their forefathers have marked
upon colossal statues and the bas-reliefs of temples and sepulchres. A long oval countenance
; a beautifully curved nose, somewhat rounded towards the top ; proportionally thick
lips, but not protruding excessively; a remarkably beautiful figure, generally of middle
size, and a brown color, are the characteristics of the genuine Dongalawi. These same
traits of physiognomy are generally found among the Ababdi, Bishari, a part of the inhabitants
of the province of Schendi, and partly also among the Abyssinians.”
Many of tbe Baràbra speak Arabic, and with an accent ever “ sui
generis;” but very few free Arabs consider it respectable to learn Ber-
berree, wbicb they affect to despise as Rutirna, a “jargon.” Both races
keep themselves separate ; and marriage connexions between them,
entailing disgrace upon the Arab, are, at the present day, of so rare
occurrence, that Berberri husbands at Cairo are only adopted for one
day, in cases of “ triple divorce.” 235 There are many citations of Arab
historians to support the conclusion that some septs of these so-termed
Bar&bra derived their origin from a eountry westward of the Nile,
and not far from Kordofitn. A doubt thus arises not only, as above
mentioned, with regard to Negroes, but whether some Nubians themselves
did not come originally from the west of the White Nile. This
opinion, confirmed to some extent by affinity of language and by
modern traditions, is contradicted, apparently, by the monuments: —
1st, Egyptian monarchs of the A V tilth dynasty conquer the Nouba,
no less than the Bartbera, in their expeditions of the fourteenth and
fifteenth centuries b. o. 2d, The portraits of these Ancient Nubians
exhibit precisely the same traits, whilst occupying, 3500 years ago,
the same topographical habitats, as their descendants at the present
day; and the nostalgic tendencies of the modern Berberri are so notorious,
that voluntary displacements on his part seem improbable.
In Part H. of this volume, under the head of JAUSA, the reader will
meet with ample investigations: although, beyond general accuracy, a
minutely-exact geographical settlement of these Nubian groups is not
essential to anthropology; because, whether in the Lower or Upper
Nubias, or in Kordofitn, they lie now, where their progenitors ever
did, along the Nile; that is, between the Egyptians at the north and
the Negroes at the south. And, after all, their mightiest dislocations
are confined within an area of 500 miles, up or down a single river.
To us they are, consequently, merely Nubian aborigines.
The population of Kordofitn now consists of three races at least,
who are physically distinct, each speaking different languages: —
1. Bedouin Arabs from the Hedj&z. 2. Colonists from Dongola.
3. Original natives of the country, who call themselves Nouba,
whereas, in race, they are genuine Negroes. We dwell not, however,
on exotic races; but upon the Nubians proper: whose type is independent
of this chaos of national names, often erroneously given to
them, as well as misappropriated by them. Dr. Prichard says: —
‘‘The descent of the modern Nubians or Barabra, from the Nouba of the hill country of
Kordof&n, seems to be as"well- established as very many facts which are regarded as certain
by writers on ethnography.”
But the Barhbra are not Negroes; their hair, though slightly frizzled
and crisp, is long and not woolly: and Prichard’s surmise of any
great Nubian displacements since Pharaonic times, was doubted by
Morton,236 and is overthrown by facts we owe to Birch.237 Burckhardt,
Cailliaud, and other travellers who have visited this part of Africa,
tell us that the Noubas, who are Negroes, do not here resemble in form,
features, hair, complexion, &c., other Negroes of the west coast, but
approximate more closely to the type of Baritbra or true Nubians.
It is clear that there exists some strongly-marked difference between