APPENDIX XIV a
Philip Askell Benton translation
DERIVATION OF SHUWA AND KANURI
According to M. Carbou
Some writers, especially d’Escayrac de Lauture and Vivien de Saint-Martin, assumed that the Shuwas were descended from the Koreishites, pagan Arabs driven from Arabia by Mahomet. M. René Basset, however, declares that the Koreishites were not driven out but became converted, and pertinently asks, if they were driven out as pagans, at what period were they converted? There is no record or tradition of the Shuwa Arabs ever having been anything but Mussulmans. Cf. Carbou, La Région du Tchad et du Ouadaï, vol. ii, p. 11.
M. René Basset and MM. Hartmann and Becker incline to derive ‘Shuwa’ from the Arab word shaua = sheep, and to make it signify nomad shepherds as opposed to a sedentary people. Vid. Carbou, La Région du Tchad et du Ouadaï vol. ii, p. 20.
‘The Arabs of Bornu and of the “Territoire Militaire du Tchad” belong to the religious order of the Tojani. This brotherhood, which preaches toleration, is the one which counts most adherents throughout this region: the Senussi are not found, except in Wadai and the northern countries (Borku, &c.). A very simple way of recognizing the Senussi is that they pray with the arms crossed, instead of keeping them parallel with the body, as all the other Maliki sects do.’ Carbou, La Région du Tchad et du Ouadaï, vol. ii, p. 18. Cf. note [458] of the present work.
H. Carbou, vol. ii, p. 36 ff., enumerates the tribes of the Kwalme Shuwas as follows (cf. p. 328 supra):
(1) Oulad Mehareb [my No. 7].
(2) Oulad Serrar [my No. 1].
(3) Oulad Salem, Oulad ’Amer [my Nos. 2 and 10].
(4) Assalé [my No. 8]. They are the descendants of Ali el Esselé (Ali the Bald).
(5) Dagana [my No. 6], said to be descended from Othman Abou Diguen (i.e. the long-bearded). They are mentioned both by Nachtigal and Matteucci.
(6) Oulad el ’Aouan [not mentioned in my list, but apparently a subdivision of the Dagana].
(7) Oulad Mansour [not in my list].
(8) Oulad Amiré, Oulad Ghanem, El Haouarti, Oulad Saïl, Oulad Mehoï [not in my list].
(9) Beni Ouaïl [my No. 11].
(10) Oulad Abou Issé [my No. 14].
(11) Oulad abou Ghader [not in my list].
Carbou classifies the Wulad Himet [my No. 3], Salamat [No. 9], Badder [No. 5], and Beni Hassan under the Djoheïna Arabs, not the Kwalme.
Two derivations are given of Salamat. One, that their ancestor was named Salam. Another, that they are descended from a pagan slave, who, when reproached for not fulfilling his religious duties, replied ‘nadem salla mat’ (praying is killing work); hence he was nicknamed Sallamat. As M. Carbou remarks, p. 56, this explanation is a little far fetched.
M. Carbou, vol. i, p. 4, says:
‘Kanem is a corruption of Keunoum or Konoum. This latter word has been explained by means of the Tubu term “eunoum” or “onoum” which means south, and of the letter “K” which serves to form the substantive. But the Kanembu use the same word to signify the south, and it is especially in their language that “K” serves to form the substantive.’
For all practical purposes the Kanuri and Kanembu dialects are the same. ‘Anum’ or ‘Ane̥m’ is the Kanuri for south, but I know of no use of ‘K’ for forming the substantive, unless one assumes it is an abbreviation of the Kanuri ‘Kam’ meaning a man. Kanem-bu would then mean ‘the southerners’. Cf. p. 314 of the present work.
M. Carbou, vol. i, p. 20:
‘This name, Kanuri, is explained in different ways. Some say that it is composed of the Arab word “nur” (light) and the letter “K” which serves to form the substantive. Kanuri would then mean “the people of the light”, and this name would have been given to the inhabitants of Bornu because they were the propagators of Islam in the country. Others say that Kanuri is from the Kanuri “kannu” = (fire), and means “the people of the fire”, a nickname given them by the Fulani, who as fanatical Mussulmans considered the inhabitants of Bornu as destined to the flames of hell as a reward for their sins.’
M. Carbou himself says that the Arab derivation has little value. The Fulani one has less still: if the Fulani or any other foreigners wished to nickname the Kanuri, would they not use their own language to do so? Cf. p. 314 of the present work.
M. Carbou, vol. i, p. 21, has an elaborate argument to prove that the word Bornu is derived from ‘birni’ meaning in Kanuri ‘a capital town’. The Sef dynasty were driven out of their capital Njime by the rival dynasty of the Bulala and went and founded another capital at Gazerregomo. M. Carbou states that M. René Basset considers this etymology of Bornu from ‘birni’ as very probable. In spite of this high authority, the etymology is not convincing. ‘Birni’ or ‘Be̥rni’ might be corrupted in Arabic writing into ‘Bornu’, or ‘Burnu’, but it is important to remember that the natives never write ‘Bornu’ always ‘Barnu’. The Arabic vowel signs which we represent by i, e̥, and o or u, are often interchangeable in Kanuri writing, e.g. I have seen the word for ‘horse’ spelt ‘fir’, ‘fe̥r’, and less commonly ‘fur’, it could not conceivably be spelt ‘far’. Cf. p. 311 of the present work.