Beni-Amer people
Arabic, Beja | |
| Religion | |
|---|---|
| Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| other Beja people |
The Beni-Amer, also known as Beni-Amir (
Demographics and distribution
Some 300,000 people in northeastern Africa belong to the Beni-Amer ethnic group. They live near the Red Sea around the borders of Eritrea and Sudan.[3][4] The majority having settled permanently in Sudan or mixed into the larger pastoralist communities of Eritrea.
The Beni-Amer people probably emerged in the fourteenth century AD from the intermixing of the
History
The Beni-Amer people became politically significant in the 16th-century when their founder Amer Kunu – the son of a Muslim holy man named Ali Nabit
The Beni Amer remained aligned to the Funj, and paid annual tribute to them until 1821. They became a party to the Italian colonialism when they partnered with the Italians to defeat the Sudanese Mahdiyya in the 1880s. During World War II, the Beni Amer ruling class supported the Italians. The defeat of Italy led to a regional power shake up and reduction in the military powers of the Beni Amer.[9]
Social stratification
The Beni Amer people have a highly stratified social structure.[4][5] The ruling caste, that consider themselves to be true descendants of Amer or Nabtab, have controlled the economic and political decisions. They constitute less than 10% of their total population.[4][7][5] The others members of the Nabtab family belong to the Hedarab, Hadendowa, and Tigre.[4] During the British occupation, author James C. Olson claimed the other descendants of the Nabtab line played a subservient role to the Beni Amir and were relegated to a serf caste.[4][5] Major subdivisions of Tigre, which at 35%, are the second largest group in Eritrea were occupationally isolated, such as the Almada and Asfada could produce and supply milk, but Hamasein, Abhasheila and Wilinnoho were not allowed to.[8] The Nabtabs also levied taxes and collected periodic tributes from his serfs.[8]
According to Paul, ever since Amer Kunu came to power, intermarriage between Nabtab and Tigre castes were forbidden and the caste distinctions were strictly enforced.[6] This was successfully accomplished by the small elite, states Paul, through the "force of arms".[10]
Livelihood
They lead a tribal pastoral life, with those in the northern territories raising camels, and the southerners raising cattle. In contemporary era, many have adopted a farming lifestyle and become migrant wage labor providers.[4]
References
- ^ "Ethnicity in Kassala-Gedaref states, 1993 Census". Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ "Ethnicity in Kassala-Gedaref states, 1993 Census". Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-533770-9.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-313-27918-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8108-7505-0.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-107-64686-5.
- ^ ISBN 978-9004161214, Quote: "Diglal. The title of the hereditary ruler of the Banī ʿĀmir tribal group in the Agordat district of western Eritrea and in the eastern Sudan; he is also senior member of the aristocratic Nabtab class or caste."
- ^ ISBN 978-1-107-64686-5.
- ISBN 978-0-8108-7505-0.
- ISBN 978-1-107-64686-5.
Bibliography
- Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, ed. Count Gleichen (London, 1905);
- A. H. Keane, Ethnology of Egyptian Sudan (1884);
| Authority control databases: National |
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