Daju people

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For other uses, see Daju (disambiguation).

The Daju people are a group of seven distinct ethnicities speaking related languages (see Daju languages) living on both sides of the Chad-Sudan border and in the Nuba Mountains. Separated by distance and speaking different languages, at present, they generally have little cultural affinity to each other.

The traditional area identified with the Daju are the Daju Hills in the southern portion of the Marrah Mountains located in the Darfur province of Sudan. As the Marrah Mountains are the only area in Darfur that has a temperate climate and thus could support large populations, a Daju state arose perhaps as early as the 12th century BC. Very little is known of this kingdom except for a list of kings and several mentions in Egyptian texts. The most ancient mention of king's names is king Githar at the time of the Daju prophet Saleh who died and buried at the bank of Wadi Saleh in the southwestern corner of Marrah Mountains. The Daju appear to be the dominant group in Darfur from earliest times vying for control with their northern Marrah Mountain later rivals, the agricultural Fur people. The original settlement of the Daju people was in the Yellow Nile River [now called Wadi Howar]. They also left ruins at Jebel Meidob, the Great Oases and Darb el-Arbayyn trade route to Egypt.

Origins

The Daju, who known to Henri Barth as "Pharaoh's Folk", had migrated originally from the Nile valley in the aftermath of the invasion of Kingdom of

Jebel Marra massif. Meanwhile, Semia, one of Daju capitals, was completely destroyed by the Amir from Dongola.[1]

History

Main articles: Daju kingdom and Dar Sila

The Daju empire is said to have spread its control as far east as

South Kurdufan westward through Darfur and into Chad.[5]

According to tradition, the Daju dynasty was conquered by the

Dar Sila Daju
people.

Other Daju moved eastward eventually settling in what is now South Kurdufan province near

Dinka. One group was driven westward (possibly the ancestors of the Njalgulgule people) and the other group, consisting of Dar Fur Daju, were driven east into the Nuba Hills settling near Lagowa where they developed their own distinct dialect of the Nyala language.[7]

Over time, the Tunjur introduced

Darfur Sultanate continued on until 1898.[3][9][10]

Geography

As a result of their defeat at the hands of the Tunjur and then dominance by the Fur, the Daju were displaced from much of their territory and now exist in several distinct pockets in the Sudan and Chad.[11]

The remaining Daju people exist in the following distinct groups:[12]

There are also two groups located in the

Hill Nubian tribes in the Nuba Hills is generally seen as coming after the main Daju migration. The Nuba Mountains have generally been an area of "retreat" for persecuted groups seeking security hence the significant linguistic diversity.[14]

Culture

The Daju are primarily grain farmers (mainly millet, sorghum, and corn). Secondarily, they hunt as well as gather (mainly honey, berries and wild fruits).[3] Women perform much of the daily work. They plant and sow the crops, ground the grain, and cook the meals. They are also the primary house-builders. The typical Daju home is round with a cone roof although in the towns, houses are often rectangular. Community chores are shared. Traditionally, Daju women tattoo their eyelids, gums, and lips with acacia thorns.[3] Fighters tattoo their left-hand peaks with sacred black and red ink.

The Dar Sila Daju in Chad are arranged by male-led clans. Each clan has its own separate role in society. The Sultan is chosen from one of the clans and his advisors are drawn from other clans. The Sultanship primarily serves the role of religious leader.[3]

The Dar Daju Daju and the Dar Sila Daju are predominantly

Muslim but they still practice many of their traditional religious customs including the building of straw shrines to their high god Kalge whom they equate with Allah of Islam.[3] From this name derived ″Par-Kalge,″ the sacred mountain located near Napta. The Dar Fur Daju maintain their old and original religion.[3] Islam became the religion of most Daju by the 15th century but it's likey that Islam spread significantly before this date.[16]

References

  1. ^ Kramer, Robert S., Lobban, Richard A. & Fluehr-Lobban, Carolyn (2013). Historical dictionary of the Sudan. 4th ed., Henri Barth,1857, Travels and Discoveries in North and Central Africa: Being a Journal of an Expedition in the Years 1849-1855. Volume II. New York: Harper and Brothers Publishers. P.544
  2. ^ Musa, Abraham; Ancient History of Western Sudan[usurped] US Military: Defense Language Institute, August 16, 2006
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Jenkins, Orville; The Daju Populations of Sudan and Chad
  4. ^ al-Maqrizi in Nehemiah Levztion and J. F. P. Hopkins, eds. and trans. Corpus of Early Arabic Sources for West African History (Cambridge, 1981, reprinted Princeton, NJ, 2000), pp 353-54.
  5. ^ Sudan Tribune: "The Nuba: A People’s Struggle for Political Niche and Equity in Sudan" Archived 2012-06-09 at the Wayback Machine April 1, 2008
  6. ^ Sudanese Online: "ABC REPORT REVISITTED: A REPLY TO ADAM B ELHIRAIKA,PhD By Charles K Deng" March 14, 2006.
  7. ^ [1] Ende, Nanne op't, History of the Nuba, part I
  8. ^ Dr. Richard A Lobban, Professor of Anthropology, Rhode Island College. "Marrying Modeling with Empiricism: the case and context of Sudan" Archived 2012-03-31 at the Wayback Machine Paper presented at the National Defense University, July 2008
  9. ^ Nachtigal, Gustav; Sahara and Sudan: Wadai and Darfur p 273-274
  10. ^ BBC News: "making Space for Darfur's Victims May 06, 2006
  11. ^ Joshua Project Daju people map of Daju settlement
  12. ^ Ethnologue Entry on Nilo-Saharan, Eastern Sudanic, Western, Daju Languages retrieved May 21, 2011
  13. ^ New York Times: "The Face of Genocide" November 19, 2006
  14. ^ "Thelwall, Robin; The Linguistic Settlement of the Nuba Mountains". Archived from the original on 2021-04-27. Retrieved 2011-05-22.
  15. ^ by Thelwall, Robin; The Linguistic Settlement of the Nuba Mountains 1983
  16. ISBN 978-0-313-23392-0
    .
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