An Account Of Timbuctoo And Housa Territories In The Interior Of Africa Part 24

200.]

If the present ardour for discovery in Africa be persevered in, the learned world may expect, in the course of a few years, to receive 366 histories and other works of Greek and Roman authors, which were translated into the Arabic language, when Arabian literature was in its zenith, and have ever since been confined to some private libraries in the cities of the interior of Africa, and in Arabia.

Having said thus much with regard to the Arabic of the western Arabs, which, with little variation, is spoken throughout all the finest districts of North Africa, I shall proceed to say a few words respecting the other languages spoken north of Sahara: these are the Berebber and its dialects, viz. the Zayan and Girwan, and Ait Amor; the Sh.e.l.luh of Suse and South Atlas, all which, though latterly supposed by some learned men to be the same, differ in many respects; any one possessing a knowledge of the Berebber language might, with little difficulty, make himself understood by the Zayan of Atlas, the Girwan, or the Ait Amor; but the Sh.e.l.luh is a different language, and each so different from the Arabic, that there is not the smallest resemblance, as the following specimen will demonstrate:

BEREBBER. Sh.e.l.lUH. ARABIC. ENGLISH.

Tumtoot Tayelt Is.h.i.+ra A girl Ajurode Ayel Is.h.i.+re A boy Askan Tarousa Hajar A thing Aram Algrom Jimmel Camel Tamtute Tamraut Murrah A woman Is.h.i.+ar Issemg'h L'Abd A slave Aouli Izimer Kibsh A sheep Taddert Tikimie Dar House 367 Ikshuden Asroen Lawad Wood Eekeel Akfai h.e.l.lib Milk Tifihie Uksume El Ham Meat Buelkiel Amuran h.e.l.loof A hog Abreede Agares Trek A road Bishee Fikihie Ara Give me Adude Asht Agi Come Alkam Aftooh Cire Go Kaym Gauze Jils Sit down Imile Imeek Serire Little

_Specimen of the Difference between the Arabic and Sh.e.l.luh Languages._

Sh.e.l.lUH. ARABIC. ENGLISH.

Is sin Tamazirkt Wash katarf Do you understand Sh.e.l.luh Sh.e.l.luh?

Uree sin Man arf huh I do not understand it.

Matshrult Kif enta How are you?

Is tekeete Wash gite min Are you come from Marokshe Marockshe Marocco?

Egan ras Miliah Good Maigan Ala'sh Wherefore?

Misimmink As'mek What is your name?

Mensh kat dirk Shall andik How much have you got?

Tasardunt Borella A mule Romi Romi An European Takannarit Nasarani A Christian 368 Romi Kaffer An infidel Misem Bebans Ashkune mula Who is the owner?

Is'tkit Tegriwelt Washjite min Are you come from Tegriwelt Cape Ossem?

Auweete Imkelli Jib Liftor Bring the dinner Efoulkie Meziana Handsome Ayeese El aoud A horse Tikelline El Baid Eggs Amuran h.e.l.loof Hog Tayuh Tatta Camelion Tasamumiat Adda Green lizard Tenawine Sfune s.h.i.+ps.

Marmol says, the Sh.e.l.luhs and Berebbers write and speak one language, called Killem Abimalick[209]; but the foregoing specimen, the accuracy of which may be depended on, clearly proves this a.s.sertion to be erroneous, as well as that of many moderns who have formed their opinion, in all probability, on the above authority.

Now, although the Sh.e.l.luh and Berebber languages are so totally dissimilar, that there is not one word in the foregoing vocabulary which resembles its corresponding word in the other language, yet, 369 from the prejudice which Marmol's authority has established, it will still be difficult, perhaps, to persuade the learned that such an author could be mistaken on such a subject. My account therefore must remain for a future age to determine upon, when the languages of Africa shall be better known than they are at present; for it is not a few travellers occasionally sent out on a limited plan, that can ascertain facts, the attainment of which requires a long residence, and familiar intercourse with the natives. Marmol had also misled the world, in saying that they write a different language; the fact is, that when they write any thing of consequence, it is in the Arabic; but any trifling subject is written in the Berebber words, though in the Arabic character. If they had any peculiar character in the time of Marmol, they have none now; for I have conversed with hundreds of them, as well as with the Sh.e.l.luhs, and have had them staying at my house for a considerable time together, but never could learn from any, that a character different from the Arabic had ever been in use among them.

[Footnote 209: Killem Abimalick signifies the Language of Abimalick; this is evidently an error of Marmol, the Sh.e.l.luh language is denominated _Amazirk_; the Berebber Language is denominated _Killem Brebber_.]

In addition to these languages, there is another spoken at the Oasis of Ammon, or Siwah, called in Arabic [Arabic:] El Wah El Grarbie, which appears to be a mixture of Berebber and Sh.e.l.luh, as will appear from the list of Siwahan words given by Mr.

370 Horneman[210], in his Journal, page 19, part of which I have here transcribed, to show the similitude between those two languages, whereby it will appear that the language of Siwah and that of the Sh.e.l.luhs of South Atlas, are one and the same language.

ENGLISH. SIWAHAN. Sh.e.l.lUH.

Sun Itf.u.c.kt Atfuct.

Head Achfe Akfie Camel Lgum Arume Sheep Jelibb Jelibb Cow Tfunest Tafunest Mountain Iddrarn Iddra[211]

Have you a horse? Goreck Ackmar Is derk Achmar?[212]

Milk Achi Akfie Bread Tagor Tagora[213]

Dates Tena Tenia (sing.)Tena (plural.)

South of the Desert we find other languages spoken by the blacks; and are told by Arabs, who have frequently performed the journey from Jinnie to Cairo, and the Red Sea, that thirty-three different 371 Negro languages are met with in the course of that route, but that the Arabic is spoken by the intelligent part of the people, and the Muhamedan religion is known and followed by many; their writings are uniformly in Arabic.

[Footnote 210: In reading Mr. William Marsden's observations on the language of Siwah, at the end of Horneman's Journal, in page 190, I perceive that the short vocabulary inserted corresponds with a vocabulary of the Sh.e.l.luh language, which I presented to that gentleman some years past.] [Footnote 211: Plural Iddrarn.]

[Footnote 212: Or, Is derk ayeese?]

[Footnote 213: This is applied to bread when baked in a pan, or over the embers of charcoal, or other fire; but when baked in an oven it is called Agarom (g guttural.)]

It may not be improper in this place, seeing the many errors and mutilated translations which appear from time to time, of Arabic, Turkish and Persian papers, to give a list of the Muhamedan moons or lunar months, used by all those nations, which begin with the first appearance of the new moon, that is, the day following, or sometimes two days after the change, and continue till they see the next new moon; these have been mutilated to such a degree in all our English translations, that I shall give them, in the original Arabic character, and as they ought to be spelt and p.r.o.nounced in the English character, as a clue whereby to calculate the correspondence between our year and theirs. They divide the year into 12 months, which contain 29 or 30 days, according as they see the new moon; the first day of the month Muharam is termed [arabic]

Ras Elame, i.e. the beginning of the year.

As we are more used to the Asiatic mode of punctuation, that will be observed in these words.

Muharam [Arabic]

Asaffer [Arabic]

372 Arabia Elule [Arabic]

Arabea Atthenie [Arabic]

Jumad Elule [Arabic]

Jumad Athenie [Arabic]

Rajeb [Arabic]

Shaban [Arabic]

Ramadan [Arabic]

Shual [Arabic]

Du'elkada [Arabic]

Du Elhajah [Arabic]

The first of Muharram, year of the Hejra 1221, answers to the 19th March of the Christian aera, 1806.

Among the various languages spoken south of the Sahara, we have already observed that there are thirty-three different ones between the Western Ocean and the Red Sea, following the sh.o.r.es of the Nile El Abeed, or Niger: among all these nations and empires, a man practically acquainted with the Arabic, may always make himself understood, and indeed, it is the language most requisite to be known for every traveller in these extensive regions.

The Mandinga is spoken from the banks of the Senegal, where that river takes a northerly course from the Jibel Kuthera to the 373 kingdom of Bambarra; the w.a.n.gareen tongue is a different one; and the Housonians speak a language differing again from that.

_Specimen of the difference between the Arabic and Mandinga language; the words of the latter extracted from the vocabularies of Seedi Muhamed ben Amer Sudani._

ENGLISH. MANDINGA. ARABIC.

One Kalen Wahud Two Fula Thanine Three Seba Thalata Four Nani Arba Five Lulu k.u.msa Six Uruh Setta Seven Urn'klu Sebba Eight Saae Timinia Nine Kanuntee Taseud Ten Dan Ashra Eleven Dan kalen Ahud ash Twelve Dan fula Atenashe Thirteen Dan seba Teltashe Nineteen Dankanartee Tasatasli Twenty Mulu Ashreen Thirty Mulu nintau Thalateen Forty Mulu fula Arba'in Fifty Mulu fula neentan k.u.mseen Sixty Mulu sebaa Setteen Seventy Mulu sebaa nintan Seba'in.

374 Eighty Mulu nani T'aramana'een Ninety Mulu nani neentaan Tasa'een One hundred Kemi Mia One thousand Uli Elf

This Neen Hadda That Waleem Hadduk Great Bawa Kabeer Little Nadeen Sereer Handsome Nimawa Zin Ugly Nuta Uksheen (k guttur.) White Kie Bead Black Feen Khal Red Williamma Hummer How do you do? Nimbana mc.u.n.tania Kif-enta Well Kantee Ala-khere Not well Moon kanti Murrede What do you want Ala feta matume Ash-bright Sit down Siduma Jils Get up Ounilee Node Sour Akk.u.mula Hamd Sweet Timiata h.e.l.luh True Aituliala Hack False Funiala Kadube Good Abatee Miliah Bad Minbatee Kubiah A witch Bua Sahar A lion Jatta Sebaa 375 An elephant Samma El fel A hyaena Salua Dubbah A wild boar Siwa El kunjer A water horse Mali Aoud d'Elma A horse Suhuwa Aoud A camel k.u.maniun Jimmel A dog Wallee Killeb Hel el Killeb Hel Wallee Hel El Killeb or the dog-faced race.

A gazel Tankeen Gazel (g guttural) A cat Niankune El mish A goat Baa El maize A sheep Kurenale Kibsh A bull Nisakia Toor A serpent Saa Hensh A camelion Mineer Tatta An ape Ku'nee Dzatute A fowl or chicken Susee Djez A duck Beruee El Weese A fish Hihu El hout b.u.t.ter Tulu Zibda Milk Nunn El h.e.l.lib Bread Mengu El khubs (k guttur.) Corn Nieu Zra Wine Tangee k.u.mmer (k guttur.) Honey Alee Asel Sugar Tobabualee Sukar Salt Kuee Mil'h Ambergris Anber Anber 376 Bra.s.s Ta.s.s Ta.s.s Silver Kudee Nukra Gold-dust Teber Tiber Pewter Ta.s.s ki Kusdeer A bow Kula El kos An arrow Binia Zerag A knife Muru Jenui A spoon Kulia Mogerfa A bed El arun El ferrashe A lamp El kundeel El kundeel A house Su Ed dar A room Bune El beet A light-hole Jinnee Reehaha or window A door Daa Beb A town Kinda Midina Smoke Sezee Tkan (k guttural) Heat Kandia Skanna (k guttural) Cold Nini Berd Sea Bedu baha Bahar River Bedu Wed A rock Berri Jerf Sand Kinnikanni Rummel The earth Binku Dunia Mountain Kuanku Jibbel Island Juchui Dzeera Rain Sanjukalaeen Shta G.o.d Allah Allah Father Fa Ba Mother Ba Ma h.e.l.l Jahennum Jehennume 377 A man Kia Rajil A woman Musa Murrah A sister b.u.m musa Kat (k guttural) A brother b.u.m kia Ka The devil Buhau Iblis A white man Tebabu Rajil biad A singer Jalikea Runai (r guttural) A singing woman Jalimusa Runaiah (r guttural) A slave June Abeed A servant Bettela Mutalem

Having now given some account of the languages of Africa, we shall proceed to animadvert on the similitude of language and customs between the Sh.e.l.luhs of Atlas and the original inhabitants of the Canary Islands. The words between inverted commas, are quotations from Gla.s.se's History of the Discovery and Conquest of the Canary Islands.

"The inhabitants of Lancerotta and Fuertaventura are social and cheerful;" like the Sh.e.l.luhs of Atlas; "they are fond of singing and dancing; their music is vocal, accompanied with a clapping of hands, and beating with their feet;" the Sh.e.l.luhs resemble them in all these respects; "Their houses are built of stone, without cement; the entrance is narrow, so that but one person can enter at a time."

378 The houses of the Sh.e.l.luhs are sometimes built without cement, but always with stone; the doors and entrances are low and small, so that one person only can enter.

"In their temples they offered to their G.o.d milk and b.u.t.ter."

Among the Sh.e.l.luhs milk and b.u.t.ter are given as presents to princes and great men; the milk being an emblem of good will and candour.

"When they were sick (which seldom happened) they cured themselves with the herbs which grew in the country; and when they had acute pains, they scarified the part affected with sharp stones, and burned it with fire, and then anointed it with goat's b.u.t.ter.

Earthen vessels of this goat's b.u.t.ter were found interred in the ground, having been put there by the women, who were the makers, and took that method of preparing it for medicine."

The custom of the Sh.e.l.luhs on such occasions is exactly similar; the b.u.t.ter which they use is old, and is buried under ground many years in (_bukul_) earthen pots, and is called _budra_: it is a general medicine, and is said to possess a remarkably penetrating quality.

"They grind their barley in a hand-mill, made of two stones, being similar to those used in some remote parts of Europe".

In Suse, among the Sh.e.l.luhs, they grind their corn in the same way, and barley is the princ.i.p.al food.