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| February 11, 2009 |
They told us the history of the Zaghawa people. We also learned that the true name for the Zaghawa people is’Beri.’
“In North Darfur the Beri-or Zaghawa depended on camels, sheep and cows. North Darfur is desert, water is ‘valuable and difficult to find,” Mastura Ahmed told me today. “When we went to the wells, we would stay there for 2 or 3 days. The wells are very very deep. And its is difficult to get the water out. While the animals are watering there is no food, just milk (from the camels) making flour is impossible because it requires stones to grind with. We ate the seeds of the grass-people would hit the grass with sticks to gather the seeds. Then , when we are finished, we bring water back in ‘jirabs’-goat skins.
Muhamid Sharif Rafadine Ahmed
From Tine
“In North Darfur there are more than 200 sub-tribes of Zaghawa. 120 in Kornoy alone. Zaghawa are the original camel breeders-not the Arabs. A female camel should have 8 breasts but this is very rare, so we think the Arabs stole our camels breasts.
When a camel sees a Zaghawa they are thinking, “He is here!”.
The camel is the ship of the desert. They can go long periods without drinking water. People can kill a camel and drink water from his belly.
Zaghawa can kill a camel for his guests to eat, or for a bridegroom, or for a poor man. When you give a camel to a person, this is generous.’
Yet another person told me the camel carries his power in his hump. Also-if you eat camel meat it will cure you of any illness. Unlike goat which will make you sick.
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*My connections in Abece have just told me that things are hotting up--in the last 2 hours, as many as 20 helicopters have landed at the Abece airport.