AFRICAN SEMITES.
General shall begin their survey in the west and north. The African Semites include— (I) The are a collection of tribes whose extreme out posts were formerly occupied by the Guanches, inhabitants of the Canary Islands, who have been extirpated by the Spaniards. The Guanches were above middle stature, dark brown, with long, straight black hair and developed hair of the body; of peaceful customs, but brave; they lived in houses and carried on agriculture and stock-raising; they had fixed judicial rules, solemn marriage ceremonies, temples, priests, and various gods; they embalmed the bodies of their dead, whose mummies have been preserved (pl. 100, fig. 3, head of The vocabulary of their language coincided largely with that of the western nations of the continent.
These are—the Ilfazigs (Amazigs or Amazirgs), with their most western tribe the Skilluk or Sitehik (Shellochs); farther to the east the Fillelcs, and in Algeria the A'abyles. The Mazigs are widely spread in the west through the Desert as far as the Senegal. Here they are called Moors, and the Trarsas and Braknas belong to them, but they are so mixed with Negroes that they constitute a true mulatto race whose attire and physique are shown ou Plate 105 (fig. 6). East of the Mazigs of the Desert live those tribes which are generally called Tuarick, or, as they style themselves, hiloshags (Imohag). They seem to vary from the western tribes in some respects, but the ethnological conditions demand closer study.
It is not worth while to mention all the larger and smaller tribes belonging here, especially as many of the names arc only local, as when the southern Tunisians are called Djebali—that is, inhabitants of the mountains. It is enough to know that closely-related tribes live in Tripoli as far as Fezzan, and farther on in the oases of Awdjila and Siwah, - and extend into Egypt and Nubia. In the west they extend farther southward, as these districts are scarcely occupied by Negroes; but numer ous wars have been carried on at the boundaries with the Negroes, and Timbuctoo has been a bone of contention for the two parties. Connec
tions of a peaceful kind are also found, but it is erroneous to call the Berbers of the Desert a mixed people. Neither can the Tibbns, who have not been driven away by the Berbers, be called mixed, although in Fezzan the two nations have greatly commingled. We have mentioned (p. 324) that a few Negroes are found dispersed among the Berbers in the north-east of the Desert (Barca).
(2) The Egypians.—The second race of the African Semites are the Egyptians, who are at present found rather pure in the rural population of the Fellahs and in the city population of the Copts (fi/. 103, fig. 4), (Hartmann).
(3) The Nubians.—We enter a difficult territory in approaching the boundaries of Nubia, for it is not easy to untangle the history of Eastern Africa. In attempting to find our way in this labyrinth, omitting the smaller tribes, which arc often the most obscure, we must mention the Nubian nation as the third branch of the African Semites. To it belongs the tribe which we call Nubians (the Arabians name them Barabra, Berabra, singular Berber). Closely related to the Doi/go/awl are the Aruba and other tribes of Darfur. It is undecided where the Fundshes, dwelling in Sennaar, belong. They do not seem to be a Negro people, like the Hammeg tribes living to the south of them, from whom they arc separated in language.
(4) The Bisharis.—The Bedshas or Bisharis, who live between Nubia and the Red Sea, constitute the fourth branch.
(5) The Ababdes.—Tliese dwell south of Kosseir. They certainly belong to this division, but it is not known where the Hababs and Hadcndas, cast of the river Takazze, and other smaller tribes of that region, belong.
(6) The Abvssinians.—We class the peoples of Abyssinia together—the LW/in/Vans or Abyssinians PrOPC l', the nations usiug the Tigrt. and Amharic languages, the Agows and lingos (South Abyssinia), the Falashas (Lake 'Tana), the Sahos (north-cast of Tigr6), and other insignificant and doubt ful tribes. Slaw and probably Me inhabilauls of Kayla belong entirely to Abyssinia.