CAMELS IN ERITREA

Camels in Eritrea are of the dromedary type and are found mainly in the lowlands, although some are being introduced in the highlands for the specific purpose of providing transport. The camels of the western lowlands of Eritrea have much in common with those of the Sudan, while those of the eastern lowlands are identical to camels of the Afar region in Ethiopia.

For pastoralists in the semi-arid regions of Eritrea, camels are the most important animal species. Their milk is highly nutritious and available throughout the year and yields are large in comparison with other domestic species in similar environments. Their unique ability to survive during dry seasons in climatically harsh areas, their adaptability to high temperatures and reduced dependency on water supplies, their mobility and ability to browse and graze a wide range of plant species and their resistance to disease are all attributes that enable them to support pastoralist families without contributing to environmental degradation and desertification.   Read more

THE STORY OF  KANTEBAY  SALLIM  AND  OF ALI WAD MA'O.
A nan named Kantebay Sallim with his farmly had built his village on the top of a mountain.  And another [man] named 'Ali wad Ma'o was abiding with his village in Daset (1). And Kantebay Sallim betrothed his son to the daughter of Ali wad Ma'o.  Thereupon when the "constellation" (2) was near, Kantebay Sallim requested the wedding of 'Ali wad Ma'o.   Read more

 THE TABOOS OR FORBIDDEN (FOOD) OF THE TIGRE PEOPLE.
Each family has a taboo of its own. And a man who eats his taboo grows warts on his body, or his teeth fall out, or he grows blind, or some part of his [body] is crippled, they say. But if a man has eaten his taboo without knowing it and afterwards when he has eaten notices it, he is purified with the sahat. (1) And everybody takes great care not to eat the taboo of his family and not to look at it nor to touch it. And these are the names of all that they taboo.Read more

The tribes of Sahel, and others   Aida Kidane
This region was the stronghold of Eritrean struggle, good hiding place with its huge mountains and valleys. It has been a stronghold for many others much earlier, notably the 44 monasteries in the mountain peaks of third century, of Bet Ma’ala. It was the travelers route of ancient time, as Queen Makeda.
In 523-524 A.D. the remains of the Christian martyrs of Najran in Yemen came to Sahel, still known as Hagere Nagran, helped by Negus Kaleb. A Swedish translation from a book found by R Sundstrom when he found this book in Debre Sina, 1910 ”The Martyrs in Nagran” The Beja tribes grew and fell in these mountains. More...

THE STORY OF THE FIGHT AT BALQAT.
Once the 'Ad Takles were enemies with the Habab.  The head of the Habab party was Kantebay Gaweg wad Fekak; and the head of the 'Ad Takles party was Fekak wad Nauraddin.  At first, the 'Ad Takles had killed a man of the Habab.  And the Habab, mourning for their man, had ceased to shave(1) until they should destroy each other.  Now the armour-bearer of Fekak wad Nauraddin was in the country of the Habab; and Kantubay Gaweg was asking him every day about the
ways of Fekak wad Nauraddin.  And the armour-bearer of Fekak said: 'The ways of the son of Nauraddin are hard, who can resist him ?  When he fights he is valiant; when he jumps, he is a falcon."  And Kantebay  Gaweg said to him: "How doest thou think that he can be reached?" The armour-bearer of Fekak replied: "There is no way to reach him, unless he be reached in one single way: He has two wives, and they sometimes quarrel with [the words]: Make thou his maal for him.'  Read more

Some Tigre Texts with transliteration and translation 
 By Richard Sundström
With great satisfaction I find that the Tigre language is gaining ground more and more among orientalists. In order that they may be able to get an idea of its pronunciation and its accent as far, of course, as it is possible to render it intelligible by writing, I will here try to give a transliteration of some texts as correctly as possible as I have grasped it, after twelve years’ stay in Eritrea among the tigre speaking people.  As will appear from the texts I have translated as literally as possible with the object of giving the reader acquainted with the Semitic languages an idea of the mode of expression in Tigre.

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