The Dar Hamid are a confederation of about nineteen tribes and some smaller sub-groups that share a common culture and are led by a single chief. Although the tribes have different origins, most of their ancestors came from Arabia. One of these 19 subgroups is the Hawawir.
The Dar Hamid dar (territory) is located in northern Sudan. Like other nomadic Arab tribes, the Dar Hamid wander the desert with their herds, searching for vegetation that grows after the rare desert thunderstorms. They have a complex system of migration in which different parts of the family move to different places during certain times of the year.
The Hawawir raise all types of livestock which are traded for grain and other essentials such as salt, tea, sugar, cloth, dates, seasoning, and metal goods. Camels are the most important of their animals. They provide milk, a main diet staple for these nomads, occasional meat, material for tents, and transportation across the desert.
Because the Hawawir are a nomadic people, they live in camps they call dikkas. Their homes are tents made with camel hair roofs and cotton sides. Many of the tents are decorated inside with leather and wool ornaments. The basic item of furniture is a double bed made of palm ribs bound with strips of leather. The bed rests on pegs a foot above the ground. The Hawawir lifestyle dictates that even the tent's decorative ornaments have a practical value. While the Hawawir men move across the desert with their camel herds, the women and children stay in the dikka. The women tend the gardens and the small boys work in the fields, herding house camels and preventing goats and sheep from entering the cultivated land.
Hawawir children are sent to herd animals almost as soon as they can walk. They have been described as shy and reserved, even with each other.
Because life in the desert is very dangerous, all Hawawir men wear sheathed daggers on their left arms. Most carry swords and all carry either shotguns or rifles. They must sleep lightly at night to protect themselves from bandits.
Their main diet consists of tea mixed with camel's milk. If one of them has the good fortune of killing an animal in the desert, they will also have meat. Each man carries a canvas sheet that has many purposes. The canvas can be used as a ground sheet, a tent, a trough for watering animals, or a sling for carrying heavy items such as loads of hay.
In today's world, pasture lands in Sudan don't have enough water to sustain a large number of animals. Diminishing rainfall has destroyed the pastures. This situation is causing conflicts between settled farmers and nomadic herders like the Hawawir. Many of the herdsmen have lost their livestock and have been forced to move from their homes into towns and cities.
Traditionally, the Hawawir are Sunni Muslims. However, most are not religious and know very little about the Islamic religion. One of the five "pillars" of Islam is that a Muslim must pray five times a day. Water is scarce, so the cleansing rituals are either cut short or ignored completely, and they use sand in place of water. Since very few Hawawir are able to read or write, many consider the written word a source of magical power. Fakirs (holy men) make charms and sell them to the Hawawir for cash or livestock.
Clear identification of the various groups in Sudan is difficult since their cultures and lifestyles often overlap. However, most remain proud of their tribal and ethnic identities. Compassionate missionaries who are willing to embrace the Hawawir culture and endure the harsh, nomadic lifestyle are desperately needed. They will probably need to learn how to read as well.
Pray for the Lord to provide for the physical and spiritual needs of the Hawawir people in Sudan.
Pray for workers, filled with the love of the Holy Spirit, to go to the Hawawir people.
Pray for the Hawawir people to crave pure spiritual milk and find it in the Word of God.
Pray for a Holy Spirit directed movement to Christ among the Hawawir people.
Scripture Prayers for the Hawawir in Sudan.
| Profile Source: Joshua Project |
