According to the Bible, book of Genesis Chapter 10:6 Table of Nations, Egypt was the integral part of Sudan since it is part of Ham lands.Genesis 16:1-2 Hagar was Ishmael’s mother who was Egyptian maidservant of Sarah and Ishmael wife was from Egypt married for him by his mother from her country.
Word, “Ummou Douniyaeh” (mother of world) is
a phrase use by Egyptians that Egypt is the mother of the world which
means the Arab and Islamic worlds. Indeed, Arabs define themselves that
they are the descendants of Ishmael whose mother and wife were
Egyptians. So since Ishmael is the son of Hagar, then Hagar
father should had been one of the Ham (Cush father) descendants.
Consequently, Arabs were the brothers-in-law of Egyptians who were
Ham’s grandchildren. So it tells here that other nation rather than
current Arab inhabitants of Egypt had dwelled there some centuries ago.
Besides that, the significant evidences of the pyramids of Egypt and of
Meroe {Dongola) show us that, the same culturally ethnic people lived
in both countries. We are powerful nation as our Ancestors, Genesis 10:8-9 “Cush
was the father of Nimrod, who grew to be a mighty warrior on earth. He
was a mighty hunter before the Lord; that is why it is said, “like
Nimrod, a mighty, hunter before the Lord”.But how did ethnic and religious changes in the Cush lands had emerged?Muslim
had conquered Egypt almost around six century (six hundred years A.D).
Seven century later, Muslims had methodically begun eroding the
Sudanese kingdoms. The first way Was
launching war against the frontier kingdom of Makuria which is current
called Dongola. But Makuria had not only strong in expelling the
invaders, but it was also vigorous and aggressive against its northern
invading forces of Egypt. For example, on 18 August 1272, the army of
Makuria descended upon the Egyptian-controlled Red Sea port of Aydhab sacking
the city, executing the governor, the chief judge and commercial
supervisor and the Christian forces of Makuria marched back across the
desert and attack Aswan.The second method Arabs
had rationalized how powerful the black people are. Knowing that, the
notion of invading Sudan by launching war was not in their favor, they
had therefore turned to build commercial, religious and intermarrying
relationships with the indigenous Sudanese, the ties which become the
parasites for destroying the native kingdoms one after other.Arabs
then had begun venturing or penetrating into Sudanese-Northern kingdom
of Makuria as merchants, miners, pilgrims or nomads using sweet tongues
with emotional and spiritual powers. Impacts of unlimited hospitality and generosity: King
Dawud of Makuria (Dongola now) who stood against the invaders was
emotionally persuaded and opened his arms to embrace the aliens.
Misinterpretation of outcome of interpersonal contact and unlimited
generosity and hospitality had made king to bring usurpers, puppets,
and Muslims to his throne. The welcomed Arab guests had turned their
backs against the king and gradually eroded the identity of Makuria
kingdom. That was the turning point of demographic and ethnic
and cultural changes on the one hand and on the other hand; it was the
reception of the century grievances on Cush people which some of them
were asserted by Ibn Fadl Allah (A.D. 1331-51) that, “In
these days, no king is able to reign there (in Sudan) except as a
dependent of the court of the Egyptian sultans. The kings of Makuria
(Dongola) owe the affixed tributes to the rulers of Egypt; those
tributes do not only consist of gold or silver, but of a certain number
of slaves, male and female, of lances and of the savage animals of
Nubia”. NB: Nubian people were still sending slaves yearly to Turkey that was the implementation of the Ibn Fadl Allah
judgment and such grievances were avoided by dislocating some of
typical Nubian people from Dongola to Nubian mountain in western Sudan.That
was earthquake for the indigenous Sudanese. People of north, east and
west have lost their ethnicity, culture, religion, language and their
heritages and built a coalition known as Northern-Muslim Arab nation to
continue expanding toward south as second target. Who is Abdallah, called Jamma (the Gatherer)?Name Jamma means gatherer.
Abdallah Jamma was one of the Arabs immigrants and who was able to
collect the black native Sudanese as much as he could and used them in
defeating the other outstanding Sudanese kingdoms. We all know that
such policy of gathering blacks against their own people still exist in
Sudan.On Red Sea was Hadariba state (Beja) and its Shaykh had incorporated the Arab immigrants Juhayna which means the comers into his force as warriors and the Awlad Kahil which means sons of maternal uncles to help in pushing southward. Arabs in North still calling native Sudanese “Awlad Kahil”.You cannot imagine one stranger man, white in his skin, can be able to downfall the entire kingdoms of Sudan with exception of Fashodo. Decline of Anj (Alodia Soba): Soba
was the next target of Abdallah Jamma. So to knock down the Anj in
order to pave his expansive way, he had therefore established his
capital at Qarri on the east bank below the confluence between Halfayat al-Muluk and Shandi. Having
consolidated his position on Nile next to Soba, Jamma had launched
attack on Anj and after a protracted warfare; Jamma had won a war and
made Soba integral part to his invaded northern territory. Who is the Funj?According to Mr. James Bruce’s initial discovery and belief, “the
Funj and the Shulluk were one and the same. In the year 1504, a black
nation, hitherto unknown inhabiting the western banks of the Bahar el
Abiad (White Nile), in about 13 latitude, made a descent, in a
multitude of canoes or boats upon the Arab provinces of Abdallah Jamma
territory and in a battle near Arbaji between Madini and Soba, they
defeated Wed Ageeb (Abdallah ruler) and forced him to capitulation, by
which the Arabs were to pay their conquerors”.James Bruce is right that Funj and Shulluk are the same and one if we could consider the following analyses.Original Land of Funj before constitution of Sinnar kingdomcation: The
land from where Funj came from is the core homeland of Shulluk.
Starting from Kosti down to Tonja, Shulluk inhabits the western river
bank of White Nile alone. The word “unknown” mentioned could mean that the exact place where Funj came from is not identify which means no other place than Shulluk land. Funj remainders in original land:Historically,
the entire community does not immigrate to a new land, but the brave
men with some of their families could adventure and be follow by others
later on.Examples European
pioneers had immigrated to Canada, America, Australia and South Africa
without their families for uncertainty of circumstances in new lands.
But later on, they had urged their love ones to follow when they had
safeguard the availability of peace and good life in the new the lands.
The immigrants in new lands do build relationship with their original
home, such as in case of the Sudanese Arabs and their ancestral Arabs,
European countries and their new discovered lands (America, Canada,
Australia and South Africa) which still have cultural, ethnic,
language, political and economical ties which Funj does not has. This
means Funj has no people left behind rather than Shulluk. Dispute:Dispute
is repeatedly states that Funj and Shulluk do come into disagreement or
understanding in their life time. As we all know, one sons of Shulluk
king are good enemies because they are the only ones to share royal
power. Beside that, there are too much territorial disputes between the
provincial princes on power. So Funj could have had claimed his
independency from central government which is Fashado and that might be
a reason of dispute and lack of understanding between Fashodo and
Sinnar. Military Cooperation:James
Bruces mentioned that Funj and Shulluk usually used to put aside their
disputes and join to face their common enemies. James had stated that
Fashodo usually extends logistical assistances and army to subdue
rebellions against Funj provincial governments in northern, eastern and
western Sudan. If that had happened, it means logistic support of
central government to maintain its domination through sub-kingdom of
Sinnar.Some Shulluk Names in Sinnar: During
seasonal harvesting, many Shulluk workers use to go to work in the
projects in Sennar. Most of them use to stay in place called “Makurinyreth” which is a Shulluk word.Number of Funj people and their language: I
had tried many time to find a Funj man or woman and to know what
language of Funj is, but, till now, I did not found the language and a
Funj person.Royal coronation and ritual: There are similarities in ritual and coronation applications between Sinnar and Fashodo.Culture: In page 62, it is mentioned that,” the establishment of more peaceful relationship between Funj and Shulluk resulted in some acculturation”.Conclusion: In conclusion, James Bruce is right that Shulluk and Funj are one and the same due to these analyses.What was a Funj preventive reaction to recapture Sudan from the invaders?It is stated in page 26, book of “kingdoms of the Sudan, O’Fahey and Spaulding that, “In
the year 1504, a black nation, hitherto unknown inhabiting the western
banks of the Bahar el Abiad (White Nile), in about 13 latitude, made a
descent, in a multitude of canoes or boats upon the Arab provinces of
Abdallah Jamma territory and in a battle near Arbaji between Madini and
Soba, they defeated Wed Ageeb (Abdallah ruler) and forced him to
capitulation, by which the Arabs were to pay their conquerors”.Such
move as that was so imperative and well calculated by Fashodo to
recapture the whole Sudan from the invaders, Arabs. It was such
initiative step of Fashodo that brought the erection period of Sinna
kingdom and the first and the last in its nature to reunite the whole
riverian northern, western and eastern Sudan since Arab had conquered
those parts making Sudan as single state. Let just mention one of Funj
victories against the invaders.Turks
in 1576 had appointed an officer to annex Funj lands onto Ottoman
Empire. Expeditionary forces with many boats well equipped with
sophisticated weapons were ordered and marched from Egypt to re-capture
the Sudanese lands. But Funj army had met them at Hannik near Arqu Island, where
both forces had engaged. Despite of many sophisticated weapons Turkish
forces had used, almost all Turkish forces were killed by Funj army
with only one boat left and returned to Egypt. Among the killed Turkish
soldiers was holy man whose tomb was later constructed on the site of
the battlefield and it remained the border between Egypt and Sinnar
until 1821.Diplomacy used to downfall the Funj kingdomThe
Funj kingdom of Sinnar had shown its strength to its enemies and
completely brought the entire northern, eastern and western Sudan under
its domination. But Arabs and their allied Turkish had turned to use
diplomacy which had shaped the next two centuries of the history of
Sinnar. The intermediary who played great role of bringing reconciliation between the Funj and defeated Arabs and Turks was Faqih Idris Wad al-Arbab.
Faqih Idris was well qualified for mediation as well as holy Muslim man
using spiritual terms so persuasive. Diplomatic mechanisms involved
many ways such as causing division among the Funj provincial princes,
plot to urge others to rebel against the kingdom of Sinnar, and
accepting institutionalization of Islamic institutions such as mosques
and Islamic schools and Islamic and trading centers. Those institutions
had introduced new incentives to the people of Sinnar kingdom.
Therefore, many had followed the new ways of life and everyday, Faqihs
became responsible for addressing people of the kingdom through
religious gathering and those who wanted to do business were obligated
to learn Arabic language for religious and commercial communications. Faqih strategy is still use by Sahdik al-Mahdi and Dr. Hassan al-Turabi and other Muslim leaders to encroach the majority of the Sudanese. So
listening to the strangers here was one method of taking people from
kings and eventually many inhabitants have confessed their faith in
Islam and Sinnar kingdom become obsolete culture. So, the only one
remaining kingdom of the former Sudanese kingdoms was and is the
shulluk kingdom which has been doing everything in its power to retain
not only Shulluk identity, but the whole Sudan and African identity.Shulluk redemptive respond: Sinnar kingdom was an integral part of Fashodo kingdom. As James Bruce put it clear that Shulluk and Funj were one and the same.Therefore,
the establishment of Sinnar kingdom happened as preventive reaction of
Fashodo kingdom to expel Arabs from Sudan. But it turned out that
changes in northern, eastern and western Sudan were not only matter of
being defeat, but it was ethnic, cultural and religious transformations
that native Sudanese had yielded to Arabization and Islamization which
were personal belief. African religion and Christian were replaced by
Islam which usually brings great demarcation between converted Muslims
and own brothers who according to Muslim are infidels. The African
languages being replaced with Arabic language that whoever still speaks
traditional language is primitive and backward according to Islamized
native Sudanese. Fashodo knew here that it is more difficult to
win back the hearts of the converted Sudanese. So Fashodo had returned
to protect the southern part of Sudan till this movement.Word “Odanhang”: Odanhang,
to my understanding might be a line drew by Shulluk ancestral Nykang as
line that separates south from North and that is the boundary which we
are going to vote for in 2011. It is the red line which Arab could
never across. Remember when the steamer carrying soldiers had
confiscated the drummers of Fashodo and burn down the villages some
years ago. According to the Shulluk song that, the
Arab boat had drown being push by Nykhang’s holy hand, that we have met
at Odanhang (demarcation line) that the steamer could never reach its
destiny for it had burn down holy sites.My brothers and sisters, I’m trying to trace the history to remember the strength of our kingdom.Fashodo
had recaptured and united the whole Sudan from North, West and East. It
blocked any discovery expeditionary forces from Egypt to Lake Victoria
making Isamil Pasha to complain to Ottoman viceroy in Egypt that there
is uncontestable tribe along the white Nile that he have almost lost
his troops. Fashsod had block the Arab culture and Islamic religion
from being passed through Shulluk territories. Remember Zaber Al-
Pasha, the great slave trader of Wau. Zaber Pasha, the only Arab man in
Wau had recruited the huge soldiers and made himself king of Bhar
El-Gazal. Turkish and British government did not manage
to bring Wau under their administrations because Zaber was so powerful
due to black power he had gathered. But through diplomacy, Zaber had
accepted to make Wau part of government and he was appointed as
governor of Wau.Caravan Route:
Zaber and other slave traders used to bring captured slaves and goods
from western Sudan and Wau through Shulluk territory to Kaminil near
Madini where slaves, goods from West and blue Nile are brought together
then to north and to slave center in Aswan-Egypt. Again, Shulluk had
forced Zaber, the greater to create Caravan route from western Sudan to
Egypt directly. You too know Islam has gone through airplane over
shulluk land to Mangala, Wau and Renk, but not through our holy land.Believe it or not, this is the ancient and present Fashodo and it will remains bodyguard of the Sudan and African continent.Let
speak out the truth for our children to know and be proud of their
identity and power to avoid confusion that could make our children to
obtain different attitude and be coward before others. Long live Fashod
and long Shulluk people and all the Sudanese people. Reality will
eventually judge us all.
