Nara |
People of Eritrea |
The Nara, also known as Baria, are one of the nine Eritrean ethnic groups. The Nara are Nilotic in origin and are very dark skinned. They are believed to have descended from the Nile and are one of the original inhabitants of the region.
The Nara share many customs with their neighbours, the Kunama. They speak a Nilotic language, distantly related to that of the Kunama. Along with the Kunama, they are the only Nilotic people in Eritrea. They make up 1.5% of the total population of Eritrea. The Nara live in the northern and southern part of the Gash-Barka region. The Nara are organised under their independent tribal leader called the Nazir. History indicates that the Nara have come across several continual raids by Moslem and Christian neighbours, and have been enslaved by neighbouring people. Their enslavement consequently caused them to accept the Italian colonialism, which they thought would recognise their tribal administrative structure and save them from the raids. After Italian colonisation, the Nara started living under two major sub-tribes. The ‘Mogreb’,in the west of the region and the ‘Higgir’, in the east of the region. The Nara live in nuclear families in one-homestead and form big villages. They live in huts. The sleeping house is directly attached to the shelter. Within the shelter there is a kitchen and fireplace. A second sleeping house is sometimes attached to the other side of the shelter. Inside, the houses are decorated with beautiful mats made from palm-tree leaves, especially prepared for weddings. Among the Nara, old people try to keep their own household as long as possible and do not like to be dependent on their children. Even an old widower or widow would like to keep his or her own household. This is possible because the Nara live in fairly big villages and there are always relatives nearby to assist. Non-relative neighbours would always help, if necessary. When people really get too old to look after themselves, they are taken care of by their daughters. If they have no daughter, a sister or a sister’s daughter would look after them. The Nara are agro-pastoralists, the agricultural component being stronger than the pastoral. Cultivating farmland is more important to them than keeping animals, but animals are also an important source of income in their economy. Their main foods (as well as crops that are cultivated by the Nara) are sorgum, millet and sesame. These grains are prepared in different ways like bread or porridge. They are eaten together with different kinds of soup or sauces prepared from cultivated vegetables or wild fruits and plants, milk and milk products and sometimes meat. Women do food preparation. Among the Nara, women are not allowed to eat along with their husbands. Father and son eat together first. Then, the mother with her very young children and the daughters eat together. According to history, at the beginning, the Nara were animists. Their conversion to Islam began in the 17th century, under the Fung domination. And by 19th century the Nara were largely Muslims. The Nara are polygamous; and according to the Islamic law, a man can have up to four wives. A family consists of the parents and anywhere from two to twelve children. They are organised patrilineally, which means that their children belong to the lineage of the father and heritage is organised through his line. Amongst the Nara ethnic group, women have the right to land ownership. Like other Eritrean ethnic groups, dowry is vastly practiced. Cattle are exchanged as dowry. The number of the cattle given as dowry differs from family to family. Almost all Eritrean ethnic groups practice hair braiding. Nara women have a hairstyle similar to that of the Kunama. First they split their hairs into two – the front part is woven into braids hanging down the sides, and the hind part hangs down towards the back. And then they would tie up rings in the braids. To complete their grooming they would use some mixture of wax and leaves that give pleasant odour. They may also use essence extracted from plants called ‘chirkabo’. According to their tradition this is believed to help for a barren woman become fertile. |