Hedareb

Hedareb

An illustration of "Beni Amer" men, from 1888
Regions with significant populations
Eritrea: 202,000 (2009 Eritrean embassy estimate); 100,000 (2009 ILO estimate),  Sudan,  Egypt
Languages
Bedawi
Religion
Sunni Islam
Related ethnic groups
other Beja and other Cushitic peoples.

The Hedareb or T'bdawe are one of the nine ethnolinguistic groups in Eritrea. They are a Beni-Amer division, a subgroup of the Beja. They are more diverse than the other Eritrean ethics; one subgroup speaks the traditional Beja language, which belongs to the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family, while another is more closely related to Sudanese Hadendoa. They are among the least-researched groups in Eritrea.

The Hedareb people live in northwestern Barka in Eritrea, and in Sudan. Nomadic or semi-nomadic pastoralists, they typically migrate seasonally with their herds of camels, goats and sheep.

The Hedareb speak the Beja language as a mother tongue. It belongs to the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family. In addition to their variety of Beja, known as Hedareb or T’badwe, most Hedareb people also speak at least one other language, typically either Arabic or Tigre.

Hedareb society is hierarchical, and is traditionally organized into clans and subclans. Hedarebs are a Muslim group, and most are Sunni Muslims. Marriages are typically arranged to maximize alliances between extended families. It is customary for the groom's family to pay a bride price of five to twelve goats, and a varying amount of money, or as much as 70 camels.

Sociologist Abdulkader Saleh Mohammad writes that the Hedareb have been excluded from state conceptions of Eritrean nationhood, and have become a marginalized group with many members who do not feel connected to the Eritrean nation-state.