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The Rashaida (), also known as Bani Rasheed, are a Bedouin ethnic group inhabiting the coastal plain of the Red Sea stretching from the city of Port Sudan to the city of Massawa.Young, William C., "The Rashaayda Bedouin - Arab Pastoralists of Sudan", 1996. They are the descendants of Arabs from Hejaz, and Najd descending from the Banu Abs tribe, who fled the Arabian peninsula in 1846 as the Saudis rose to power. They are mostly and constitute 187,500 people in Eritrea and 68,000 people in Sudan, mainly in the eastern part around Kassala.
Across Eritrea and Sudan, the Rashaida keep their traditional dress, culture, customs, camel breeds and practice of Sunni Islam. Snap Shots , Al-Ahram Weekly, 29 December 2005 - 4 January 2006, Issue No. 775 In Eritrea, Rashaida people are commonly confused with Adeni Arabs, a small group of about 18,000 Arabs from Aden, who tend to cohabit similar regions as the Rashaida. Although Adeni Arabs originally hail from Yemen and tend to live in a more geographically concentrated area of Eritrea, mainly in the port city of Massawa, Rashaida people tend to live along the Red Sea Coast from Massawa Eritrea to Port Sudan Sudan and to the Sinai in places as far north as Egypt.
The Rashaida have been involved in human trafficking and later the refugee kidnappings in Sinai.
The boundary between these provinces roughly aligned with the present-day Sudanese–Eritrean border. However, from 1866 to 1895, this was a loosely controlled frontier zone that the Rashaida crossed freely. Even today, some Rashaida move between Sudan and Eritrea whenever they need to escape political or economic pressures in either country.
Significant numbers of Rashaida crossed the border in 1885 to flee the Mahdist Sudan in Sudan, in 1892 to evade Italian tax collectors in Italian Eritrea, in 1935 to prevent the Italian seizure of their livestock in Eritrea, and in the late 1990s to avoid clashes in eastern Sudan between the Sudanese Army and the National Democratic Alliance, a Sudanese opposition group based in Eritrea. As of 1998, the Rashaida were the smallest ethnic group present in Eritrea.
They have been mostly and as of 2005 constituted 187,500 people in Eritrea and 168,000 people in Sudan, mainly in the eastern part around Kassala and to the Northern Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. Despite their size, they reportedly wield great influence as the organizers and business leaders who manage much of the black-market activity supporting Eritrea's economy.
The women explain their observance of the veil in terms of beauty, not the Islamic religion. "We feel you are more beautiful when you wear a veil," Mrs. Hamida said. "When we are 5 years old we ask our mothers if we can be veiled so we can be like them."These veils cover their whole face apart from their eyes and are finely embroidered with metallic silver thread, beads and sometimes seed pearls. These veils cover their faces at all times, even when they eat unless there is no male present except for their husband as no other male will ever see their face. Unlike a number of other Arabs/Muslims cultures, the women are able to keep part of their hair uncovered. The Rashaida women are also said to be typically adorned in silver jewellery which the women craft themselves and often sell at local markets. The rest of their outfits are also said to be elaborate with long skirts and bright colours; being particularly famous for their black-and-red geometrically patterned dresses. When looking at the hemming of the Rashaida women's dresses, it is clear to see the influences of their Arabian ancestry through the continued use of bold appliqué patterns. When they first migrated to Eritrea, they were said to be wearing these traditional red ankle-length skirts that were adorned with bright yellow and green patterns. The men traditionally wear a thawb and a white turban but sometimes they can be seen wearing colourful turbans.
The traditional wedding of the Rashaida group involves a seven-day event involving a number of festivities like drumming, dancing and camel racing. During the events on the first six days, the bride is unable to see anyone during the daylight except for mother, sisters and her father's other wives. On the seventh day, the bride joins her husband in daylight for the festivities, and they begin their public life as husband and wife. During this period, an important custom for the Rashaida people is ensuring that the bride is concealed in elaborate veils and wedding masks during the week of festivities. During the first six days she wears the 'mangheb', the young girl's veil. On the seventh day, she wears a specific 'burqa' which is given to her by her mother and decorated in metallic thread and pendants that are gifted to her from her husband. She will continue to wear this wedding burqa for a year after the wedding. She is only able to unveil herself outside the presence of her family on the seventh night when she is married to her husband; this is when he sees her uncovered for the first time.
During the festivities, men commonly wear a cotton tunic with an embroidered waistcoat and a turban. An important token during the wedding, is the groom's ceremonial sword which he uses during the festive dances and is gifted to him by his parents.
The Rashaida people wish to maintain a level of ethnic purity within their community. It is rare to see interracial marrying as they are discouraged from marrying outside of the group to prevent their offspring from being a mix with other races. but it is very common to see them mixing with the highlanders.
Within the Rashaida group, there are said to be two different 'races'. Those that have lighter skin are referred to as "Red" while the freed slaves who were raised by the Rashaida are referred to as the "Black", with the term 'muwalladin' or 'Muwallad' also often being used to label them. There are certain rules regarding the ability of these two groups to intermarry. A male that is considered "Red" is able to marry a "Black" Rashaidi as their offspring will be considered "Red", while a "Black" male is unable to marry a "Red" Rashaidi.
When the Rashaida hosts their guests, they treat it as a ritual and host it in their tents, designated spaces for significant ritual events such as childbirth and marriage. These tents, along with the ones they live in, are mostly made from goatskin or of animal hair from their camel herds but can also be made from sheep or goat hair. As this is treated as a ritual, there is a particular order of activities that take place. This sequence is as follows:
The Rashaida people's relationships with other ethnic groups in the region are mostly due to the practices they have adopted since they migrated to the country. They adopted the pastoral production and agriculture methods also practised by other peoples in the area; such as the Hadendoa. These tribes then retaliated against the new competition by violently opposing the expansion of the Rashaida into the coastal areas, forcing many of them to settle further inland. The arid conditions of these areas then led to them raising camels rather than cattle.
In these regions there are various obstacles such as droughts and widespread famine, meaning that the pastoral groups have had to create various strategies to deal with the complexity of the eco-system. The Rashaida follow a seasonal pattern of migration, with several seasons and consequent living patterns occurring throughout the year. Beginning in mid-July they begin a pattern of migration with their camel herd to follow the rain showers. From the beginning of August to the end of September, there is less movement, and they leave their camels to graze near their campsites, turning their focus to their livestock and agriculture practices. The next season, 'Ad Darat' has more of a focus on finding pasture for the livestock as conditions start to get drier. Milk supplies also start to dwindle, so there is a need to harvest grain crops. The final season is the dry season, in which migration stops and they set up camps near reliable sources of water.
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