The Ifadeyen are renowned all over Air for their pure nomadism, and above all for the fact that they are almost the last of the Tuareg in the Southern Sahara to retain the current use of the T’ifingh script with a knowledge of reading and writing it. This learning, as is usual among Imajeghan tribes, reposes with the women-folk, one of whose principal functions is to educate the children; it is consistent with their supposed origin as one of the oldest and purest of all the tribes in Air.
As a result of the foregoing argument the following suggestions for the main tribes of the People of the King hitherto mentioned can be made:
| Tribes of the King (DivisionI).[414] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bello’s five tribesgenerically called Kel Innek, originally from the Fezzan,where the Imanen are also found. | Immikitan | ⎰ ⎱ | Immikitan, | |
| Imezegzil. | ||||
| Igdalen | Igdalen (Damergu: Division IV). | |||
| Tamgak | Represented by the Kel Tadek and ?Ifadeyen. | |||
| Ijaranen | Representing the Itesan, whichincludes: | |||
| (Itesan) | Ijaranen, | |||
| Kel Innek, | ||||
| Kel Manen (Imanen). | ||||
| Sendal | Represented by the Damergu and ElakkosTuareg, who include: | |||
| Izagaran, | ||||
| Ifadalen. | ||||
| ? | Imaqoaran. | |||
| ?Western Tuareg | Kel Ferwan. | |||
| Mixed | Kel Fadé. | |||
PLATE 48
EGHALGAWEN POOL
TIZRAET POOL
[356]Letter to the author from G. W. Webster, Resident at Sokoto, dated 20/6/1923.
[357]Journal of the African Society, No. XXXVI. Vol. IX. July 1910. Further references in this chapter will be omitted.