المالحة

Introduction / HistoryTheMidob, also known asthe Tiddi, are primarilyconcentrated in the MeidobHills of western Sudan. Alarge number ofMidob alsolive in the town of Malha.Nearby, on the outskirts ofthe Meidob Hills, live theBerti farmers and the Beriand Arab shepherds. Mutualhostility exists among all ofthese groups. TheMidob area firecely independentpeople and have thereputation of beinguntrustworthy animalthieves. As a result,Midobterritory is isolated fromneighboring peoples.TheMidob language, alsocalledMidob, can be tracedto the language of theNubians, a people fromEastern Sudan. With regardto their traditions and theirculture, theMidob also arelinked to various Nubiangroups such as the Mahasand the Dongolawi. Theseare completely Muslimpeoples. Traces of Islamhave existed inMidobhistory from as early as theseventeenth century; buttheMidob only fullyconverted to Islam in thenineteenth century.What are their lives like?TheMidob are semi-nomadicshepherds who rely on theacquisition of livestock fortheir livelihood. Theymainly herd sheep andgoats, but also keep somedonkeys, camels, and cattle.Young adult men andadolescents tend to thesheep and camels. Theseanimals are herdedseparately from the otherlivestock because they mustbe moved continuouslyfrom pasture to pasture.Women tend to the goats,cattle, and donkeys, whichare kept in the settlementswithin easy reach of watersupplies. TheMidob also arefarmers, growing enoughsorghum, millet, andvegetables to supplementtheir diet of goat meat andmilk.The Sudan area hasexperienced drought overthe last ten years.Consequently, more andmore youngMidob men havemigrated temporarily toLibyan cities in search ofwork. Also, in connectionwith the sales of theircamels, theMidob haveregular contacts with Libyanand Egyptian markets.These market contacts haveexposed the isolatedMidobto current economic andpolitical affairs, not onlylocally, but also nationally.A number ofMidob,therefore, have becomesuccessful businessmen, re-investing their wealth inherd expansion.Midob villages are locatedat the foot of the hills.Each family lives in asettlement which consistsof a small number ofseparate huts. These hutsare dome-shaped and areconstructed of poles,branches, and grass. Eachadult woman has her ownhut and lives with herchildren; her husband alsolives there when he is notoff herding the livestock. Ineach village is a headmanwho handles villagedisputes and directs villageaffairs. Many villages alsohave a mosque where themen meet daily for prayer.Midob men usually havemore than one wife.Polygyny exists to fulfillthe Islamic rule that oneshould produce manychildren. Also, a largefamily provides the helpneeded at home during thehusband's absence when heis caring for the livestock.After marriage, a couplewill move to live witheither the husband's orwife's family, depending onthe needs of the family.Residence therefore isdetermined not by descent,but by kinship needs.What are their beliefs?TheMidob are a completelyMuslim people, devout intheir practice of Islam. Themen observe all of themain Muslim festivals. Thewomen, however, have hadless contact with outsideinfluences; consequently,they still carry out sometraditional pre-Islamicpractices such as fertilityrites and divination (contactwith the spirit world).What are their needs?TheMidob are virtually allMuslim with not even oneChristian. The vast majorityof them have never had anopportunity to hear theGospel. There are currentlyno Christian resourcesavailable to them and nomissions agency is workingwith them. They are aspiritually isolated peoplewho desperately deserve achance to know of a Savior. Evangelism, Christianresources, and much prayerare needed to help bringJesus Christ into their lives.Prayer Points* Ask the Lord of theharvest to send forthlaborers to theMidob.* Pray that God will revealHimself to theMidob throughdreams and visions.* Pray that God will givethe people a hunger toknow Jesus and a desire toshare Him with their own