Fur women making porridge (Fur “nung”, Arabic “asida”). Millet products like porridge and beer constitute the staple food among the Fur. They are products that belonged to the domestic sphere and should not be transacted in the market. Subjecting them to sale in the market was categorized as shame (Fur: “ora”) like selling sex.
Kebe village, Western Darfur.
Photo: Gunnar Haaland, 1965
Women of the “mir” caste are selling pots at the local souq (market place). Ceramic goods are associated with the stigmatized “mir” identity and are transacted at a distance from the central market place where agricultural and pastoral products are transacted.
Kutum, Northern Darfur.
Photo: Randi Haaland, 1978
Traditional sesame oil mill (Arabic: “assara”) carved out of a tree trunk. Note how the pounder in the middle of the mill is connected to the lever loaded with stones in the foreground. When the camel moves around the mill, this increases the force the pounder exerts on the sesame seeds and thereby increases the amount of oil extracted. The extracted oil is sold in the market (souq).
Jebel Si area, Northern Darfur.
Photo: Gunnar Haaland, 1969
Selling agricultural crops provides cash income for local Fur farmers. Most selling takes place at the weekly souq (Arabic for “market”), but sometimes in the home of a cultivator. In this photo, a Fur is selling millet (Fur: “sona”) to an Arab trader.
In a village of the western foothills of Jebel Marra, Western Darfur.
Photo: Gunnar Haaland, 1965
The weekly market (Arabic: “souq”) is important in the Fur village economy. In this photo, a Fur woman is selling dried tomatoes (Fur: “futta”) and dried ochre (Fur: “faga kirro” – literally meaning “black ochre”) to an Arab trader at the souq of Amballa.
Amballa, Western Darfur.
Photo: Gunnar Haaland, 1965
Beer plays a very important role in the life of the Fur, not only nutritionally but also symbolically. It is a major item in rituals that serve to indoctrinate ideas of solidarity among community members. To sell beer is considered an act similar to selling sex. Women who sell beer are thus considered like prostitutes (Fur: “azaba”). In this photo, Fur women from the village of Umu in Jebel Marra are engaging in such an “immoral” act (Fur: “ora”). Shameful sales used to take place at a distance from the central market space.
Umu village, Western Darfur.
Photo: Gunnar Haaland, 1965
On weekly market days, Fur farmers exchange agricultural products for the nomads’ milk products (e.g. sour milk and butter), and petty traders’ imported goods (e.g. sugar, tea, salt, cloth, shoes).
Zalingi market, Western Darfur.
Photo: Gunnar Haaland, 1966.
