“Tuti is Losing its Uniqueness”: Genealogy Documentation of the Maḥas of Tuti Island and the (De)Construction of Belonging

Abstract

ABSTRACT Tuti Island is a river island located at the junction of the Blue and the White Nile in Greater Khartoum, the capital region of the Sudan. Through the process of documenting their genealogies, some of inhabitants of Tuti Island have constructed a historical narrative about the origins and early settlement of the island and of the Maḥas extended families who live there. For many of the Maḥas of Tuti, documenting their genealogies is a way of overcoming their fear about the island losing its uniqueness, because of urban master plans through which the island is envisioned as a waterfront development. By attaching their families’ histories to the island, they hope to assert their sense of belonging. Moreover, some of the island’s genealogists have traced their genealogical lines as far back as the time before their ancestors migrated from northern Sudan and ended up on Tuti island. The social alienation Maḥas Tuti are experiencing plays a vital role in driving people to attach their genealogies and family histories to Qāmī, the “original” land of the Maḥas of Tuti island and construct an imagined homeland.