'Kurdistan and the Kurds' [‎19r] (37/122)

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east, are the Givran, who are members of the Milli confederation. A
short way to the north of the Chaikessen are the Barhan; above them,
the Hasseran, and still further to the north the tribe of Abu Tahir.
South-west of the last tribe, the Chichichieh, also called the Kiki, live
on the west bank of the Tigris; their families are reckoned to be about
1,200 in number. They are semi-nomadic in their habits, in winter
inhabiting villages on the slopes of the Qarajah Dagh, and in summer
descending to the pastures of the Karajaghjagh and the Tigris. The chiefs
look down with contempt on their tribesmen and, it is said, will not marry
their women. There is a tradition among them that they came to settle
in this region in the time of the ‘Abbasid Caliphs. On the opposite side
of the Tigris, in the angle formed by a wide sweep in the river, is found
the double tribe of the Eimezan.
On the south side of the Tigris, between the river and the range of
the Tur-el-‘Abdin, is the tribe of the Surkishli Kurds, who number 900
families; they lead a sedentary life and speak the dialect of the Baban
Kurds.
South of the Tur-el-‘Abdin and half-way towards the Jebel Singar are
three small tribes ; the westernmost are the Dakhori, who migrated from
Shernakh; in the middle are the Bunesi,* and south-west of the latter the
Mirsinan.
Note III.
Since this chapter was written, an account was obtained from Mahmud
himself of the tribes of the Milli confederacy over which he claimed to
exercise suzerainty. As the list includes as many as 153 tribes, situated
in such remote districts as the Russian Caucasus, the vilaydt of Erzerum,
Van and Bitlis, Persia and Angora, it is probable that this chieftain’s
claims should be taken with some reserve ; at the most he can only he
supposed to exercise but a very indirect influence on the outlying tribes
rather than to have any real authority over them. Some of the tribes
figure elsewhere in the present account of the Kurds, while others
cannot be traced ; many of them are perhaps very small and unimportant
tribes, or even merely clans or families, with which the family of Mahmud
and of Ibrahim Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. have had relations in the past. Whether they
would all acknowledge Mahmud’s authority is a question which can hardly
be answered.
The list is given in the form in which it was received, and the
spelling of the English translation has been preserved.
* Sir Mark Sykes says that he is doubtful of the existence of this tribe ; he has
only heard of it from travellers, but has never seen any of its people.