Gawamaa

Gawamaa or Gawám'a (الجوامعة) are a Sudanese Arab ethnic group native to central Sudan. They are one of the largest sedentary tribes in North Kordofan and are part of the larger Ja'alin tribe.

The number of its members is estimated to be around 750,000. The members of this group speak Sudanese Arabic. All members of this group are Sunni Muslims.

Origin
Like the Ja'alin (Arabic: جعليون) and Jamouiya (Arabic: الجموعية), the Gawamaa trace their origins to Ibrahim Ja'al, an Abbasid noble, whose clan originally hailed from the Hejaz in the Arabian Peninsula and married into the local population. Ja'al was a descendant of al-Abbas, an uncle of Muhammad.

According to British colonial administrator Harold MacMichael, the Gawamaa were one of six non-Baggara tribes that helped to form the Halafa sub-group of the Hawazma tribe (itself a sub-group of the larger Baggara group) in the mid-eighteenth century by way of an oath.

Location
The Gawamaa tribe consists of two large houses. Namely, the Al-Hamran who occupy the city of Barah (Arabic: بارا) and its surroundings. As well as the Terayfia who occupy the cities of Er Rahad (Arabic: ٱلـرَّهَـد), Umm Ruwabah (Arabic: أم روابة) and the capital of North Kordufan, Al-Ubayyid (Arabic: الأبيض).

The area has a hot semi-desert climate (Köppen: BSh), bordering upon a hot desert climate (BWh), Temperatures are coolest in December and January and are hottest from April to June. A wet season lasts from June to September with moderate rainfall and relatively high humidity. The period from November to April is almost completely dry, with very low humidity.