File 37/1905 Pt 4 'Aden Frontier Delimitation' [‎89r] (186/1197)

There has been good rain in our country, Yaffai, and everything is quiet
there. Sultan Kahtan-bin-Omer and his brother Saleh will settle between
them. At present they are ostensibly enemies, but secretly thev are one, if thev
give out that they have settled they would be punished by Yaffai, because they
were the cause of four deaths of the Yaffai tribesmen.
Captain Merewether is a very good officer, but we have not had any
dealings with him as yet. We have also seen the communication from the
Wali Mason to us. It is good. We hoped to have, visited him at Dthala, but he
had Mt for Aden.
Usual compliments.
No. 163, datecl Dthala, the 8th September 1904 (Confidential).
From —Major W. Merewether, Political Officer at Dthala,
To— Lieutenant-Coloisel J. Davies, First Assistant Resident at Aden.
In reply to your leUer No. 159 of 12th August 1904, forwarding copy of
letter No. 173 P. of 5th August 1904, from the Secretary to Government,
Political Department, Bombay, I have the honour to report as follows.
2. Since my arrival in Dthala in May last, I have devoted a great deal
of attention to the points, on which information is asked, and I now submit my
conclusions.
Before entering into details, however, I would remark that, although
certain Sultans and Sheikhs are themselves friendly tons, the patriarchal system
which obtains amongst the Yaffai deprives the leaders of much of the power
which they would otherwise exercise.
A Sultan or Sheikh of a Yaffai tribe is really only the man to whom the
tribes entrusts the lead in the execution of the policy on which the tribe itself
may have resolved. If the Sultan or Sheikh were ^to. actively^oppose such
tribal policy, he would, probably, be turned out. To such an extent does this
feeling exist that sometimes a single clan will oppose or hold aloof from policy
agreed upon both by the Sultan and the rest of the tribe. <
This being so, the fact of a Sultan or Sheikh being himself friendly to us <
may in some cases mean little or nothing. \
The leading men of Yaffa have received very considerable sums in
presents and stipends from us. Had they, from the commencement, set aside
a share of these presents to be distributed amongst their Akils and tribesmen,
I have little doubt that the feeling of the latter would have been more friendly
to us than^at present the case.
Instead of allowing these people to share in the present, the recipients have
kept the amounts themselves and the tribemen, receiving no benefits from us, ,
are naturally not more friendly to us than before. In fact, I may say that the
system has incensed the tribesmen against their Chiefs, and had thus, to a
certain extent, deprived the latter of their power to assist us. In order, as far
as possible, to undo this evil, I have made a practice of dividing a certain
amount of the present amongst the Akils and tribesmen who accompany the
Chief when he visits me. Had this system been adopted earlier, I think that
our position, as well as that of the Chiefs, would have been stronger.
Further I must lay stress on the fact that at any time a sudden turn in J f
local politics may change the whole aspect of affairs, and turn our present/
friends into enemies, or render them powerless to assist us.
I have had considerable experience of uncivilised people in Manipur and
Somaliland, and I consider that the Arab of Southern Arabia is the most
crafty, treacherous, and avaricious savage that I have met.
The slightest sign of vacillation or weakness is seized upon as evidence of
timidity, in the same way forbearance from just punishment is looked upon
as a sign of cowardice and impotence, and they are encouraged to further
misdeeds. Their law is literally “ an eye for an eye ”, and they understand no
other.