The Nubians, with their darker skin color, Mediterranean facial features and frizzy hair to differentiate them for other Egyptians, consist of three different groups based on their ethnic and linguistic variances. The Kenuz who lived in the city of Aswan, speak Metouki, the Arabs who lived 40 kilometers south of Aswan, speak Arabic, and finally the Fedija who occupied 130 kilometers of the southern Nile, speak Mahas.
At the time of their relocation in 1963, the Nubians consisted of nearly 120,000 people, 29% of Egypt's total population. They took great pride in the simple pleasures of music, dance, work and their homes. Like similar tribes of people across the world, they were connected to their homelands and took tremendous satisfaction in the lands of Nubia, in which they had made their havens.
In the mid-1950’s, Nubian concerns increased as rumors began telling of a construction of a "new high dam" that would further flood Nubian homelands. The result would be a large-scale move further inland as their homelands were soon to be inundated by water. Feelings of hopelessness, grief and depression overtook the Nubian people, but with no other choice available, they were forced to leave. Those who were effected the most adversely were the older generations who had gained a real sense of hearth in their birthplace of Nubia.
On October 18, 1963 the first displacement of people occurred. 501 families, consisting of 1,233 people, their livestock and belongings were evacuated from the Kenuz village of Daboud, which was 25 kilometers south of Aswan. It was reported to be a traumatic experience for them as many kissed the ground and filled their pockets with soil.
Several groups of Nubians consisting of approximately 100,000 people were eventually displaced. Lack of planning, and sheer size of the displaced people caused numerous logistical problems. For instance, at the time that many were relocated the homes that they were promised were not yet complete. Several families had to share a single home while houses were being constructed. Also, a good number of the livestock that many relied on as food sources did not survive the journey. Therefore, the availability of food was a great concern for a while. Although feelings of contempt and distrust for the government developed, the Nubians retained their positive outlook and re-decorated their surroundings to become more familiar and to feign an assemblance of what they had left behind. This was against the regulations of the new area, but the government conceded to their request.
The governments position stated that the displacement of the Nubian people was a small price to pay when weighed against the benefits that were to be provided by the new Aswan High Dam. By allowing the Russians, whose main concern was only with the mechanics of the dam, to control the project, the Egyptian government allowed itself to rush into a planned design without adequate research into the possible impacts of such a design, nor did they identify the logistical processes required to manage such a large-scale movement of people. This lack of planning and organization paid a grave disservice to a large portion of its population: The Nubian people.