Berber tribes are tribes of Berber descent inhabiting the Maghreb region. They are traditionally divided into three large tribal confederations: Masmuda, Zenata and Sanhaja.[1][2] They often form smaller confederations of tribes together (for example the Haha or the Ait Yafelman).[citation needed] Medieval historian Ibn Khaldun and other medieval genealogists also categorised Berber tribes into either the Baranis or Butr to refer to whether they were sedentary or nomadic.[2]
History
Mythological Genealogy
Ibn Khaldun divides the Baranis into the Awraba, 'Adjisa, Azdadja, Masmuda-Ghomara. Kutama-Zawawa, Sanhaja, Hawwara. Although, the inclusion of the last three is controversial among medieval genealogists because they were considered to be of Himyarite descent (although that is likely a myth). The eponymous ancestor of the Baranis is said to be Burnus.[3] The Butr are divided into the Lawata, the Nafusa, the Nafzawa [fr], the Banu Fatin [fr] and the Miknasa. The eponymous ancestor of the Butr is said to be Madghis al-Abtar.[2][4][5]
According to Ibn Khaldun, the Butr and the Baranis and thus the Berbers as a whole descend from Mazigh, son of Canaan, son of Ham, son of Noah.[5][6][7] Alternatively, some genealogists attribute Jalut (Goliath) as the ancestor of the Berbers and say he migrated from Palestine to North Africa.[8][9]
In the 12th century, the Masmuda of the mountains and the plains united together in support of the religious preacher Ibn Tumart who himself belonged to the Hargha, a tribe of the Masmuda.[12][13] This union forged the Almohad Caliphate. Another dynasty of Masmuda origin was the Hafsids of Tunisia.[11]
In pre-Islamic times, the Zenata migrated from southern Tunisia and Tripolitania (in Libya) through the Saharan fringes to the Algerian highlands. Some of them remained in Tiaret and Tlemcen while others migrated to the Moulouya River in Morocco. There are also some Zenata in the Sous and Marrakesh area. Some of the historical branches of the Zenata are the Maghrawa, Miknassa and Banu Ifran who played a major role in shaping the history of North Africa. Most Riffian tribes are of Zenata origin.[14]
Although the Masmuda formed the core of the Almohad army and hierarchy, Abd al-Mumin, who founded the dynasty, belonged to an Arabized section of the Zenata known as the Kumiya. He claimed an illustrious Arab and Berber ancestry linking him to the Berber Queen Kahina.[15] From the 13th to 16th centuries, with the fall of the Almohads, many dynasties of Zenata origin were able to take power like the Zayyanids in Algeria and the Marinids and Wattasids in Morocco.[14]
The Sanhaja are compromised of branches like the Hawwara, Lawata, Lamtuna, Massufa and Guddula. As early as the third century, they migrated and started penetrating the Sahara. They continued to gradually advance into the Sahara, expanding into the Sudan.[16]
The Massufa and the Lamtuna united with smaller groups in Mauritania belonging to the mulaththamun or veil wearers. Other groups like the Jazula, Lamta and Haskura migrated to the plains of the Sous region in Morocco with some going further north to the Middle Atlas and Rif. Some went eastwards into Algeria reaching the region of Constantine. The Kutama became a pillar of the Fatimid Caliphate and their descendants today are the Kabyles.[16]
I. Bekoya ; II. Aït Waryaghel ; III. Temsaman ; IV. Aït Tuzin ; V. Aït Ammart ; VI. Gueznaya ; VII. Metalsa ; VIII. Aït Saïd ; IX. Qelâya ; X. Tafersit ; XI. Aït Oulichek ; XII. Aït Bouyahyi ; XIII. Settout ; XIV. Kebdana ; XV. Targuist ; XVI. Metioua ; XVII. Mestasa ; XVIII. Aït Gmil ; XIX. Aït Boufrah ; XX. Aït Itteft
Riffians are native to the Rif region. The Riffians are divided into these tribes and tribal groups:[18]
Ait Waryaghar - Ait Waryaghar or Ait Ouriaghel is one of the largest tribal confederations in the Rif. They played an important part in the Rif War and the famous anticolonial political and military leader of the Republic of the Rif, Abd el-Krim was a member of the it, specifically the Ait Khattab branch.[16][19]
The Kabyles inhabit the region known as Kabylia. The exonym Kabyle comes from the Arabicqaba'il (قبائل) meaning tribes.[24] The Kabyles stem from the Sanhaja.[25]
Greater Kabylia
In Greater Kabylia, there are 14 confederations of tribes:[26]
Historically, the Tuareg have been divided into seven clans who, according to oral tradition, all descend from daughters of the same mother.[27]
Each Tuareg clan (tawshet) is made up of family groups constituting a tribe,[28] each led by its chief, the amghar. A series of tawsheten (plural of tawshet) may bond together under an Amenokal, forming a Kel clan confederation. Tuareg self-identification is related only to their specific Kel, which means "those of" or "people of". For example, Kel Dinnig (those of the east), Kel Ataram (those of the west).[29][30]
Kell Ajjer - The Kel Ajjer are found in the mountains of Tassili n'Ajjer with an important centre being the oasis of Ghat and they are to the north east of the Kel Ahaggar who along with them are referred to as the "Northern Tuareg" while the other groups are referred to as the "Southern Tuareg".[32]
Kel Ayr - The Kel Ayr or Kel Aïr are centered on the Aïr Mountains and the plains to the southwest and west of Aïr
Iwellemmedan - The Iwellemmedan are made up of the Kel Ataram and the Kel Dinnig.
Chaouis are native to the Aurès region.[33] The most basic social unit of the Chaouis are the harfiqt (clan) and ʿarch (tribe). The harfiqt bear the name of the ancestor.[34]
The Ghomara are a group of 9 tribes in the Western Rif. According to Ibn Khaldun, they are of Masmudian descent and their eponymous ancestor is Ghomer son of Masmud. The 9 tribes are:[36][37]
Beni Ezjil
Beni Ziat
Beni Bouzra (or Bouchera)
Beni Selmane
Beni Mansor
Beni Heal or Beni Grir
Beni Smih
Beni Erzine
Beni Khaled
Most of the tribes are Arabic-speaking but the Beni Bouzra and Beni Mansor still speak Berber.[36] According to tradition, these tribes are said to be the 9 sons of an immigrant schoolteacher called Aghmir who migrated from the Sous or Saguia el-Hamra.[37]
Other tribes
Ait Atta
The Ait Atta are a large tribal confederation[38][39] or "supertribe"[39][40] in the south east of Morocco who inhabit the region of Tafilalt and the Draa River.[38][41] They claim descent from 40 sons of the eponymous ancestor Dadda Atta and they are divided into khams khmas (five fifths). These fifths are:[38][39][42]
Ait Wallal
Ait Wahlim
Ait Isful
Ait Yazza
Ait Unibgi
The fifths were divided into a large number of groups who elected their own leaders called amghar n-tamazirt but there was no leader at the head of a fifth. The supreme chief of the Ait Atta called the amghar n-ufilla (the chief from above) was elected each year usually in spring. This system has been referred to as "annual rotation and complementarity" and it was the political system used by other Berber tribes in the Central High Atlas.
Each year candidates would be chosen from a specific fifth and the members of the other four fifths would vote for a candidate from the chosen fifth. This system was also used for the lower levels. The election would take place in a place called Adman which is near their capital Igharm Amazdar. This election took place in the prescence of a Sharif belonging to the Ouled Moulay Abdallah ben Hocein (Dadda Atta was said to be a disciple of Moulay Abdallah ben Hocein founder of the zawiya of Tameslouht) who was referred to as the agurram (meaning religious man or poor Sufi). The agurram would hand the elected chief a bowl of milk and when he began to drink he would push the chief's face into it so that it spills all over his beard and clothes. After, the agurram would offer the chief some dates and all those present would be offered some milk and a date.[39][43]
Ait Yafelman
The Ait Yafelman (literally "those who found peace") are a tribal confederation that inhabit the High Atlas and are of Sanhaja descent. They are made up of 4 tribes:[44][45]
Ait Marghad [fr] - The Ait Marghad are said to have historically been part of the Ait Atta. However, they had a falling out with the Ait Atta and proceeded to form the Ait Yafelman with three other tribes. In the 15th century, they had 500-600 families and were made up of three major segments: the Ait Youb, Ait Mesri and the Irbiben. A nomadic segment of about 300 families called the Ait Aissa Izem would later become important among them. In the Moroccan south east, they were one of the last groups to abandon resistance against French colonialism. The fiercest resistance fighters were recruited from the Ait Aissa Izem (for example Zayd ou-Skounti [fr]) because of their legendary skills involving ambushes and raids.[45]
Ait Hdiddou [fr] - Hdiddou can mean "small" or "strong" according to oral tradition.[46]
They formed together in the 17th century to secure their territory from the expansion of their traditional rivals the Ait Atta.[44] Other tribes joined the confederation like the Ait Ayach and the Sebbah Arabs.[45]
Beni Iznasen
Tribal map of the Beni Iznasen. The Triffa are highlighted north
The Beni Iznasen [fr] or the Ait Iznassen are a tribal confederation native to the eastern Rif. This confederation is of Zenata origin but it also contains Arab elements. They are made up of 4 fractions:[47][48]
Beni Khaled
Beni Mengouch
Beni Atiq
Beni Ourimech
The Arab Triffa may also be included in the confederation and they are composed of the Ouled Sghir, Laatamna, Hawara, and Ouled Mansour.[48]
References
^Nelson, Harold D. (1985). Morocco, a country study. Area handbook series. Washington, D.C.: The American University. p. 14.
^Hopkins, J.F.P. (24 April 2012). "Ibn Tūmart". Encyclopaedia of Islam (2nd ed.). Brill Publishers. p. 958. Archived from the original on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
^Mahé, Alain (2001). Histoire de la Grande Kabylie, XIXe-XXe siècles: anthropologie historique du lien social dans les communautés villageoises [History of Greater Kabylia, 19th and 20th centuries Anthropology of the social bond in village communities]. Bibliothèque d'histoire du Maghreb (in French). Saint-Denis: Bouchène. ISBN978-2-912946-12-6.
^Rasmussen, Susan J. (1996). "Tuareg". In Levinson, David (ed.). Encyclopedia of World Culture, Volume 9: Africa and the Middle East. G.K. Hall. pp. 366–369. ISBN978-0-8161-1808-3.
Hart, David (1984). The Ait 'Atta of Southern Morocco Daily Life & Recent History. United Kingdom: Middle East & North African Studies Press. ISBN9780906599150.
