The Mhammid, also known as Ait Mhammid or Beni Mhamed, are a Berberized

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

tribe of the Banu Maqil, who joined the

Ait Atta The Ait Atta () are a large Berbers, Berber tribal confederation or "supertribe" of south eastern Morocco. They are divided into "five fifths" (''khams khmas''), all said to descend from the forty sons of their common ancestor Dadda Atta. These f ...

confederation.

Origins

The Mhammid are

and descend from the Banu Maqil, retaining the memory of their ancestors who came from Seguia al-Hamra to settle in the

Draa :''Dra is also the abbreviation for the constellation Draco.'' The Draa (, ; also spelled Dra or Drâa, in older sources mostly Darha or Dara, ) is Morocco's longest river, at . It is formed by the confluence of the Dadès River and Imini Ri ...

. Despite their

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...

Arab origin, they eventually became berberized through contact with the Ait Atta.

Territory and lifestyle

The Beni Mhammid lived scattered throughout the

, gathered in small communities living under

huts A hut is a small dwelling, which may be constructed of various local materials. Huts are a type of vernacular architecture because they are built of readily available materials such as wood, snow, stone, grass, palm leaves, branches, clay, hid ...

adorned with palm leaves. A

small town "Small Town" is a 1985 song written by John Mellencamp and released on his eighth album ''Scarecrow (John Mellencamp album), Scarecrow''. The song reached #6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and #13 on the Adult Contempo ...

bears their name, serving as a cultural crossroads between haratins,

Berbers Berbers, or the Berber peoples, also known as Amazigh or Imazighen, are a diverse grouping of distinct ethnic groups indigenous to North Africa who predate the arrival of Arab migrations to the Maghreb, Arabs in the Maghreb. Their main connec ...

, chorfas, the Mhammid and nomads. The Mhammid are now fully sedentary, as part of the Berberization process.

History

The Mhammid came from Seguia al-Hamra and later migrated to the Draa region, which was primarily inhabited by

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...

tribes. They were once considered the masters of the Draa, pillaging the population and instilling fear. Eventually, they became berberized and adopted sedentarism. This period of terror is well illustrated during the reign of Moulay Slimane, when the weakness of two tribes, the Bani Hayyoun and the Nessrat, made them powerless to defend the Lektaoua against Mhammid attacks. There is a divergence regarding their relationship with the

; some historians describe a kind of submission or a power dynamic favorable to the Attaouis over the Mhammid, for instance, through their integration into an Ait Atta faction named "Ait Ounegbui," literally "the Guests". This integration is said to have resulted from the defeat of the Mhammid by the Ait Atta, under the leadership of Sheikh Aamamou, from the Maqilite tribe of the Âarib, who called on the Ait Atta to punish the Mhammid for their abuses. Following this, they submitted and joined the confederation. In the 1910s, historian Denoun described them as already integrated into the confederation. Others claim a rather exceptional independence compared to other tribes. They reportedly owned around 300 slaves.

References

{{Arab culture Maghreb Arab tribes in Morocco