Berber Tribes

Berber tribes are tribes of Berber descent inhabiting the Maghreb region. They are traditionally divided into three large tribal confederations: Masmuda, Zenata and Sanhaja., They often form smaller confederations of tribes together (for example the Haha or the Ait Yafelman). 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.

History

Mythological genealogy

Ibn Khaldun divides the Baranis into the Awraba, 'Adjisa, Azdadja, Masmuda- Ghomara. Kutama- Zawawa, Sanhaja and 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. The Butr are divided into the Lawata, the Nafusa, the , the and the Miknasa. The eponymous ancestor of the Butr is said to be Madghis al-Abtar.

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. Alternatively, some medieval genealogists attribute Jalut (Goliath) as the ancestor of the Berbers and say he migrated from Palestine to North Africa.

Masmuda

Prior to the Arab conquest of the Maghreb, the Masmuda largely inhabited the interior of Morocco. Some of the branches and sub-groups of the Masmuda are the Ghumara who inhabited the north of Morocco near the Rif, their neighbours the Barghawata from the Sebou River to Oum Er-Rbia River and to the south the Regraga and Haha. Their descendants today are the Shilha.

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. This union forged the Almohad Caliphate. Another dynasty of Masmuda origin was the Hafsids of Tunisia.

Zenata

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.

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. 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.

Sanhaja

The Sanhaja are composed 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.

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.

Many dynasties emerged from the Sanhaja such as the Zirids, Hammadids and the Almoravids.

Terminology and Social organisation

Berber tribes are typically prefixed with the word ''Ait'' which typically relates to descent from an eponymous ancestor. ''Ait'' (also spelled ''Ayt'', ''Aith'', ''At'') is a Berber term meaning "children of" and it is equivalent to the Arabic '' Banu/Beni'' or ''Oulad''. An example is Aït Atta meaning "children of Atta" referring to their supposed ancestor ''Dadda Atta''. It can also alternatively not be related to kinship and just mean "people of" or "those who", for example the Ait Yafelman meaning "those who have found peace" or "the people who seek the peace". The Tuareg equivalent to ''Ait'' is ''Kel'' which is used similarly by Tuareg tribes.

The ''amghar'' () is a term found in many Berber languages which is equivalent to the Arabic ''shaykh'' and the role of the amghar in the tribal context varies between Berber people. Among the Tuaregs, the ''amghar'' could refer either to a chief of a tribal confederation or a chief of a tribal group who acts as an intermediary between the ''amenukal'' and his tribe. It can also just refer to an elder or an ascendant. In Morocco, especially, ''amghar'' referred to the tribal chief who was elected for a limited amount of time by the notables of the tribe or the ''jama'a''. Among the Shilha, while the ''mqəddəm'' is the chief elected by the jama'a, the ''amghar'' is a temporal ruler who owes his authority to force rather than elections.

List of tribes by ethnicity

Riffians

Riffians are native to the Rif region. The Riffians are divided into these tribes and tribal groups:

* Ait Ammart
* Ait Boufrah
* Ait Bouyahyi
* Ait Gmil
* Ait Itteft
* Ait Ourish
* Ait Said
* Ait Tafersit
* Ait Temsamane
* Ait Touzine
* 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.
* Ibaqouyen
* Ibdarsen
* Igzenayen
* Ikebdanen
* Iqer'iyen
* Mestassa

Shilha

The Shilha or Chleuh are made up of many tribes and tribal confederations. They are descendants of the Masmuda.

Haha

The Haha or Ihahan is a tribal confederation in the region between Essaouira and Agadir. They are made up of the following tribes:

* Ida Ou Gourd
* Ida Ou Issaren
* Ida Ou Guelloul
* Aït Amer
* Ineknafen
* Imgrad
* Ida Ou Kazzou
* Ida Ou Tghemma
* Aït Zelten
* Ida Ou Zemzem
* Ida Ou Bouzia
* Aït ʿIssi

Lakhsass and Ait Baamrane

The Lakhsass are made up of 4 fractions:

* Aït Bou Yassine
* Aït Bou Iffoulen
* Aït Iaaleten
* Aït Ierba

The Ait Baamrane are made up of 7 clans:

* Aït l-Khums
* Isbuya or Sbuya
* Imstiten or Misti
* Aït n-Nuss
* Aït Ikhlif or Ikhlif
* Aït Abdallah
* Aït Y'azza
They claim descent from a common ancestor called Ba Amran whose point of origin was the fabled city of Tamdult w-Aqqa near the Draa River. The clans claim descent from his grandsons Bu Bkir Yahya and Baha u-Yihya.

Central Atlas Amazigh

The Central Atlas Amazigh, also known as the Beraber and who call themselves Imazighen, are the Berber inhabitants of the Middle Atlas who speak Central Atlas Tamazight.

Ait Atta

The Ait Atta are a large tribal confederation or "supertribe" in the south east of Morocco who inhabit the region of Tafilalt and the Draa River. They claim descent from 40 sons of the eponymous ancestor ''Dadda Atta'' and they are divided into ''khams khmas'' (five fifths). These fifths are:

Khoms I:
* Aït Wahhlim
** Aït Hassu
*** Aït Bu Daud, Aït Ali u Hassu, Aït Attu, Uššn, Uzligen, Aït Izzu
** Zemru
*** Ignaouen, Ilemšan, Aït Aïssa u Brahim, Aït Bu Iknifen

Khoms II:

* Aït Wallal / Aït Ounir
** Aït Uzzine, Aït Rebam, Aït Mullah (Masufa), Aït Bu Beker, Aït Unar

Khoms III:

* Aït Isful
** Aït Ichou, Aït Hammi, Aït Brahim u Hammi, Aït Bab Ighef
* Aït Alwan
** Aït Ghenima, Aït Unzar, Aït Bu Messaud, Aït Sidi

Khoms IV:

* Aït Urbgui
** Aït Khabbash, Aït Umnast, Beni Mhamed (Arab tribe under the Ait Atta)

Khoms V:

* Aït Aïssa Mzim
** Aït Yazza, Aït Khalifa, Aït el Fersi, Aït Kherdi

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 presence 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.

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:

* - 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 ) because of their legendary skills involving ambushes and raids.
* - Hdiddou can mean "small" or "strong" according to oral tradition.
*
* (or Izdey)
They formed together in the 17th century to secure their territory from the expansion of their traditional rivals the Ait Atta. Other tribes joined the confederation like the Ait Ayach and the Sebbah Arabs.

Kabyles

The Kabyles inhabit the region known as Kabylia. The exonym Kabyle comes from the Arabic ''qaba'il'' (قبائل) meaning tribes. The Kabyles stem from the Sanhaja.

Greater Kabylia

In Greater Kabylia, there are 14 confederations of tribes:

* Iflissen El Bahr
* Aït Ouaguenoun
* Aït Djennad
* Aït Idjeur
* Aït Iraten
* Aït Bethroun
* Aït Menguellet
* Aït Aïssi
* Maatka
* Iflissen Oumlil
* Igouchdal
* Aït Sedka

Tuaregs

Historically, the Tuareg have been divided into seven clans who, according to oral tradition, all descend from daughters of the same mother.

Each Tuareg clan (''tawshet'') is made up of family groups constituting a tribe, 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).

These clans are:

* 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".
* 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.
* Kel Ahaggar - The Kel Ahaggar inhabit the Hoggar Mountains
* Kel Adagh - The Kel Adagh also known as the Kel Adrar are situated in the mountains of Adrar des Ifoghas to the south west of Ahaggar
* Kel Owey
* Kel Gres - The Kel Gres are situated south of the Kel Ayr in the plains around Tessaoua.

Chaouis

Chaouis are native to the Aurès region. The most basic social unit of the Chaouis are the ''harfiqt'' (clan) and ''ʿarch'' (tribe). The harfiqt bear the name of the ancestor.

Tribes of the lower Aurès

The tribes are:

* Ouled Fatma
* Ouled Sellam
*
* Jratna
* Thleth
* Segnia
* Ouled Mhenna
* Ouled Menaâ
* Lahlaymia
* Hiddoussiyene
* Houara
* Ouled Mhemmed
* Ouled Sidi Lhadj

Tribes of the middle Aurès

The Arabized tribes are:

* Beni Fren
* Bouazid
* Ouled Si Ahmed Benameur
* Ouled Derradj
* Beni Tazaght

The tribes of the plains are:

*
* Oules Sidi Yahia
* Ouled Hamla

Tribes of the upper Aurès

These tribes are sometimes referred to as the ''Jbayliya'' and are as follows:

* Touabas
* Aghvassir
* Ait Faffa
* Ait Imessounin
* Nemencha
* Ait Ferh
* Ouled Fadhel
* Ouled Djebel
* Laâchach
* Ouled Sidi Ali
* Amamra
* Beni Mloul
* Beni Bouslimane
* Inoughisséne
* Beni Souik

Ghomaras

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:

* 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. 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.

Other tribes

Beni Iznassen

The 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:

* 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.

References

Sources

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{{Berber

Berber peoples and tribes
Indigenous peoples of North Africa
Berbers in Morocco
Berbers in Algeria
Berbers in Tunisia
Berbers in Libya
Berbers in Mauritania
Maghreb