The Chenouis or Chenoua (,

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 ...

: Icenwiyen) are a

ethnic group An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...

native to the Chenoua Mountains in northern

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

. They traditionally inhabit areas between the east of

Ténès Ténès (; from Berber TNS 'camping') is a town in Algeria located around 200 kilometers west of the capital Algiers. , it has a population of 65,000 people. History Ténès was founded as a Phoenician port in or before the 8th centuryBC. As ...

to the west of

Cherchell Cherchell () is a town on Algeria's Mediterranean coast, west of Algiers. It is the seat of Cherchell District in Tipaza Province. Under the names Iol and Caesarea, it was formerly a Roman colony and the capital of the kingdoms of Numidia ...

. The Chenoui people number about 106,000. They speak the

Shenwa language Shenwa, also spelt Chenoua (native name: ''Haqbaylit̠''), is a Zenati Berber language spoken on Mount Chenoua (Jebel Chenoua) in Algeria, just west of Algiers, and in the provinces of Tipaza (including the town of Cherchell) and Chlef. The ...

, a Northern Berber language that is closely related to the

Shawiya language Shawiya, or Shawiya Berber, also spelt Chaouïa (native form: ''Tacawit'' ), is a Zenati Berber language spoken in Algeria by the Shawiya people. The language's primary speech area is the Awras Mountains in Eastern Algeria and the surrounding ...

and Zenata varieties spoken by Berbers of the Aures mountains in Eastern Algeria and the Rif region. The

has about 76,000 speakers.

Geographical distribution

The Chenoui traditional territory includes the province of Tipaza, parts of the

Chlef province Chlef (, Berber: ⴰⴳⴻⵣⴷⵓ ⵏ ⵛⵍⴻⴼ) (formerly known as El Asnam) is a province (''wilaya'') in Algeria. Its capital and biggest city is Chlef. It is the 8th most populous province in the country, having 1.356.151 inhabitants (20 ...

and the north of the province of

Ain Defla Ain (, ; ) is a French department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Eastern France. Named after the Ain river, it is bordered by the Saône and Rhône rivers. Ain is located on the country's eastern edge, on the Swiss border, where it ...

, and thus are called in reference to the

Mount Chenoua Mount Chenoua (Berber: Adrar en Cenwa, ) is a mountain range in northern Algeria. It is located between Cherchell and Tipaza on the Mediterranean coast, just west of Algiers. There are marble quarries on the side of the mountain. Description T ...

which dominates the city of Tipaza, 70 km west of Algiers. The region is part of the greater

Dahra Dahra (also Dahra Djoloff or Dara) is a town of commune status located in the Louga Region of Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borde ...

region, a long mountainous region along the Meditternean coasts, separated from the Ouarsenis range by the Chelif river and its valley. It expands from 8 km north of

Mostaganem Mostaganem () is a port city in and capital of Mostaganem (province), Mostaganem province, in the northwest of Algeria. The city, founded in the 11th century lies on the Gulf of Arzew, Mediterranean Sea and is 72 km ENE of Oran. It is consi ...

until the Algiers Sahel with its highest point being Mount Zaccar ( Miliana). The Chenoua Mount region, highest point of the Algiers Sahel, is the most eastern part of the Chenoui speaking region going from Fouka (42 km west of Algiers) until Tenès (200 km west of Algiers) or even heading further west till Ouled Boughalem in the past. Some people call them the Chelhas of the Tell or even Kabyles of the west.

References

Berber peoples and tribes Berbers in Algeria Ethnic groups in Algeria Indigenous peoples of North Africa {{Africa-ethno-group-stub