Berber tribes

Mythological genealogy with a stone from his sling, Tarikhnama 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 Muslim conquest of the Maghreb, the Masmuda largely inhabited the interior of Morocco. Some of the branches and sub-groups of the Masmuda are Ghumaras 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. 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. 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. == Terminology and social organisation ==

Berber tribes are typically prefixed with the word "Ait," which denotes descent from an eponymous ancestor (biological or fictive kinship). Ait (also spelled Ayt, Aith, At) is a Berber term meaning 'children of', parallel to Arabic Banu/Beni or Maghrebi Arabic Oulad. An example is Ait Atta 'Children of Atta', referring to their supposed ancestor, Dadda Atta. It can also signify 'people of' or 'those who'; for example, the Ait Yafelman 'those who have found/seek 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. The role of the 'amghar' in tribal contexts varies. Among the Tuaregs, an amghar could refer either to a leader of a tribal confederation or to a leader of a tribal group who acts as an intermediary between the amenukal ('Ruler, King') and his tribe. It can also just refer to an elder or an ascendant. In Morocco, amghar referred to an elected tribal leader who served for a limited period by the notables of the tribe or the jemma. Among the Shilha, while the mqəddəm is an elected leader, an 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 Ourich • Ait Said • Ait Tafersit • Ait Temsamane • Ait Touzine • Ait Waryaghar (alternatively, Aït Ouriaghel) is one of the largest tribal confederations in the Rif. They played an important part in the Rif War and the famous anticolonialist political and military leader of the Republic of the Rif, Abd el-Krim, was a member, 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. 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. 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 forty sons of the eponymous ancestor Dadda Atta, and are divided into khams khmas ('five fifths'). These fifths are: 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. • • (or Izdey) They formed together in the 17th century to secure their territory from the expansion of their traditional rivals the Ait Atta. 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 and Chief of the Haractas by Théodore Chassériau 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: • Ketama • Ait Seddat • Taghzout • Ait Kennous • Ait Bounsar • Ait Ahmed • Ait Bouchibet • Ait Bchir • Zerqet • Ait Mezduy • Targuist These tribes speak their own Berber language, called Senhaja de Srair language or Tasenhajit. 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. • 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 ==