Moroccan

Berber ǀ Middle Eastern

Zinedine Zidane Moroccan Berbers are an indigenous Caucasian or white stock who have been settled in the region of Africa encompassing the Sahara Desert and coastlines along the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean for thousands of years. They have also been called the Amazigh people and, in antiquity, Moors. In Morocco, for political reasons, many Berbers identify as Arab. Berber people were one of the main constituents of what came to be called Sephardic Jews. After persecution in Spain, many Sephardic Jews returned to North African places to live.

The Moroccan – Berbers population data represent DNA samples from 50 individuals who were born in the northeastern Moroccan cities of Oujda (Oujda) and Nador (Nador), and who had all four grandparents also born in these cities. Samples were obtained by the National Center of Blood Transfusion in the Kingdom of Morocco’s capital city of Rabat. These data were augmented by later studies.

For more details, see
Berber people;
Moroccan people; and
Arab, Moroccan in Morocco.

From U.S. Relations With Morocco:

“[Moroccan] King Mohammed VI has promoted significant initiatives to counter extremism and dissuade individuals from becoming radicalized. Each Ramadan, for example, the King hosts a series of religious lectures, inviting Muslim speakers from around the world to promote moderate and peaceful religious interpretations. The religious reform launched in 2005 included training of the Ulema (religious scholars) Council and the retraining of imams (prayer leaders) to ensure improved academic background and performance in the fields of education and counseling in religious matters, social conduct, and pious behavior. … In his 2009 Throne Day speech, the King highlighted the moderate and tolerant nature of the Sunni Malekite rite, which, he emphasized, forms an integral part of Moroccan identity.”

From U.S. Relations With Morocco:

“Morocco was the first country to seek diplomatic relations with the Government of the United States in 1777 and remains one of our oldest and closest allies in the region. Formal U.S. relations with Morocco date from 1787, when the two nations negotiated a Treaty of Peace and Friendship. Renegotiated in 1836, the treaty is still in force, constituting the longest unbroken treaty relationship in U.S. history.”

Photo: Algerian-French footballer Zinedine Zidane. Author Raphaël Labbé.

The Moroccan – Berbers – Southern population data represent DNA samples from 48 individuals from Berbers living in the southern part of the Kingdom of Morocco (U.S. Relations With Morocco). Samples were obtained by the Evolutionary Biology Research Unit of the Health and Life Sciences Faculty at the University Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain.

For details, see
Berber people; Moroccan people;Berbers of Morocco, and Moroccan.

From Arab, Moroccan in Morocco.:

There are about 10 million Berbers scattered across the vast regions of Northern Africa. Their tribes stretch from the Siwa Oasis in Egypt to the Atlantic Ocean. It is thought that they once inhabited the entire North African territory, forcing the Negro population to move further southward through the desert. However, the exact origins of the Berbers and how they arrived in North Africa remain a mystery. The name Berber comes from an Arabic name for the aboriginal people west and south of Egypt. The Berbers are a North African people who were conquered by Muslim invaders in the 7th century. The Arabization of the Berber people happened in three stages, with the last stage taking place between the 15th and 17th centuries. Today, the term ‘Berber’ refers to any native speaker of one of the Berber languages. Berber also is a generic name given to numerous ethnic groups who share similar cultural, political and economical practices. Their main vocation is settled agriculture, not nomadic wanderings. Their various languages belong to the Hamito-Semitic language family, which includes five major grouping and many dialects. Today, most Berbers refer to themselves as the Imazighen, which means “men of noble origin.” Berbers are generally bilingual, speaking both their Berber dialect and Arabic. The Ghomara Berber speak a unique dialect known as Ghomara. Except for numerous short inscriptions in ancient Libyan and a few modern religious texts, these languages have practically no written literature. And although the languages differ greatly from one another in sound, they vary only slightly in grammar and vocabulary. Language is all-important to Moroccan Berbers because it is the main attribute that unites their pluralistic culture. Notably, the illiteracy rate among Moroccans is less than one-fifth.

Contrary to the romantic, popular image that portrays Berbers as nomadic people who cross the desert on camels, in reality their main activity is sedentary agriculture. The native Berber economy rests on a fine balance of farming and breeding goats, sheep or cattle. Every tribe, without exception, depends largely on domestic animals for a) carrying heavy loads, b) milk and dairy products,c) meat, and d) hides or wool. No Berber tribe depends solely on agriculture for survival, and hunting rarely adds to the food supply. The Berbers also are noted for being skilled in various crafts. Domestic tasks such as weaving and pottery are the main work of the women, while the men specialize in woodworking, metalworking, and, surprisingly, fine needlework. Men do most of the farming, while the women are responsible for milking and gathering. The men work in the fields, herd the animals, and hunt; while the women do the housework and care for the children, and only help the men in the fields during harvest time, when they take the newly cut grain to the threshing floor. Nowadays, besides the traditional means of living, there is a new economic element in Berber families — income from the large number of immigrants living Europe, especially in France.

Berber societies can be broken down into three basic units: the community, the district, and the tribe. The community is a political collection of clans; the district is a cluster of communities; and the tribe is a group of districts that are characterized by a common territory, name, and culture. Government at the community level is notably democratic.All authority is vested in an assembly called the jemaa. The jemaa, composed of all adult males, meets weekly. In nearly every Berber society, each district, and sometimes each community, is divided into two opposing factions called sofs. Membership in the sof is hereditary. Among tribes that no longer live in their original environments, the political units are allied with one another in identical divisions of higher levels known as lefs. Bonds of alliance are re-confirmed by traditional forms of hospitality, and by inviting one another to huge annual feasts. If warfare occurs, it is almost exclusively between districts of opposite lefs. But because lefs are primarily defensive rather than offensive alliances, their primary purpose is to preserve peace in a region.

The Romans in the third century A.D. used the term “Berber” to describe the “people of the Maghrib.” The Maghrib (or Maghreb) refers to the regions of North Africa that were conquered by Muslims between 670 and 700 A.D., including Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and the western portion of Libya. The Berber dress is very similar to that of the Arabian community. The women wear long, colorful dresses and head scarves. The men wear the traditional djellaba cloak, which is made of cotton with wide sleeves and a hood. They also wear turbans in styles that are distinctive and unique to each tribe. Younger men often wear western-style clothing. Although the Maghrib has been, for the most part, “Arabized” by language and Islamic culture over the centuries, there are still groups of Berbers, like the nine Saharan Berber tribes, who have retained much of their original traditions and characteristics. Since the Sahara Desert is a harsh environment, most of the Saharan tribes occupy a number of oases. While there are many similarities between the various Berber groups, their particular lifestyles and quality of life vary according to the region where they live. There are three main subgroups of Berbers in Morocco, each containing several smaller tribes. Berbers can be found in all three regions of Morocco: the Northern Rif (hilly region), the Middle and Central High Atlas Mountains, and the Western High Atlas Mountains. The Ghomara Berbers are one of many groups of Berbers and one of the smallest tribes. They live in the Moroccan Rif, in the northeastern region of the country, north of the town of Fez, near the Mediterranean coast. The Central Shilha belong to a much larger group known as the Shilha Berbers. The Shilha are made up of three main groups of Berbers: the Northern (Rif) Berbers, the Southern (Sousi) Berbers, and the Central (Beraber) Berbers.
The Drawa Berbers inhabit the Dra River valley region of southern Morocco. They can be divided into three main categories: a) farmers who live in the northeast (the Dades);b) those living along the northwestern Dra tributaries (the Mesgita, Seddrat, and Zeri tribes); and c)those who live at altitudes of more than 6,500 feet. The Drawas maintain a very complex social system. Villages are usually overseen by their most powerful family. This family lives in a community-fortified, threshing-floor dwelling. The rest of the village lives in terraced houses crowded closely together. The nearby oases are usually dominated by their semi-nomadic Berber neighbors. The Drawas are mostly farmers, and mountain slopes in the vicinity are divided for pastures and gardens. The staple crop is dates, followed by barley. Date palm trees are very valuable and considered as personal property. Other crops include wheat, corn, and beans, and some cattle, goats, sheep, horses and camels are kept.. Over the years, many dynasties have tried to conquer the Drawas because of their importance in the trans-Saharan caravan trade.

Although the Drawas follow Islamic fundamentals, there is still much intermingling with existing traditional beliefs. This is an example of how Islam in North Africa is markedly different from Islam in the Middle East.

Though most Berbers are Muslim, some are Jewish and others have been Christian. They are ethnically mixed and spread across the country. For example, the Kabyles, Shawiya, Tuareg, and other Saharan Berbers, are only nominally Muslim. Their observances of Islamic law are generally lax, and their lives instead revolve around important events such as births and deaths. Rites of passage for boys, such as the first haircut and circumcision, are important parts of their culture, with marriage being the most elaborate ceremony of all. One reason for this practice is that prior to the 7^th century, the Berbers had successfully resisted foreign invasions of Islam. In the 8th century, invading Arabs forced the Berbers to accept Islam and many of them fled to remote area and escaped dogmatic control of their religious practices.

From Southern Shilhah of Morocco

Southern Shilhah of Morocco: The Southern Shilha (also called Sousi Berbers) live in the western High Atlas and the Anti Atlas Mountains of southwestern Morocco, and in the plains and valleys between them. But wherever they live, a majority of the Shilha raise crops and livestock. The people live in villages of all sizes, using limited soil and water resources with care. They build small dams and cultivate terraces where cereals and other crops are grown. The Southern Shilha are a poor but proud people. They are tough and hard-working, scratching out a meager existence in a part of the world that is physically antagonistic to an agricultural society. No other group in Morocco that started from tribal origins has achieved as much as the Southern Shilha. A high degree of unity is the key to their success. This unity extends beyond tribal boundaries to encompass all who speak Tachelhit, their native language. In the villages, the Berber way of life has remained unchanged over the centuries. Most Shilha villages contain between 50 and 500 people. They typically live in two-story, mud brick homes with flat roofs. The Shilha don’t really value education because they believe that hard work is of higher value. Only a small number complete more than a few years of public schooling. In rural areas; however, many male children attend Islamic schools, where they are taught the Koran. A typical family consists of close relatives living under the authority of the male head of the family. A new bride, often as young as 14, will move into the home of the husband’s family after marriage. Since the late 19th century, many Shilha have left their poor, overpopulated valleys, in hopes of finding new resources in the northern cities of Morocco. Some have become profitable grocers, shopkeepers, or wholesalers. Others have entered the fabric trade. Today, some of the most important businessmen in Casablanca are Shilha.

Moroccan – Berbers – Central and Northern data represent DNA samples from 48 Berber individuals living in the central and northern parts of the Kingdom of Morocco (U.S. Relations With Morocco). Samples were obtained by the Evolutionary Biology Research Unit of the Health and Life Sciences Faculty at the University Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain.
For details, see
Berber people; Berber people: Map; Berbers of Morocco, and
Moroccan people.

From Arab, Moroccan.:

Contrary to the romantic, popular image that portrays Berbers as nomadic people who cross the desert on camels, in reality their main activity is sedentary agriculture. The native Berber economy rests on a fine balance of farming and breeding goats, sheep or cattle. Every tribe, without exception, depends largely on domestic animals for a) carrying heavy loads, b) milk and dairy products, c) meat, and d) hides or wool. No Berber tribe depends solely on agriculture for survival, and hunting rarely adds to the food supply. The Berbers also are noted for being skilled in various crafts. Domestic tasks such as weaving and pottery are the main work of the women, while the men specialize in woodworking, metalworking, and, surprisingly, fine needlework. Men do most of the farming, while the women are responsible for milking and gathering. The men work in the fields, herd the animals, and hunt; while the women do the housework and care for the children, and only help the men in the fields during harvest time, when they take the newly cut grain to the threshing floor. Nowadays, besides the traditional means of living, there is a new economic element in Berber families — income from the large number of immigrants living Europe, especially in France.

Berber societies can be broken down into three basic units: the community, the district, and the tribe. The community is a political collection of clans; the district is a cluster of communities; and the tribe is a group of districts that are characterized by a common territory, name, and culture. Government at the community level is notably democratic. All authority is vested in an assembly called the jemaa. The jemaa, composed of all adult males, meets weekly. In nearly every Berber society, each district, and sometimes each community, is divided into two opposing factions called sofs. Membership in the sof is hereditary. Among tribes that no longer live in their original environments, the political units are allied with one another in identical divisions of higher levels known as lefs. Bonds of alliance are re-confirmed by traditional forms of hospitality, and by inviting one another to huge annual feasts. If warfare occurs, it is almost exclusively between districts of opposite lefs. But because lefs are primarily defensive rather than offensive alliances, their primary purpose is to preserve peace in a region.

The word “Rif” is an Arabic word meaning “the edge of cultivated area.” The Rif Berbers are made up of 19 tribes: five in the west along the Mediterranean coast, seven in the center, five in the east, and two in the southeastern desert area. In rural communities, the effects of modernization are scant, despite government projects to aid farm production. The Rif tribes often reject these efforts as being an intrusion upon their culture and traditions. Although the number of cities is increasing in the Rif area, many of the Berbers still live in homes made of mud, brick and stone, with flat roofs. Some of the poorer people live in wood huts plastered with mud. Houses are often placed on ridges or other such locations, at least 300 meters from the nearest neighbor. This proves to be strategic in times of defense. Mountain village homes are quite similar. They are usually flat-roofed houses made of stone that has been reinforced with dried mud. Despite the rugged environment, these people remain bound by strong family traditions. Their farming is done mostly by hand, and provides a meager crop at best. Influenced by a Mediterranean climate, the winters are mild and the summers hot and dry. Along the coast, it is humid in the summer months. Due to their location in the Rif, for example, the Ghomara Berbers are farmers. They produce and consume large amounts of barley, corn, millet, wheat, and rye. In areas where water is plentiful, vegetables such as tomatoes, onions, squash, peppers, and potatoes are grown. Chickens, goats, and sheep are also raised. This supplemental food source provides milk, eggs, butter, and meat. The Ghomara, like other Berbers, live in a male-dominated society. The line of descent is traced through the fathers and all inheritances are passed down through males. As a way to preserve themselves as a people, the Ghomara cannot marry outside their own group.

The Northern Shilha also honor a traditional Muslim, male-dominated family structure. When the man dies, each son sets up his own household, and the cycle continues. Education is strictly a male privilege, but does not have a high priority. If a family has many sons, they may send the third and fourth to an Islamic school, while the older ones stay home to help with the work. In contrast to the Southern and Central Shilha, raising livestock plays only a secondary role in the lives of the Northern Shilha. They grow some sorgo (grain) for feed, but the fig and olive trees that cover the mountain slopes provide their principal resources. Incomes are supplemented by job opportunities in the major cities of Europe. In fact, such jobs lure away up to one-third of the male population for most of the year. Overpopulation and poverty are big problems among the Rif. Too many children, insufficient crops, and an increased migration of young men to European cities are all major concerns.

The Central Shilha (known as the Berbers) live primarily in the beautiful wooded High Atlas Mountains of Central Morocco, plus the Middle Atlas Mountains along the border of Algeria. All of the Central Shilha speak Tamazigh, and many also speak Arabic The Central Shilha primarily raise sheep and goats, with a few mules and donkeys to use for transport. Only one tribe, the Zain, raises large herds of cattle. In the mountains, raising animals is economically superior to farming. The dominant feature of this Berber life is transhumance. This means that they transfer their livestock from one grazing ground to another, alternating from highlands to lowlands, with the changing of seasons. Depending on their mountain locations, some of the tribes have to move their herds only during winter. Others only migrate during summer. And still others will move herds in both seasons. Although often on the move, none of the Berber tribes are totally nomadic. All of them maintain permanent villages with fortified, community granaries and surrounding farmlands. The villages are never left unattended. A small number of people stay behind to guard the granaries and plant barley, maize, wheat, rye, millet, and vegetables.

The Central Shilha move their herds to the warm plains during the winter months, then go to higher pastures during the spring and summer months. Many Central Shilha villages are found among the highest hills and often are built partially into the mountainsides. Very few villages have electricity or running water, but most have their own internal means of communication. Among the Central Shilha, it is common for three or four generations to live in the same dwelling. All of the family members acknowledge a common male ancestor. As members of the family, they are entitled to certain rights and privileges concerning the family heritage. The family structure is somewhat of an authoritarian democracy. While the head of the family is responsible for controlling and administering all household matters, he also must come to an agreement with the rest of the family. Banishment from the family is the ultimate punishment.

Source publications: Allele Frequencies of 13 Short Tandem Repeats in Population Samples From the Iberian Peninsula and Northern Africa, Perez-Lezaun et al., IJLM, 2000, 113, p208-214. Population genetic data of 15 tetrameric short tandem repeats (STRs) in Berbers from Morocco, FSI, 2007, p81-86. STR Data For 21 Loci In Northwest Africa, FSI, 2001, p41-51.

[Population 77, 109, 110, 309, 330, 331]