Mauritania Tribes and Clans: Difference between revisions

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* [https://olomlnassb.blogspot.com/ Genealogical Science Library (Arabic - <big>مكتبة علوم النسب</big>)] - digital catalogue of Arabic books on family and tribal genealogies; open source books are linked and accessible
* [https://olomlnassb.blogspot.com/ Genealogical Science Library (Arabic - <big>مكتبة علوم النسب</big>)] - digital catalogue of Arabic books on family and tribal genealogies; open source books are linked and accessible
**Email: [mailto:Olomanasb@gmail.com olomanasb@gmail.com]
**Email: [mailto:Olomanasb@gmail.com olomanasb@gmail.com]
*''Muʻjam qabāʼil al-ʻArab al-qadīmah wa-al-ḥadīthah v.1'' by Kaḥḥālah, ʻUmar Riḍā. Dimashq:al-Maktabah al-Hāshimīyah, 1949. '''''Online at:''''' [https://dlib.nyu.edu/aco/book/aub_aco003046 New York University]; Encyclopedia of Arab tribes
**.معجم قبائل العرب القديمة والحديثة الجزء الأول .عمر رضا كحالة دمشق:المكتبة الهاشمية ,1949
*''Muʻjam qabāʼil al-ʻArab al-qadīmah wa-al-ḥadīthah v.2'' by Kaḥḥālah, ʻUmar Riḍā. Dimashq:al-Maktabah al-Hāshimīyah, 1949. '''''Online at:''''' [https://dlib.nyu.edu/aco/book/aub_aco003047 New York University]; Encyclopedia of Arab tribes
**.معجم قبائل العرب القديمة والحديثة الجزء الثاني .عمر رضا كحالة دمشق:المكتبة الهاشمية ,1949
*''Muʻjam qabāʼil al-ʻArab al-qadīmah wa-al-ḥadīthah v.3'' by Kaḥḥālah, ʻUmar Riḍā. Dimashq:al-Maktabah al-Hāshimīyah, 1949. '''''Online at:''''' [https://dlib.nyu.edu/aco/book/aub_aco003048 New York University]; Encyclopedia of Arab tribes
**.معجم قبائل العرب القديمة والحديثة الجزء الثالث .عمر رضا كحالة دمشق:المكتبة الهاشمية ,1949
*''Sabāʼik al-dhahab fī maʻrifat qabāʼil al-ʻArab'' by Suwaydī, Muḥammad Amīn. Qum:al-Maktabah al-ʻIlmīyah, 198-. '''''Online at:''''' [https://dlib.nyu.edu/aco/book/columbia_aco002259 New York University]; Overview of Arab tribes
**.سبائك الذهب في معرفة قبائل العرب .محمد أمين سويدي قم:المكتبة العلمية، 198-
*''Nihāyat al-arab fī maʻrifat ansāb al-ʻarab'' by Qalqashandī, Aḥmad ibn ʻAbd Allāh. Baghdād:Maṭbaʻat al-Najāḥ, 1958. '''''Online at:''''' [https://dlib.nyu.edu/aco/book/columbia_aco000445 New York University]; Important classical text detailing the histories and genealogies of major Arab tribes
**.
*''Kitāb nasab Quraysh'' by Zubayrī, Muṣʻab ibn ʻAbd Allāh. al-Qāhirah:Dār al-Maʻārif lil-Ṭibāʻah wa-al-Nashr, 1953. '''''Online at:''''' [https://dlib.nyu.edu/aco/book/nyu_aco001366 New York University]; Classical genealogy of the Quraysh tribe, the tribe of the Prophet Muhammad
**.كتاب نسب قريش .المصعب بن عبد الله الزبيري [القاهرة]:‏دار المعارف ,1953نهاية الأرب في معرفة أنساب العرب .أحمد بن عبد الله القلقشندي بغداد:مطبعة النجاح ,1958


===Print Publications===
===Print Publications===
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==Background==
==Background==
In the Middle East and North Africa, the term "tribe" refers to large collection of inter-related families that can trace their lineage back to a common ancestor; although, as is discussed in greater detail below, a shared ancestry is not always necessary for a family to join a tribe. It is typically used as a translation for the Arabic word "<big>قَبيلة</big>" (qabīlah), although in the Research Wiki "tribe" is also used for other Arabic terms. Tribes in the region can number in the hundreds to tens of thousands; some are relatively localized, while others are stretched or scattered over vast areas. Tribes are often divided into increasingly smaller kinship groups, including "<big>بَطْن</big>" (baṭn), "<big>فَخْذ</big>" (fakhth), and "<big>عَشيرة</big>" (ʿashīrah). The latter is translated in the Wiki as "clan".
In a country with as rich an ethnic makeup as Mauritania, most tribes can be categorized by their ethnic background. The three main ethnic groups are the Bidhanes, Haratin, and Sub-Saharan African. The first two groups are primarily Arabic speaking, while the third consists of a collection of ethnic groups from Sub-Saharan Africa, including the Wolofs, Halpulaar, Soninke, and Bambara<ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Demographics of Mauritania," ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,'' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Mauritania, accessed 29 January 2024.</ref>.
In a country with as rich an ethnic makeup as Mauritania, most tribes can be categorized by their ethnic background. The three main ethnic groups are the Bidhanes, Haratin, and Sub-Saharan African. The first two groups are primarily Arabic speaking, while the third consists of a collection of ethnic groups from Sub-Saharan Africa, including the Wolofs, Halpulaar, Soninke, and Bambara<ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Demographics of Mauritania," ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,'' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Mauritania, accessed 29 January 2024.</ref>.


Specific tribes in Mauritania include the Liglal (<big>لقلال</big>), Soninke (<big>سوننكي</big>), Fula (<big>الفلان</big>), Sanhaja (<big>الصنهاجة</big>), and Beni Hassan (<big>بني حسن</big>), with countless more.
Specific tribes in Mauritania include the Liglal (<big>لقلال</big>), Soninke (<big>سوننكي</big>), Fula (<big>الفلان</big>), Sanhaja (<big>الصنهاجة</big>), and Beni Hassan (<big>بني حسن</big>).
 
Tradition holds that all Arab tribes trace their lineage to two primary ancestors: Qahtan (<big>قحطان</big>), progenitor of the "pure" Arabs originating from modern Yemen, and Adnan (<big>عدنان</big>), ancestor of the "Arabicized" Arabs and a descendent of Abraham's son Ishmael.<ref name=":0">"People of Arabia," ''Britannica'', https://www.britannica.com/place/Arabia-peninsula-Asia/People, accessed 5 September 2024.</ref>
 
Throughout Arabian history, free, arms-bearing tribesmen, whether nomadic or settled, dominated society. Sultans, emirs, and sheikhs were often drawn from these tribes and sought their support. The descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, who hold the titles of sayyids and sharifs, traditionally enjoyed a higher social status and sometimes exercised theocratic rule as spiritual leaders.


It is important to note that affiliation with a particular tribe does not necessarily entail direct kinship to that tribe. In some cases, new tribes formed as the result of alliances between pre-existing tribal groups. Individual families may have occasionally become clients of a different tribe and eventually adopted as members. On an even smaller scale, individuals were sometimes adopted into a tribe. This was particularly true during the first centuries of Islam, when non-Arab converts to Islam were required to become clients, or "mawali" (Arabic مَوالٍ), of an Arab tribe.<ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Spread of Islam," ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,'' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spread_of_Islam, accessed 8 October 2024.</ref> Therefore, association with a tribe does not automatically imply descent or kinship relationship within a given lineage.
==Types of Records==
==Types of Records==
'''Books''' - There are numerous books written on Mauritanian and, more broadly, Arab tribes. Both categories of books can be valuable to researchers, as many tribes found in Mauritania are also found elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa and can provide historical context for families and tribes in Mauritania.
'''Books''' - There are numerous books written on Mauritanian and, more broadly, Arab tribes. Both categories of books can be valuable to researchers, as many tribes found in Mauritania are also found elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa and can provide historical context for families and tribes in Mauritania.

Revision as of 21:35, 29 January 2025

Mauritania Wiki Topics
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Mauritania Background
Mauritania Genealogical Word Lists
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Geographylogo.png In other languages: العربية

Resources[edit | edit source]

The following published works include information useful for tracing Arab tribal lineages in Mauritania. These works include lineages, tribal history, biographies of prominent individuals, poetry, or encyclopedic entries of tribes and their sub-divisions.

Online Resources[edit | edit source]

Print Publications[edit | edit source]

Arabic[edit | edit source]

  • جمهرة النسب. أبو المنذر هشام بن محمد بن السائب الكلبي. بيروت، لبنان: عالم الكتب, ٢٠٠٤
  • جمهرة أنساب العرب. أبو محمد علي بن أحمد بن سعيد بن حزم الأندلسي. بيروت، لبنان: دار الكتب العلمية, ٢٠١٨
  • قلائد الذهب في معرفة أنساب قبائل العرب. مصطفى حميدي بن أحمد الكردي البالوي الدمشقي. بيروت، لبنان: دار ومكتبة الهلال بئر العبد , ٢٠٠٠
  • مشجرات أنساب قبائل والعوئل العربية: مع مراصظات تاريخية وجغرافية. فرديناند فوستنفلد. بيروت: دار الورَّك, ١٨٥٢
  • نسب معد واليمن الكبير. أبو المنذر هشام بن محمد بن السائب الكلبي. بيروت، لبنان: عالم الكتب, ٢٠١٠
  • نهاية الارب في معرفة انساب العرب. أبو العباس أحمد بن علي بن أحمد بن عبد الله القلقشندي. بيروت، لبنان: دار الكتب العلمية
  • The Arab Tribes: Their Historical Origins and Roots (in Arabic), by Jamal Mashari al-Rafdi. Online at: Archive.org.
    • القبائل العربية: أصولها جذورها التاريخية، جمال بن مشاري الرفدي.
  • The Glorious Pearls in the News of the Latest Arabs (in Arabic), by Sheikh Muhammad al-Bisam al-Najdi. Online at: Archive.org; description of Arab tribes at time of writing in the 19th Century
    • الدرر المفاخر في أخبار العرب الأواخر، الشيخ محمد البسام النجدي.
  • The Sources of the Genealogy of the Sharafa' Adarisah Tinwajiw Tribe (in Arabic), by Muhammad al-Amin bin Sayyid Aba Sayyid Ahmad al-Tinwajiw al-Idrisi. Online at: Archive.org.
    • مصادر نسب قبيلة تنواجيوالشرفاء الأدارسة، محمد الأمين بن سيد أبا بن سيد أحمد التنواجيو الإدريسي.

German[edit | edit source]

  • Ǧamharat an-nasab : das genealogische Werk des Hišam Ibn Muḥammad al-Kalbī (Band I und II). By Werner Caskel. Leiden, Netherlands: E.J. Brill, 1966. FS Catalog book INTL 953 D2c

French[edit | edit source]

  • Les tribus de la Haute Mauritanie. By Comité de l'Afrique française. Paris، 1915.
  • Études sur l'Islam maure: Cheikh Sidia. Les Fadelia. Les Ida ou Ali. By E. Leroux. Paris, 1916.
  • Études sur 'Islam au Sénégal. By E. Leroux. Paris, 1917.
  • Études sur l'Islam et les tribus maures: les Brakna. By E. Leroux. Paris, 1921.

Background[edit | edit source]

In a country with as rich an ethnic makeup as Mauritania, most tribes can be categorized by their ethnic background. The three main ethnic groups are the Bidhanes, Haratin, and Sub-Saharan African. The first two groups are primarily Arabic speaking, while the third consists of a collection of ethnic groups from Sub-Saharan Africa, including the Wolofs, Halpulaar, Soninke, and Bambara[1].

Specific tribes in Mauritania include the Liglal (لقلال), Soninke (سوننكي), Fula (الفلان), Sanhaja (الصنهاجة), and Beni Hassan (بني حسن).

Types of Records[edit | edit source]

Books - There are numerous books written on Mauritanian and, more broadly, Arab tribes. Both categories of books can be valuable to researchers, as many tribes found in Mauritania are also found elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa and can provide historical context for families and tribes in Mauritania.

Information Recorded in the Records[edit | edit source]

Tribal histories and genealogies can contain a variety of data useful for family history researchers. Depending on the type and detail of tribal genealogy, typically include the names of fathers and sons but may exclude wives or daughters. Additionally, these genealogies may not include exact birth or death dates, although background information can often allow the researcher to estimate these data for individuals in the records.

Even without detailed lineages, tribal histories can still be useful for researchers. These records often contain details on tribal origins, migrations and movement, and traditional beliefs and culture.

Strategy[edit | edit source]

The published works above include information useful for tracing Mauritanian tribal lineages. These works include lineages, tribal history, biographies of prominent individuals, poetry, or encyclopedic entries of tribes and their sub-divisions.

As with all genealogical research, start with what you know. If you know your ancestor's tribal affiliation already, search books on that tribe. If not, search for resources on their country or region of origin, which can often identify the major tribes located there. Become familiar with the various branches within the tribe to better understand where your ancestors fit within the larger tribal structure. Within tribal lineages, search for the names of familiar individuals or places as clues to identify your exact family line.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Demographics of Mauritania," Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Mauritania, accessed 29 January 2024.

Publications not available online.

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