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Mauritania Tribes and Clans: Difference between revisions
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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>), with countless more. | ||
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. | ||