The Chaamba (Arabic: الشعانبة, romanized: Sha‘āniba) are an Arab tribe in the northern Sahara of central Algeria. They are a large tribe of Bedouins and live in a large desert territory to the south of the Atlas Mountains,[1] around Metlili, El Golea, Ouargla, El Oued, and the Great Western Erg, including Timimoun and Béni Abbès[2] While traditionally they were nomads specialised in raising camels and caravan trade, most have settled in the oases over the past century.[1] The date palm is the most important agricultural product for the Chaamba.
| Chaamba الشعانبة | |
|---|---|
| Ethnicity | Arab |
| Location | Algerian Desert |
| Parent tribe | Banu Sulaym |
| Language | Arabic |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Origin
editThe Chaamba are of Arab origin and are descended from Banu Sulaym who migrated from the Arabian Peninsula with Banu Hilal.[3] They speak an Arabic dialect classified as Hilalian.[4]
History
editIn 1937 it was estimated that 80 percent of all shops in the southwestern Sahara in Algeria were owned by the Chaamba[1] and in 1961 they had a population of 20,000 people.[5] In 1984 clashes broke out between the Maliki Sunni Chaamba and Ibadi Mozabites.[6] In 2008 there were several clashes between Chaamba and Mozabite youths in the oasis of Berriane, following a miscarriage caused by a firework.[7] Clashes broke out again in July 2015 between the Chaamba and Mozabites in the Mzab valley which left at least 22 dead and hundreds injured.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c Castile, George Pierre; Kushner, Gilbert (2017-05-23). Persistent Peoples: Cultural Enclaves in Perspective. University of Arizona Press. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-8165-3571-2.
- ^ Jacques Grand'henry, Les parlers arabes de la région du Mzāb, Sahara algérien, Leiden: Brill 1976, p. 3.
- ^ Suwaed, Muhammad (2015-10-30). Historical Dictionary of the Bedouins. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 56. ISBN 978-1-4422-5451-0.
- ^ Ruffié, Jacques; Ducos, Jean; Larrouy, Georges (1962). "Étude hémotypologique des populations de la région du M'Zab (département des Oasis)". Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d'Anthropologie de Paris. 3 (4): 354–371. doi:10.3406/bmsap.1962.1199.
- ^ Ruffié, Jacques; Ducos, Jean; Larrouy, Georges (1962). "Étude hémotypologique des populations de la région du M'Zab (département des Oasis)". Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d'Anthropologie de Paris. 3 (4): 354–371. doi:10.3406/bmsap.1962.1199.
- ^ "Mozabites et Chaâmba : Les dessous d'une rivalité". www.algerie-dz.com. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
- ^ Trouble in Berriane, The Moor Next Door, 10/04/2008
- ^ "Le sud de l'Algérie de nouveau en proie à une flambée de violences". LEFIGARO (in French). 2015-07-08. Retrieved 2022-11-01.