The Hassane is a name for the traditionally dominant warrior tribes of the Sahrawi - Moorish areas of present-day Mauritania , southern Morocco and Western Sahara . Although lines were blurred by intermarriage and tribal re-affiliation, the Hassane were considered descendants of the Arab Maqil tribe Beni Hassan (hence the name). They held power over Sanhadja Berber -descended zawiya (religious) and znaga (servant) tribes, extracting from these the horma tax in exchange for armed protection.
7-446: Occasionally, such as in the case of the important Reguibat tribe, Zawāyā Berber groups would rise to Hassane status by growing in power and prestige and taking up armed raiding; they would then often Arabize culturally to fit the prevailing image of Hassane tribes as original Arabs. A good example of a Hassane tribe is the Río de Oro -centered Oulad Delim , which is considered as among
14-455: A process of rapid expansion, and set the Reguibat on the course towards total transformation into a traditional warrior tribe. In the late 19th century, they had become well-established as the largest Sahrawi tribe, and were recognized as the most powerful warrior tribe of the area. The grazing lands of the Reguibat fractions extended from Western Sahara into the northern half of Mauritania ,
21-462: Is a Sahrawi tribal confederation of mixed Arab and Sanhaja Berber origins. The Reguibat speak Hassaniya Arabic , and are Arab in culture. They claim descent from Sidi Ahmed al-Reguibi , an Arab Islamic preacher from Beni Hassan who settled in Saguia el-Hamra in 1503. They also believe that they are, through him, a chorfa tribe, i.e. descendants of Muhammad . Religiously, they belong to
28-498: The Maliki school of Sunni Islam . Their population in 1996 exceeded 100,000 people. Initially an important Arabic zawiya or religious tribe with a semi-sedentary lifestyle, the Reguibat gradually turned during the 18th century towards camel-rearing, raiding and nomadism , in response attacks from neighboring tribes which provoked them into taking up arms and leaving the subordinate position they had previously held. This started
35-636: The Algerian oasis markets of the Touat and Gourara regions. Reguibat Sahrawis were very prominent in the resistance to French and Spanish colonization in the 19th and 20th century, and could not be subdued in the Spanish Sahara until 1934, almost 50 years after the area was first colonized by Spain. Since the 1970s, many Reguibat have been active in the Polisario Front 's resistance to Moroccan rule over
42-554: The edges of southern Morocco and northern Mali , and large swaths of western Algeria (where they captured the town of Tindouf from the Tajakant tribe in 1895, and turned into an important Reguibat encampment). The Reguibat were known for their skill as warriors, as well as for an uncompromising tribal independence, and dominated large areas of the Sahara Desert through both trade and use of arms. The Reguibat have been trading in
49-533: The purest descendants of the Beni Hassan. This Mauritania -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Western Sahara article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about ethnicity is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Reguibat tribe The Reguibat ( Arabic : الرقيبات ; variously transliterated Reguibate , Rguibat , R'gaybat , R'gibat , Erguibat , Ergaybat )
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