The Ait Yafelman (tzm|ⴰⵢⵜ ⵢⴰⴼⵍⵎⴰⵏ|Ayt Yafelman|those who have found peace) are a large Berber tribal confederation of the eastern High Atlas of Morocco, with their capital at Imilchil. They originally consisted of 4 tribes: Ayt Morghad, Ayt Haddidou, Ayt Izdeg and Ayt Yehia. These tribes created the alliance in the 17th century to counter the expansion of their Ait Atta neighbours. The Ait Yafelman speak Central Atlas Tamazight.[1]
Ait Yafelman literally means "those who have found peace"[2] One popular etymology for the name is aduwwad anafalman meaning "we will find peace" while another one is that the wife of the alleged ancestor Midul told her sons, afat l-man, afat l-man meaning "Find the peace, find the peace!".[3]
The Ayt Yafelmans lived before the 16th century in the south of the Oriental High Atlas, in the Todgha, the Ghriss, the Dades, the Imedghass and Upper Ziz Gorges.
There are different versions to how the Ait Yafelman merged. One version says that the Ait Yafelman formed in the 17th century in response to the expansion of the Aït Atta. This happened when Moulay Ismael sent a letter to the shurfa of Ait Sidi Bou Yaqoub to tell them to encourage the tribes of the area to join together in the face of Ait Atta expansion.[4] Another version says it happened in 1646 after their victory against the Ait Atta at the Battle of Tazrout.[5]
According to a third version, an w-'Atta arrived among the Ait Merghud (the Ait Merghud used to make butter for the Ait Atta and were once part of the Ait Atta) and said "Give me butter, I want to rub it on my sandals". The attendant member of Ait Murghad told him he had none and the w-'Atta picked up his sandals and attacked him on the face. Furious, the member of Ait Murghad went to tell everyone what happened so they decided to form a liff (coalition) of tribes against the Ait Atta. They decided they would make anafalman (peace) through revenge on the Ait Atta and to never again give butter to them. This led to the formation of the Ait Yafelman who would go on to become rivals and perpetually be in a state of open warfare and relenting hostility with the Ait Atta.
There is also another tradition that assigns an ancestor to the Ait Yafelman called Midul, son of Jalut who is often described as ancestor of the Berbers and he had other sons like Zoulit, Malou, Atta and Baïbbi. These sons with the exception of the latter are said to be the founders of large tribal confederations (for example Atta or Dadda Atta is the founder of the Ait Atta). Some of these names can be found in branches of the Ait Hdiddou. According to this tradition, Midul had five sons: Hadiddu, Izdig, Yahya, Agra and Yumur who became ancestors of the Ait Hdiddou, Ait Izdig, Ait Yahya, Igarwan and Ait Yumur. This tradition says that the Ait Marghad are not true sons of Midul or true Yafelman since they joined later.[6]
From the sixteenth century they exceeded the passes of Jbel El Ayachi and Jbel Maaskar to occupy the vast land they live today, and M. Peyron limited as follows: "the whole High Atlas between Tounfite, Midelt and Tizi N'Telghoumt to the North, and Msemrir, Goulmima, Errachidia and Boudnib to the South; and the valley of the Oued Ait Aissa as the furthermost line of spreading to the East, and the upper Oued El Abid, the Assif Melloul and Dades to the West.
This vast territory is therefore in direct contact with this tribes:
The country where the Yafelmans live is a mountainous area where Jbel El Ayachi rises to 3737 meters.
The Ait Yafelman are made up of the following tribes:
Other tribes joined the confederation like the Ait Ayach and the Sebbah Arabs.