| Group: | Beni Ades |
| Population: | ? |
| Popplace: | north-central Algeria |
| Langs: | Arabic |
| Rels: | Islam |
| Related: | Romani people in Algeria |
The Beni Ades (Arabic بني عداس bnī ʕdās, Kabyle Bni Ɛdas[1]) are an itinerant group living in north-central Algeria, negatively stereotyped by the wider population and often loosely compared to the Roma.[2]
In 1851, Alexandre Dumas describes these "Bohemians" as an endogamous itinerant group of horse-traders and fortune-tellers, and recounts colourful anecdotes of their horse-trading scams around Sétif.[3] In the early 20th century, they are described in similar terms as specialists in tattooing, circumcision, horse-trading, and fortune-telling.[4]
As the practice of tattooing declined over the 20th century,[5] they turned to other pursuits. By the early 21st century, a Beni Ades community in Tizi-Ouzou is described as making its living by begging and sand-mining, while rejecting school for the children, and claiming Tunisian nationality despite having come to the area from Algiers.[6]
The Beni Ades are reported to regularly visit certain saints' tombs, notably those of Sidi Ahmed ou Yousof in Miliana[7] and Sidi Khelifa in Saïda Province.[8]