Tekna Explained

Group:Tekna
Population:709,000
Popplace:Morocco - Guelmim and Tarfaya areas
Western Sahara - Saguia el-Hamra
Langs:Hassaniya Arabic, Shilha
Rels:Predominantly Sunni Islam
Related:Arab-Berber

The Tekna is a semi-nomadic[1] Sahrawi tribal confederation of mixed Arab[2] and Lamta Sanhaja Berber origins.[3] [4] Its constituents today inhabit southern Morocco, northern Western Sahara and western Algeria, but traditionally with wider migration routes.

Nowadays, its population is estimated to be around 709,000.

Demographics

The Tekna tribes speak Hassaniya Arabic and the Berber Shilha dialect in varying degrees.[5]

All Tekna are Muslims, belonging to the Maliki school of Sunni Islam. Their traditional lifestyle was partly nomadic, based on camel and goat herding, and partly sedentary, controlling important routes of the Saharan caravan trade.

The Tekna are divided into several Berber-speaking and Arabic-speaking tribes, which are organized into two tribal confederations or leff:[6]

History

During the 17th century, Morocco under Sultan Ismail Ibn Sharif seized control over the territory from the Tafna River south to Senegal and Timbuktu. Contingents of Tekna troops were then sent to the Senegal valley on behalf of the Sultan.[7]

After 1765 the Tekna revolted, acquiring greater autonomy.[8] On May 30, 1767, Mohammed ben Abdallah, Sultan of Morocco, signed a peace and commerce treaty with King Charles III of Spain, recognizing that Morocco did not control the Tekna tribes.[9]

However, at the time of the Spanish colonization and at the beginning of the 20th century, the Tekna tribes recognized the Sultan of Morocco as their spiritual ruler, but not its political one.[10] [11]

See also

Bibliography

Attilo Gaudio, "Les populations du Sahara occidental: histoire, vie et culture", ed. Karthala 1993, (Chap. VIII, pp. 97–116) https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=lang_fr&id=z2CiHoQ1IsgC

Notes and References

  1. Book: Gaudio, Attilio . Les populations du Sahara occidental: histoire, vie et culture . 1993-01-01 . KARTHALA Editions . 9782865374113 . 97 . fr.
  2. Book: Butcher, Charity . The Handbook of Cross-Border Ethnic and Religious Affinities . 2019-04-16 . Rowman & Littlefield . 978-1-4422-5022-2 . 181 . en.
  3. Book: Castellino, Joshua. International Law and Self-Determination. Martinus Nijhoof publishers. The Hague. 2000. 90-411-1409-2. 239–243.
  4. Book: Barbier, Maurice . Le conflit du Sahara occidental: Réédition d'un livre paru en 1982 . 2003-06-01 . Editions L'Harmattan . 9782296278776 . 20 . fr.
  5. Claire Cécile Mitatre, « Le couloir ouest-saharien : un espace gradué », L’Année du Maghreb, VII (2011), p.211-228
  6. Web site: Archived copy . 2014-05-29 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140530020911/http://www.telquel-online.com/archives/161/images/shema.pdf . 2014-05-30 .
  7. Attilo Gaudio (1993), Les populations du Sahara occidental: histoire, vie et culture, p.106
  8. Attilo Gaudio (1993), Les populations du Sahara occidental: histoire, vie et culture, p.107
  9. Web site: Proyecto Ibn Jaldun. VII. El colonialismo español en el s. XIX: África. 2. Chafarinas, Sidi Ifni y el Sáhara. . Pedro Giménez de Aragón Sierra . . 2010-06-15. es.
  10. Histoire et géographie de l'Europe. Tekna Confederation (Tekna). Depends upon Morocco
  11. International Court of Justice. https://www.icj-cij.org/public/files/case-related/61/6197.pdf