| Reguibat | |
|---|---|
 Women of the Reguibat | |
| Ethnicity | Arab-Berber |
| Nisba | al-Reguibi |
| Location | Western Sahara,Mauritania,Morocco,Algeria |
| Descended from | Sidi Ahmed al-Reguibi |
| Population | >100,000 (1996)[1] |
| Language | Hassaniya Arabic |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
TheReguibat (Arabic:الرقيبات,romanized: Rgībāt; variously transliteratedReguibate,Rguibat,R'gaybat,R'gibat,Erguibat,Ergaybat) is aSahrawi tribal confederation of mixedArab[2][3] andSanhajaBerber origins.[1][4][5][6] The Reguibat speakHassaniya Arabic, and are Arab in culture. They claim descent fromSidi Ahmed al-Reguibi, an Arab Islamic preacher fromBeni Hassan who settled inSaguia el-Hamra in 1503.[7] They also believe that they are, through him, achorfa tribe, i.e. descendants ofMuhammad.[8] They are divided into two main geographical divisions - the Reguibat as-Sahel and Reguibat ash-Sharg - who are in turn divided into sub tribes.[9][10] Religiously, they belong to theMaliki school ofSunniIslam.[11]
Their population in 1996 exceeded 100,000 people.[1] David Hart estimated their population to number from 200,000 to 300,000 in 1962 but this could be too high.[9][10] They are today the largest tribe in Western Sahara.[10][11]
The eponymous founder and ancestor of the Reguibat is said to be Sidi Ahmed al-Reguibi who turned up to theDraa valley from Fez in 1503. Sidi Ahmed al-Reguibi claimedSharifian descent through descent fromAbd al-Salam ibn Mashish which attracted many disciples - a lot of whom ofSanhaja origin - from his wanderings between the valleys of Draa, El-Gaada and theSaguia el-Hamra. The line of ascent between Sidi Ahmed al-Reguibi and Abd al-Salam ibn Mashish goes Sidi Ahmed al-Reguibi ibn Abd al-Wahid ibn Abd al-Karim ibn Abdallah ibn Abd as-Salam ibn Mashish.[8][10]
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Initially an important Arabiczawiya or religious tribe with a semi-sedentary lifestyle, the Reguibat gradually turned during the 18th century towards camel-rearing, raiding andnomadism, in response attacks from neighboring tribes which provoked them into taking up arms and leaving the subordinate position they had previously held. This started 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.[11][12]
The grazing lands of the Reguibat fractions extended fromWestern Sahara into the northern half ofMauritania, the edges of southernMorocco and northernMali, and large swaths of westernAlgeria (where they captured the town ofTindouf from theTajakant tribe in 1895, and turned into an important Reguibat encampment).[11][12] The Reguibat were known for their skill as warriors, as well as for an uncompromising tribal independence, and dominated large areas of theSahara Desert through bothtrade and use of arms.[12] The Reguibat have been trading in the Algerian oasis markets of theTouat and Gourara regions.[2]
A long war started with theTadjakant who were a tribe that founded the city of Tindouf in 1820.Ghazis happened until the end of the 20th century when in 1895 an assembly of the Reguibat including both the Reguibat as-Sahel and Reguibat Lagouacem decided on a full scale mobilisation of all able-bodied men with a warrior of the Oulad Moussa selected asdahman (the leader of the troops). This led to an attack on Tindouf by 1000 men of the Reguibat and the Reguibat were victorious. The Reguibat fought in other wars and assisted other tribes. For example, they assisted theOulad Bou Sbaa in resisting a force from theAdrar and theHodh led bySidi Ahmed al-Kunti and sided with theOulad Tidrarin in their rebellion against theOulad Delim until the peace the Reguibat made with the Oulad Delim in 1892.[10]
Reguibat Sahrawis were very prominent in the resistance toFrench andSpanish colonization in the 19th and 20th century, and could not be subdued in theSpanish Sahara until 1934, almost 50 years after the area was first colonized by Spain.[10][12]
Since the 1970s, many Reguibat have been active in thePolisario Front's resistance to Moroccan rule over the still non-sovereign Western Sahara territory.[10] Polisario leaderMohamed Abdelaziz was a Reguibi (from the Foqra faction),[13] as is the MoroccanCORCAS leaderKhalihenna Ould Errachid.[14]
There was not a singleshaykh ash-shuyukh of the Reguibat. Rather, they had two shaykhs of equal standing representing the two main territorial divisions - the Reguibat as-Sahel and Reguibat ash-Sharg. Under each shaykh, there was a body of 20 councillors who were called theait arba'in (the people of the forty). This is aBerber term and theait arba'in is traditionally a feature ofBerber political organisation meaning that the Reguibat adopted it some time ago. Theait arba'in was chosen by the shaykh of the territorial divisions and they carried out his edicts as well as theqadi's. Theait arba'in was operative on a full scale only during war time. They today do not exist.[15]
Even though the Reguibat claim to have five fifths (which is a segmentation found in many large Berber tribes in Morocco like theAït Atta andAit Waryaghar), they have two main subdivisions:[10][16]
These two main subdivisions were distinguished by a camel brand callednār (Arabic:نَار,lit. 'fire') which corresponds to thewasm found amongBedouins inSaudi Arabia. For the Reguibat as-Sahel, theirnār iskāf (ك) which is why they are also called Reguibat al-Kaf. For the Reguibat ash-Sharg, theirnār isqāf (ق) which is why they are also called Reguibat al-Qaf. There are multiple traditions for how many children Sidi Ahmed al-Reguibi had ranging from 60 (20 from each of three wives) to 6 to 3 (from a woman of the Sellam called Kaouria Mint Mohammed).[10][16]
According to the Historical Dictionary of Western Sahara, Sidi Ahmed al-Reguibi had three sons: Ali, Amar and Qacem. the Reguibat as-Sahel and Reguibat ash-Sharg are divided in the following way:[10][17]
According to anthropologistDavid Hart, according to the tradition of the six sons, these six sons constituted the six clans of the Reguibat. These sons and clans are:[16]
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