Aires linguistiques du nord-est algérien

The Chaoui people or ''Shawia'' ( arq, الشاوية, shy, Išawiyen) are an Amazigh (Berber)

ethnic group An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

to the

Aurès , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Natural region , image_skyline = Ras el Aïoun.jpg , image_alt = , image_caption = Landscape of the Aurès in Ras el Aïoun , image_flag ...

region in northeastern Algeria which spans

Batna Batna or BATNA may refer to: *Batna (city), Algeria *Batna Province, Algeria *Best alternative to a negotiated agreement In negotiation theory, the best alternative to a negotiated agreement or BATNA (no deal option) refers to the most advantageou ...

and

Khenchla Khenchela ancient Mascula ( ar, خنشلة) is the capital city of the administrative Khenchela Province ('' Wilaya''), number 40, in the north east of Algeria. Situated in the Aures Mountains, 1200 m above sea level. The city is mainly po ...

Oum El Bouaghi Oum El Bouaghi ( ar, أم البواقي) is a municipality in Algeria. It is the capital of Oum El Bouaghi Province Oum El Bouaghi or Oum el-Bouaghi ( ar, ولاية أم البواقي) is a province (''wilaya'') of Algeria in the Aures re ...

provinces located in and surrounded by the

Aurès Mountains The Aures Mountains ( ar, جبال الأوراس) are an eastern prolongation of the Atlas Mountain System that lies to the east of the Saharan Atlas in northeastern Algeria and northwestern Tunisia, North Africa. The mountain range gives its nam ...

. They also live in provinces of

Tébessa Tébessa or Tebessa ( ar, تبسة ''Tibissa'', ''Tbessa'' or ''Tibesti''), the classical Theveste, is the capital city of Tébessa Province region of northeastern Algeria. It hosts several historical landmarks, the most important one being the w ...

Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I * Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine given na ...

, Setif and other parts of Eastern Algeria coextensive with ancient Massylii of

Numidia Numidia ( Berber: ''Inumiden''; 202–40 BC) was the ancient kingdom of the Numidians located in northwest Africa, initially comprising the territory that now makes up modern-day Algeria, but later expanding across what is today known as Tunis ...

, as well as in some parts of adjacent North-Western Tunisia. They call themselves ''Išawiyen''/''Icawiyen'' (pronounced ) and speak the Shawiya language. They are the second largest

Tell Atlas The Tell Atlas ( ar, الاطلس التلي, Latn, ar, al-ʾaṭlas al-tlī) is a mountain chain over in length, belonging to the Atlas mountain ranges in North Africa, stretching mainly across northern Algeria, with ends in both north-easter ...

Amazigh-speaking ethnicity , alongside Kabyles and

Chenouas The Chenouis or Chenoua (in Berber: Icenwiyen) are a Berber-speaking population native to Algeria. They are concentrated in the west-central mountains. The traditional area goes from Fouka (Tipaza province) until Ténès (Chlef province). Po ...

History

Historically, the

served as a refuge for Berber peoples, forming a base of resistance against the Roman Empire, the Vandals, the Byzantine Empire and Arabs. Aurès was also a district of Algeria that existed during and after the

Algerian War The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence,( ar, الثورة الجزائرية '; '' ber, Tagrawla Tadzayrit''; french: Guerre d'Algérie or ') and sometimes in Algeria as the War of 1 November ...

from 1954 to 1962. It was in this region that Berber independence fighters started the war. Medghasen

The patriarch of Berbers is believed to have been ''Madghacen'', the common ancestor of the Zenata and of the Botri as well.

Ibn Khaldun Ibn Khaldun (; ar, أبو زيد عبد الرحمن بن محمد بن خلدون الحضرمي, ; 27 May 1332 – 17 March 1406, 732-808 AH) was an Arab The Historical Muhammad', Irving M. Zeitlin, (Polity Press, 2007), p. 21; "It is, of ...

identified the Zenata as Berbers. Modern historians rank this Berber region within the group of Numidians and

Gaetuli Gaetuli was the Romanised name of an ancient Berber tribe inhabiting ''Getulia''. The latter district covered the large desert region south of the Atlas Mountains, bordering the Sahara. Other documents place Gaetulia in pre-Roman times along the ...

or the much more ancient

Meshwesh The Meshwesh (often abbreviated in ancient Egyptian as Ma) was an ancient Libyan Berber tribe, along with other groups like Libu and Tehenou/Tehenu. Early records of the Meshwesh date back to the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt from the reign of Am ...

Maesulians The Massylii or Maesulians were a Berber federation in eastern Numidia, which was formed by an amalgamation of smaller tribes during the 4th century BC.Nigel Bagnall, The Punic Wars, p. 270. They were ruled by a king. On their loosely defined west ...

and Mazaxes, from whom the Zenata formed, the main inhabitants of the Aurès in the Middle Ages. Chaoui clans known by Ibn Khaldoun were the Ifren, Maghrawa, Djerawa, Abdalwadides, Howara and Awarba. According to

de Slane William McGuckin (also Mac Guckin and MacGuckin), known as Baron de Slane (Belfast, Ireland, 12 August 1801 - Paris, France, 4 August 1878) was an Irish orientalist. He became a French national on 31 December 1838. and held the post of the Princ ...

, translator of the books of Ibn Khaldun, the term Chaoui/Shawi means "

shepherd A shepherd or sheepherder is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. ''Shepherd'' derives from Old English ''sceaphierde (''sceap'' 'sheep' + ''hierde'' 'herder'). ''Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations, i ...

" and designates the Zenata Berbers. After the independence of Algeria, the Chaouis remained localized mainly in the Auresian region. They are the second largest Berber-speaking group in terms of number of speakers, the first being the Kabyle.

Language

The Chaoui traditionally speak the Shawiya language (''Berber:'' Tachawit). It belongs to the

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...

branch of the

Afro-Asiatic The Afroasiatic languages (or Afro-Asiatic), also known as Hamito-Semitic, or Semito-Hamitic, and sometimes also as Afrasian, Erythraean or Lisramic, are a language family of about 300 languages that are spoken predominantly in the geographic su ...

family, and is a variety of the Zenati languages. Shawiya is a closely related cluster of dialects spoken in the Aurès region (''Berber:'' Awras) of eastern Algeria and surrounding areas including

, Khenchela, south

Sétif Sétif ( ar, سطيف, ber, Sṭif) is the capital of the Sétif Province in Algeria. It is one of the most important cities of eastern Algeria and the country as a whole, since it is considered the trade capital of the country. It is an inner ci ...

, Souk Ahras,

, and the north part of Biskra. Recently the Shawiya language, together with the Kabyle language, has begun to achieve some cultural prominence due to the Berber cultural and political movements in Algeria.

Culture and art

Chaoui music is a specific style of Berber music. The Shawia dance is called Rahaba; men and women dancing at weddings. There are many 20th century singers, such as

Aïssa Djermouni Aïssa Djermouni or Aïssa El Jermouni or Aissa Merzougui or Aïssa L'Jarmouni (1886–1946) is an Algerian poet and a singer of Berber origin. Biography Aïssa Djermouni was born in M'toussa ( Kenchela) in 1886, Merzoug came from the great B ...

Ali Khencheli Ali Khencheli or Mahmoud Djellal (born at Khenchela) was an Algerian Algerian may refer to: * Something of, or related to Algeria * Algerian people This article is about the demographic features of the population of Algeria, including popul ...

, Massinissa, Ishem Boumaraf, Djamel Sabri,

Groupe Iwal A group is a military unit or a military formation that is most often associated with military aviation. Air and aviation groups The terms group and wing differ significantly from one country to another, as well as between different branches o ...

, Houria Aïchi, etc. Chaoui painters and sculptors (of whom there are many) include

Cherif Merzouki Cherif Merzouki or Cherif Merzougui or Merzogui (February 8, 1951 Amentan, Menaa, Aurès - April 4, 1991 Aurès ) was a painter and Illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by p ...

, Abdelkhader Houamel, Hassane Amraoui,

Adel Abdessemed Adel Abdessemed (born 1971) is an Algerian-French contemporary artist. He has worked in a variety of artistic media, media, including animation, installation art, installation, performance art, performance, sculpture and video art, video. Som ...

, and

Mohamed Demagh Mohamed Demagh (4 July 1930 – 16 August 2018) was an Algerian sculptor. Biography During the Algerian War Mohamed Demagh survived a bombing of French aviation in the maquis in Aures under the command of Abdelhamid Boudiaf (not to be confu ...

. The

fantasia Fantasia International Film Festival (also known as Fantasia-fest, FanTasia, and Fant-Asia) is a film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. Regularly held in July of each year, it is valued by both hardcore ...

is a traditional exhibition of horsemanship in the

Aurès , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Natural region , image_skyline = Ras el Aïoun.jpg , image_alt = , image_caption = Landscape of the Aurès in Ras el Aïoun , image_flag ...

performed during cultural festivals. The Chaoui were featured in

Amor Hakkar Amor Hakkar (Arabic: عمر حكار; born 1 January 1958), is an Algerian filmmaker as well as a producer, screenwriter and actor currently active in French film industry. He owns the film production company "Sarah Films". Personal life He was ...

's 2008 film ''

La Maison jaune ''The Yellow House'' (french: La Maison jaune) is a 2007 Algerian film. Synopsis In Algeria, in the arid mountainous landscapes of the Aurès , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Natural region , image_skyline = ...

''.

References

Bibliography

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"A propos de Thérèse Rivière (1901-1970) et de ses missions dans l’Aurès",''Études et Documents Berbères'', 4, 1988, 94-102. * Fery R., "Aurès (Le Haf)", ''Encyclopédie Berbère'', (43), 1988, 1p. * Galand L., "Libyque et berbère", ''Annuaire EPHE'' (IVe section), 1977–78, p. 199-212. * Gaudry M., ''La femme chaouïa de l’Aurès'', Étude de sociologie berbère, Paris, P. Geuthner, 1929 (texte poétique, p. 274-279). * Hamouda N., "Les femmes rurales de l’Aurès et la production poétique", ''Peuples méditerranéens'', 22–23, 1983, p. 267-269 (texte poétique). * Huyghe R.P., ''Dictionnaire français-chaouïa'' (Qamūs rūmi-caui), Alger, Jourdan, 1906, 750 p. * Huyghe R.P., ''Dictionnaire chaouïa-arabe-kabyle- français'', Alger, 1907, 571 p. * Joly A., ''Le chaouiya des Ouled Sellem, suivi d’un vocabulaire'', Alger, 1912, 88 p. (= Revue africaine, 1911–4, p. 441-449 et 1912–2, p. 219-266). * Lafkioui M. & Merolla D., ''Contes berbères chaouis de l'Aurès d'après Gustave Mercier.'' Köln, Köppe, 2002. * Maougal M., "L’arabisation des Chaouïa", ''Nedjma'', Paris, 1, 1981, p. 20-42. * Maougal M., "Une étude sociolinguistique en pays chaouïa", ''Nedjma'', Paris, 6, 1984, p. 35-50. * Masqueray, E., ''Comparaison d’un vocabulaire des Zenaga avec les vocabulaires correspondents des dialectes Chawia et des Beni Mzab'', Paris, Imprimerie Nationale, (Archives des missions scientifiques et littéraires 3/5), 1879, p. 473-533. * Masqueray, E., ''Formation des cités chez les populations sédentaires de l’Algérie. Kabyles du Djurdjura'', ''Chaouia de l’Aourâs'', Beni Mezâb. (Réed.) Aix-en-Provence, Edisud, 1886–1983, 374 p. (Archives maghrébines, CRESM) (Fac-sim. Del’éd. 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Jourdan, 1879 * Papier A., "De l’étymologie des mots employés par les Grecs, les Romains, les Arabes pour désigner le Djebel Aurès", ''Revue de l’Afrique française'', 1887. * Penchoen Th.G., ''Etude syntaxique d'un parler ber''bère (Ait Frah de l'Aurès), Napoli, Istituto Universitario Orientale(= Studi magrebini V), 1973, 217p. * Plault, "Études berbères, La langue berbère dans la commune mixte de Barika", ''Revue africaine'', 1946, p. 194-207, (vocabulaire, bovins). * Riviere Th., "Coutumes agricoles de l’Aurès", ''Études et Documents berbères'', 3, 1987, p. 124-152 (informations sur les documents recueillis par Th. 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Basset, ''Textes berbères de l’Aurès, 1961'', Kroniek van Afrika, Leyde, 1967, p. 122-125. * Stuhlmann F., ''Die Kulturgeschichtlicher Ausflug in den Aures'', Atlas von Süd-Algerien, Hamburg, Friederichsen, 1912, XII/205 p., ill. * Stumme H., ''Arabische und berberische Dialekte'', Berlin, 1928, p. 14-19. * ''Tafsut'' (série normale, Tizi-Ouzou), 4, 1982, p. 24-28: Dihya, neγ tigγri n Wawras (Dihya, ou l’appel des Aurès), (texte berbère sur une chanteuse aurésienne). * Vycichl W., "Un probléme de cartographie historique: Claude Ptolémée et la cartographie de la Tunisie actuelle", ''Polyphème'' (Genève), 1, 1969, 31–33. (dénominations des points cardinaux).

External links

*
Pictures of Chaouis

Videos in Chaoui

chawinet.com
(in French) * http://www.truveo.com/khouya-ya-chaoui/id/2928217872
''Among the hill-folk of Algeria: journeys among the Shawía of the Aurès Mountains (1921)''
by

Melville William Hilton-Simpson Melville may refer to: Places Antarctica *Cape Melville (South Shetland Islands) *Melville Peak, King George Island * Melville Glacier, Graham Land * Melville Highlands, Laurie Island * Melville Point, Marie Byrd Land Australia *Cape Melville, ...

{{authority control Berber peoples and tribes Berbers in Algeria Ethnic groups in Algeria Indigenous peoples of North Africa