Aires linguistiques du nord-est algérien

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

Amazigh , image = File:Berber_flag.svg , caption = The Berber ethnic flag , population = 36 million , region1 = Morocco , pop1 = 14 million to 18 million , region2 = Algeria , pop2 ...

(Berber) ethnic group to the Aurès region in northeastern

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

which spans Batna and Khenchla,

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. 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 name ...

, Setif and other parts of Eastern

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

coextensive with ancient

Massylii 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 wester ...

of Numidia, as well as in some parts of adjacent North-Western

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

. They call themselves ''Išawiyen''/''Icawiyen'' (pronounced ) and speak the

Shawiya language Shawiya, or Shawiya Berber, also spelt Chaouïa (native form: ''Tacawit'' ), is a Zenati Berber language spoken in Algeria by the Shawiya people. The language's primary speech area is the Awras Mountains in Eastern Algeria and the surrounding ...

. 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 , image = File:Berber_flag.svg , caption = The Berber ethnic flag , population = 36 million , region1 = Morocco , pop1 = 14 million to 18 million , region2 = Algeria , pop2 ...

-speaking ethnicity , alongside

Kabyles The Kabyle people ( kab, Izwawen or ''Leqbayel'' or ''Iqbayliyen'', ) are a Berber ethnic group indigenous to Kabylia in the north of Algeria, spread across the Atlas Mountains, east of Algiers. They represent the largest Berber-speaking populat ...

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). Popu ...

History

Historically, the Aurès Mountains served as a refuge for

Berber people , image = File:Berber_flag.svg , caption = The Berber flag, Berber ethnic flag , population = 36 million , region1 = Morocco , pop1 = 14 million to 18 million , region2 = Algeria , p ...

s, forming a base of resistance against the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediter ...

, the

Vandals The Vandals were a Germanic people who first inhabited what is now southern Poland. They established Vandal kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula, Mediterranean islands, and North Africa in the fifth century. The Vandals migrated to the area betw ...

, the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

and

Arabs The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

. Aurès was also a district of Algeria that existed during and after the Algerian War 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 The Zenata ( Berber language: Iznaten) are a group of Amazigh (Berber) tribes, historically one of the largest Berber confederations along with the Sanhaja and Masmuda. Their lifestyle was either nomadic or semi-nomadic. Etymology ''Iznaten ( ...

and of the Botri as well. Ibn Khaldun identified the Zenata as Berbers. Modern historians rank this Berber region within the group of

Numidians The Numidians were the Berber population of Numidia (Algeria and in smaller parts of Tunisia and Morocco). The Numidians were one of the earliest Berber tribes to trade with Carthaginian settlers. As Carthage grew, the relationship with the Nu ...

and Gaetuli or the much more ancient Meshwesh, Maesulians and Mazaxes, from whom the Zenata formed, the main inhabitants of the Aurès in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. Chaoui clans known by Ibn Khaldoun were the Ifren, Maghrawa, Djerawa, Abdalwadides, Howara and Awarba. According to de Slane, translator of the books of Ibn Khaldun, the term Chaoui/Shawi means " shepherd" 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

(''Berber:'' Tachawit). It belongs to the Berber branch of the Afro-Asiatic family, and is a variety of the

Zenati languages The Zenati languages are a branch of the Northern Berber language family of North Africa. They were named after the medieval Zenata Berber tribal confederation. They were first proposed in the works of French linguist Edmond Destaing (1915) (1920 ...

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

Khenchela 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 popu ...

, south Sétif,

Souk Ahras Souk Ahras (Berber: ''Tagast''; ancient name: ''Thagast''; ar, سوق أهراس) is a municipality in Algeria. It is the capital of Souk Ahras Province. The Numidian city of Thagaste (or Tagaste), on whose ruins Souk Ahras was built, was the bi ...

, and the north part of

Biskra Biskra ( ar, بسكرة ; ; Latin Vescera) is the capital city of Biskra Province, Algeria. In 2007, its population was recorded as 307,987. Biskra is located in northeastern Algeria, about 248 miles (400 km) from Algiers, 71 miles (115&n ...

. Recently the Shawiya language, together with the

Kabyle language Kabyle () or Kabylian (; native name: ''Taqbaylit'' , ) is a Berber language spoken by the Kabyle people in the north and northeast of Algeria. It is spoken primarily in Kabylia, east of the capital Algiers and in Algiers itself, but also by va ...

, has begun to achieve some cultural prominence due to the Berber cultural and political movements in

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

Culture and art

Chaoui music is a specific style of

Berber music Amazigh music refers to the musical traditions of the Imazighen, an ethnic group native to the Maghreb, as well, as parts of the Sahara, Nile Valley, West Africa. Berber music varies widely across North-West Africa and some of the best known va ...

. The Shawia dance is called Rahaba; men and women dancing at weddings. There are many 20th century singers, such as Aïssa Djermouni, Ali Khencheli, Massinissa, Ishem Boumaraf, Djamel Sabri, Groupe Iwal, Houria Aïchi, etc. Chaoui painters and sculptors (of whom there are many) include Cherif Merzouki,

Abdelkhader Houamel Abdelkhader Houamel (August 17, 1936 – July 11, 2018) was an Algerian painter. Born in N'Gaous, he is considered to be among the founders of contemporary Algerian painting. Between 1955 and 1960, Abdelkhader Houamel was an active member of ...

, Hassane Amraoui, Adel Abdessemed, and Mohamed Demagh. The fantasia is a traditional exhibition of horsemanship in the Aurès performed during cultural festivals. The Chaoui were featured in Amor Hakkar's 2008 film '' La Maison jaune''.

References

Bibliography

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