Spillmann describes them as former great Saharan nomads whose movements reached the Touat, Gourara and Tidikelt, with caravans to the Sudan around 1870; the occupation of the Algerian oases in 1901-1902 pushed them westwards. They elect a common sheikh every year. Bound to the Bni Mhammed by a tafergant pact, they get on with the Aït Ouahlim, especially the Aït Hassou, and are the bitterest enemies of the Aït Isfoul. They fought the French advance from 1870 and supported Mohammed n'Ifrouten and then Belqasem Ngadi; in 1932 they “preferred exile to submission”, writes Spillmann, and the translator recalls their resistance in the Draa and the Bani. A legend has their ancestors enter the confederation under the sponsorship of the Aït Bou Iknifen.
Assisted translation, not validated
Sections and lineages
- Irjdalen
- Aït Amr
- Ilhyan
- Izoulain
- Aït Taghla
- Aït Bourk
Spillmann (2007), trad. p. 77-78, n. 23 et 27 du traducteur — Six ighsan according to Hart, which the translator judges consistent with what the Aït Khebbach themselves say; Spillmann gave only two. The common sheikh is elected among the first four.
Notables
- Mohammed ou BaniOf the Irjdalen; a renowned old fighter, loyal to Belqasem Ngadi.Spillmann (2007), trad. p. 78 (orig. p. 94)
Classifications according to the sources
- Table of the five khmas, situation at the end of 1930.Spillmann (2007), trad. p. 61 (orig. p. 74)
Sources — 1 sources cited · 1 independent documentary line(s)
- Spillmann et al., 2007 — trad. p. 30, 77-78 (orig. p. 34, 92-94)Excerpts consulted · Colonial military