Peoples Of The Draa Valley
The term Draoui (plural Draou or draw) or Ouled dra means different populations living in or from the valley of the Draa (which runs the longest river in Morocco : the river Draa region of Souss-Massa-Draa. This valley has been the subject of television reports in France, given its unique geographical location, its tourist attractions and its mosaic of peoples whose composition is reflected in a more general throughout southern Morocco.
Archival documents and treaties show that Moroccans called the inhabitants of the valley of the Draa "Ouled dra"
In Roman times the river dra was known as River Darat. therefore the inhabitants of the valley dra also bore the name of DARATITES.
The Draa Valley is located near the Tafilalet (region of origin of the current Alawite dynasty ) and the Sahara.
 Location variations | |
| Chleuh | Braber |
| Rif | Chenoui |
| Kabyle | Chaoui |
| Touareg | Saharan |
The original (non-Arab and non-Jewish) Draa the word is uncertain, it is perhaps a corruption of Berber Targa word meaning "river, canal, ditch, valley. The "T" would be transformed into "D" and the "G" to "A". Similarly, the name comes from At Touareg targa (AIT, awt meaning in all the Berber languages "of children or people"). The Touareg (like Almoravids ) are branches of the Berber tribe of Sanhadja
These populations or tribes are in fact variety of ethnic backgrounds (see external links):
- Arab population (some say they Chorfa or Sharifians )
- people of Berber origin ( Berber languages )
- Jewish populations
- populations from former slaves from Sub-Saharan various
- populations from interbreeding between these different communities.
The valley consisted of sedentary people (living on agriculture) and nomadic (live trade and / or pasteuralisme) (see external links). Only free people have the right to own property (land, livestock). The high level of the river has for centuries the establishment and development of diverse populations. However, repeated periods of drought have led to an exodus of some rural farming population of this valley (and other regions of Morocco) to large cities like Marrakech and Casablanca, among others.
The term sheriff or Sherifian the singular (and Shorfa plural) is used to identify persons with an ancestor descendant of Islam's Prophet Muhammad. In the Maghreb the word "Sudan" is used to refer to all people from sub-Saharan black-skinned and by extension "slave or descendant of slaves" whatever their country of origin (and therefore not only the Sudan ). The term "ABDE or ABID" clearly means "slave or descendant of a slave or a person with black skin."
In the Valley of the Draa have existed independent kingdoms Jews and Christians.
By ignorance, some Moroccan associate the term Draoui, often with connotations offensive racist (connotation appeared in the twentieth century), or descendants of black slaves. The reasons for this association are unclear given that there are black people in different regions of southern Morocco. One can only speculate: in the imagination of many Moroccans from below and Marrakech (the capital of southern Morocco) populations all have black skin and, therefore, would by this "logic" descendants former slaves. Remember that for centuries, one of the most famous cities by the Moroccans in Marrakech was below Timbuktu , the city further south of the empire of Saadi, in the 1970s, one could still see out of Marrakech panel indicating the direction of the city of Mali , which is part of the current Moroccan descendants of slaves.
In Morocco, the illiteracy rate remains relatively high (in spite of significant recent policy efforts). It partly explains the partial or total ignorance of some Moroccans about their history and origin of the populations that make up the country.
Moreover, since the recent abolition of slavery in Morocco (in 1920), the Arab-Muslims have not yet made their self-critical about their slave past that they are aware. Slavery in Morocco has also affected European populations from spoils of war.
The dynasty of Sharifian Saadian comes from the Draa Valley. These populations of southern Morocco and Western Sahara have played a major role throughout the Grand Maghreb, Sub-Saharan Africa (Senegal, Mali, Niger ...), and Europe (South France, Spain, Portugal, Sicily etc..) waves of Islamization in north and south of the Maghreb. Southern Morocco has given birth to great dynasties Arab-Berber warriors who, through a diplomatic game of alliances with other tribes in the kingdom on religious grounds often conservative, managed to extend and consolidate their geographical influence over periods shorter.
In Morocco , but also in Algeria and Tunisia , Draoui is a surname.
Sources
See also
- Draa
- History of Western Sahara
- Essaouira
- Banu Hassan
- Zagora (Morocco)
- Jews of Morocco
- Moroccan music
Loading ...