Chaouia (Morocco)

The Chaouia (Arabic: الشاوية) is an Moroccan tribal confederation made up of Arabised Berber tribes, and a historical region of Morocco. It is bounded by the Oum er-Rbi' River to its southwest, the Cherrate River to its northeast, the plain of Tadla to the southeast and the Atlantic Ocean to the northwest. The region covers a land area of nearly 14 000 km2.

Map of the Chaouia and its tribes
Chaouia
الشاوية
Berber-ethnic tribal confederation
EthnicityBerber
LocationWestern Morocco
Parent tribeZenata

Masmuda Sanhaja

    LanguageArabic
    ReligionSunni Islam

    Etymology

    The word "Chaouia" means "Land of Chaouis". "Chaoui" is a Berber[1] word meaning "sheeps possessors or shepherds".[1][2][3]

    Geography

    Geographically, the Chaouia can be divided into two sub-regions: low and high. The low Chaouia being the coastal part while the high Chaouia is further inland. Soils vary in fertility: The dark tirs is prized for its high yields and is found among the Mdhakra, Ouled Hriz and Oulad said. There is also the red hamri terra rossa.

    Throughout Morocco's history, the Chaouia was famous for farming wheat and barley, which were exported in years of abundance from Casablanca, Fédala or Azemmour. Chaouia sheep was also prized for its wool, which was also exported to Marseille where it was known as wardigha in reference to one of the tribes in the interior.

    Nowadays, the Chaouia is part of the Casablanca-Settat administrative region.[4][5][6]

    History

    Originally, the Chaouia was ruled by the Barghawata until it was unified to Morocco by the Almoravids,[7] depopulating the area.[8] After the Almohad ruler Abd al-Mu'min captured the town of Marrakesh in 1147, he encouraged the settlement of Bedouin Arab tribes in the area and the rest of the Moroccan coastal plains[8] which were largely depopulated after the Almoravid conquest,[8] including Banu Hilal, Banu Sulaym, and Banu Ma'qil,[9] which led to a further extension of Arabic and an increased importance of Arab elements in the power equation of Morocco,[8] to the point where no one could have ruled there without their co-operation.[10]

    In the early 20th century, the Chaouia carried out a strong rebellion against the French.[11] In 1907, the French bombarded Casablanca and entered the Chaouia region before extending their control over all of Morocco.[12] During the French protectorate, the Chaouia was part of the "Autonomous subdivision of Casablanca". It was then divided into three civilians controls : Chaouia-North (Casablanca), Chaouia-Center (Berrechid) and Chaouia-South (Settat).

    A farmer in a field of barley in the Chaouia, published August 15, 1917 in the magazine France-Maroc.

    Tribal composition

    The Chaouia tribal confederation traditionally consists of 14 Arabic-speaking tribes:

    Tribe Origin Notes
    Achach Arab (Banu Sulaym)[13]: 157–190 
    Beni Meskin Arab Previously part of the Tadla confederacy, joined the Chaouia in the 19th century.
    Mdakra Arab (Ahlaf and Sabbah) and Berber (Hawwara)[13]: 117–156  Merged with a Barghawata original group.
    Mediouna arab (Banu Hilal)[13]: 15–23 
    Mzab Berber (Zenata)
    Mzamza Mainly Arab (Banu Hilal) with a significant Arab (Banu Jusham) affluent[13]: 243–320 
    Oulad Ali Arab (Banu Ma'qil)[13]: 117–156 
    Oulad Bouziri Berber (Sanhaja)[13]: 243–320 
    Oulad Hriz Mainly Arab with a few subtribes[13]: 71–116 
    Oulad Saïd Arab (Zughba, Banu Hilal)[13]: 191–242  Settled in the region during the Marinid era
    Oulad Sidi Bendaoud Mainly Berber (Sanhaja)[13]: 243–320 
    Oulad Zyan Arab (Zughba, Banu Hilal)[13]: 24–29 
    Zenata Berber (Zenata)[13]: 30–44 
    Zyayda Arab

    References
    1. As Ibn Khaldoun said: (The people of Chaouia do possess sheeps (chaate) and cows as livestock, and their wealth is pretty good based on that). History of Ibn Khaldun, part 2 page. 15
    2. « Ce terme pluriel "Chaoui", signifie possesseurs de troupeaux de moutons. A l'origine, il servait vraisemblablement à désigner les Berbères nomades et tant que l'on tint compte de son étymologie – ainsi que semble l'avoir fait Ibn Khaldoun – le nom de Chaouia ne paraît pas avoir été donné indistinctement à toutes les tribus du Tamesna, mais seulement à celles purement pastorales des steppes de l'intérieur auxquelles il s'appliquait mieux qu'à la population déjà en partie agricole de la plaine littorale. Par la suite, ce qualificatif devint un véritable nom ethnique et sa signification première tomba dans l'oubli » - F. Weisberger (1935), via M. Belmir, Le Dr F. Weisgerber sur les pistes des Chaouia, dans liberation.ma (1st Oct. 2014)
    3. تاريخ ابن خلدون - ابن خلدون - ج ٢ق١ - الصفحة ١٥. shiaonlinelibrary.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2022-09-09.
    4. "Chaouia", on Encyclopédie Universalis
    5. J.F. Troin & M. Berriane, Les espaces satellites de Casablanca : Chaouia et Doukkala, in Maroc : régions, pays, territoires, 2002, pp.71-86 (ISBN 2-7068-1630-9)
    6. E. Lapeyre & E. Marchand, Casablanca, la Chaouia, 1918 (N. 2 43-120-3)
    7. S. Lévy, Pour une histoire linguistique du Maroc, in Peuplement et arabisation au Maghreb occidental: dialectologie et histoire, 1998, pp.11-26 (ISBN 84-86839-85-8)
    8. Isichei, Elizabeth (1997-04-13). A History of African Societies to 1870. Cambridge University Press. p. 190. ISBN 978-0-521-45599-2.
    9. Fauvel, Jean-Jacques (1978). Le Guide bleu du Maroc (in French). Paris: Hachette Tourisme. p. 302.
    10. Fage, J. D.; Oliver, Roland Anthony (1975). The Cambridge History of Africa: From c. 500 B.C. to A.D. 1050. Cambridge University Press. p. 360. ISBN 978-0-521-20981-6.
    11. E. Burke, Mouvements sociaux et mouvements de résistance au Maroc: la grande siba de la Chaouia (1903-1907), dans Hesperis Tamuda Rabat, vol.17, 1976, pp.149-163
    12. J. Augarde, Le général d'Amade pacificateur de la Chaouia, in Revue historique de l'armée, n°166, 1987, pp.24-32 (ISSN 0035-3299)
    13. Mission Scientifique du Maroc (coll.), Villes et Tribus du Maroc: Casablanca et les Chaouïa, Tome II, Ed. E. Leroux (Paris), 1915

    Bibliography
    • F. Weisberger, Casablanca et les Chaouia en 1900, Ed. Impr. Réunies (Casablanca), 1935
    • E. Marchand, Casablanca, la Chaouia, Ed. Larose (Paris), 1918
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