Sahrawi people

Sahrawis, other spellings Sahrawis Sahrawis, Sahrawi; are a Moorish ethnicity in Western Sahara. The ethnonym is from the Arabic word Sahara ( صحراء, DMG Sahra ) derived, " desert ".

History

Reports of Arab geographers of the Middle Ages were, according to the beginning of the Islamization of North Africa, the face creeping unbearable Sanhaja the dominant Berber group in the Western Sahara. They formed the core of the Almoravids, who as a religious revival of the Western Sahara covered the Maghreb and the Iberian Peninsula in the 11th century. The following spiritual and cultural heyday acts according to the Spanish- Moorish culture and architecture to this day. In the 13th century, the political unity of the Maghreb disintegrated final. In several waves attracted Arab nomadic groups presumably Yemeni origin with their herds to North Africa. The Maqil, especially the tribal confederation of Dui Hassan were established in the Western Sahara and overprinted the previously Berber population. They brought their tent shape that is characteristic to this day as "Black Tent " ( Khaima ). Unmistakably, a style typical of the Moorish camel riding saddle of the men who Rahla. According to the Dui Hassan the currently prevailing in Western Sahara language is called: Hassaniya. It is an Arabic dialect with Berber influences.

Compared to other African countries, the colonial period in the Western Sahara was quite short. 1884 declared the Spaniards, the area between La Gouira in the south and the Cape Bojador their protectorate. They only talked for a few minor trading posts on the coast. It was not until 1930-1934 invaded Spanish colonial troops against the interior.

The Spanish troops left the country permanently in 1976, after which the southern part of Mauritania, Morocco annexed the northern part. The proclaimed state has its Western Sahara government in exile to this day in the camps in western Algeria. Its military arm, the Polisario Front, was successful in the fight against Mauritania, which completely withdrew from Western Sahara. After bloody fighting against the Moroccan army, the Polisario Front controls about a third of the claimed desert land.

Also the armistice of 1991 has not led to a resolution of the situation. In the Western Sahara still 308,000 people live, sahraurische 200,000 refugees living abroad, most of them in Algeria. Shortly after the border is home to a large group of approximately 165,000 Sahauris in four tent camps in the Algerian Sahara in the territory of Tindouf. These bearings are used to be supplied by the UNHCR, and it has there developed a rudimentary infrastructure. Given the lack of prospects in the camps try many of the young people to flee to neighboring countries or to Europe.

Society and Culture

The traditional livelihood of the nomadic Saharawi is the breeding of camels, sheep and goats, was formerly next to the caravan trade of great importance. The still prevailing in Mauritania hierarchical classification of the ruling warriors to former slaves was largely lost in the Western Sahara region during the 20th century, much helped from the 1970s, the egalitarian model of society in the Polisario.

Music plays a large role in the cultural life. There are about ten known traditional musical instruments, three of which are widespread. The majority of men played melodic instrument is the long-necked lute tidinit spit, just like the bow harp of women, Ardin, goes back to ancient Egyptian roots. Women accompanying their songs mostly with the boiler drum T'bal. Since the 1980s, the tidinit is urged by the loud -sounding electric guitar in the background.