The Haha or Iḥaḥan (in Shilha) (Arabic: حاحا, romanized: Ḥāḥā) is a Moroccan confederation of Masmouda Berber tribes in the Western High Atlas in Morocco. They identify themselves as a tribal confederacy of the Chleuh people, and speak the Shilha language. Their region stretches along from the city of Essaouira south to the Souss Valley, mainly on the Atlantic coast.
History
Despite being Islamized, the Haha lack Arab blood. They were possibly Islamized by Uqba ibn Nafi. The confederation first appeared in history as a supporter of the Almoravids in the 11th century and later the Almohads. Ibn Khaldun described the Haha as proud and courageous and other authors like Leo Africanus and Marmol also spoke about the Haha and their territory.
Writing about the province of Haha, Leo Africanus says:
Haha is a harsh land, with many high, craggy mountains, forests and valleys, and narrow streams. It is well populated and full of goats and donkeys, but fewer sheep, cattle and horses; little fruit grows there, not because the land is poor, but because the people are ignorant, for I have seen many places where grapes, figs and peaches flourish. They grow little wheat but large amounts of barley and millet, along with honey, which they eat without knowing to keep the wax too. There are many thorny trees that produce fruit somewhat like Spanish olives, which they call argan in their language, and from which they make a stinking, foul oil, used for food and fuel.
In the 1939 census, they had a population of 84,000 people and had 20 Jews among them.
Tribal composition
The Haha are made up of the following tribes:
- Ida Ou Gourd
- Ida Ou Issaren
- Ida Ou Guelloul
- Aït Amer
- Ineknafen
- Imgrad
- Ida Ou Kazzou
- Ida Ou Tghemma
- Aït Zelten
- Ida Ou Zemzem
- Ida Ou Bouzia
- Aït ʿIssi
Notable figures
See also
References
- ^ Agabi, C. (2000-01-01). "Haha". Encyclopédie berbère (in French) (22): 3326–3328. doi:10.4000/encyclopedieberbere.1642. ISSN 1015-7344.
- ^ Deverdun, Gaston (1971). "Ḥāḥā". In Lewis, B.; Ménage, V. L.; Pellat, Ch. & Schacht, J. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Volume III: H–Iram. Leiden: E. J. Brill. OCLC 495469525.
- Africanus, Leo (2023-03-02). The Cosmography and Geography of Africa. Random House. pp. 51–52. ISBN 978-0-14-199882-4.
- Aït El-Haj, M'haned (1998). "حاحا" [Ḥāḥā]. معلمة المغرب [Encyclopedia of Morocco] (in Arabic). Vol. 10. p. 3264.
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