The Berber people

The Berber people are native to North Africa, notably the area west of the Nile Valley. You can find them spread throughout this area from the Atlantic Ocean to Egypt and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. The Berber language has many different dialects all of which are part of the Afro-Asiatic language. These people refer to themselves as free men, but throughout history they have been known by many different names, such as the Moors, the Mauri and the Numidians.

As far back as there are any recorded settlements in Africa, there have been Berber people. There are references to them in the history of ancient Egypt and they formed the main population of the Western portion of the Sahara Desert since the earliest times. There were large concentrations of Berber populations along the Atlantic coast of Africa who came into contact with a wide group of invaders and travellers. All of these interactions influenced the Berber culture making causing small changes and adaptations over the course of centuries.

One of the most important influences on the history of the Berbers was the coming of Islam. It permeated all aspects of life and often replaced tribal rituals and practices. The Berbers were very quick to convert to Islam and to provide assistance to the Arab invaders in any way they could. Islam came to the Berber territory in the 7th century, but there were tensions between the Berbers and the Arabs because of the prejudice the Arabs had for the Berber people. In most cases they were regarded as second-class Muslims and were often forced into slavery. This resulted in a revolt by the Berbers in 739.

Many Muslim Berbers supported the Kharijite form of Islam, which afforded them more equality. The Kharijites established some tribal kingdoms, but most of these were short lived. The Berber communities established on the main trade routes, however, became very prosperous.

In the 9th century, the Banu Hilal tribe arrived in Northwest Africa. They had been sent into the area to punish the Berber Zind dynasty for having adopted Islam and abandoning Shiism. The arrival of this tribe was a significant factor in the Arabization of Africa and the spread of the nomad way of life in areas where there had been communities and agriculture.

It was not until the middle of the 20th century that Arabic became the official language of North Africa and this led to a rise in Berber nationalism with respect to the language. Berber is now an official language in Algeria and it is recognized as an official language in Morocco, and taught in the schools.

At one time in their history, Berbers were discriminated against in society. This is not true today as long as they do not openly display their political affiliations.
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