Tekna

The Tekna land (red) and migration routes (yellow)

Tekno country in 1909

The Tekna is a Sahrawi tribal confederation of Lamta Sanhaja Berber origins in today southern Morocco and parts of northern Western Sahara, but traditionally with wider migration routes.

The Tekna tribes speak Hassaniya Arabic and the Berber Shilha dialect in varying degrees. They are divided into several berber-speaking and Arabic-speaking subtribes, organized into the two rivalling Ait Djemel and Ait Bella leff, or factions. All Tekna are Muslims, belonging to the Maliki school of Sunni Islam. Their traditional lifestyle was partly nomadic, based on camel and goat herding, and partly sedentary, controlling important routes of the Saharan caravan trade.

During the 18th century, Morocco under Ismail Ibn Sharif sized control over the territory from Sus and Timbuktu to Moulouya River, after the death of Ismail in 1727 a civil war in Morocco led to losing these territories. thus, in May 30 1767, Mohammed ben Abdallah (Sultan of Morocco) signed a peace & commerce treaty with the Spanish King Carlos III recognizing that he doesn't have control over the Tekna.

However, at the time of the Spanish colonisation and at the beginnings of the 20th century, the Tekna tribes in the former Spanish Sahara were recognizing the Rulers of Morocco as their leaders.

See also

• Maqil
• Char Bouba war
• Sanhaja
• Bani Hassan
• Morocco
• Western Sahara
• Sahrawi
• Reguibat

Bibliography

Template:Fr Attilo Gaudio, "Les populations du Sahara occidental: histoire, vie et culture", ed. Karthala 1993, (Chap. VIII, pp. 97–116) (ISBN 2-86537-411-4) [1]