Post by Igu on Apr 26, 2005 15:43:12 GMT -5
The kabyle society is organized in concentric circles. Its core is the wide family (in the "axxam"). The plural of families form the "taxarruvt", whose members have a common ancestor, who goes back to the fourth or the fifth generation.
The "adrum" is a larger group than the taxarruvtl. Several "iderman" (plural of "adrum") form the village ("taddart") with its agraw (assembled citizens who are in age to carry weapons) and its aguram, the excuter of the decisions.
The villages (tuddar) federate in an area: the agwemmad (today arabized into "âarch"). The inhabitants of the igwemmaden constitutes the "agdud" (people). Contrary to the wide spread idea, the agwemmad in its old acceptance was a territory, not a group of people as some of its translations mean (tribe). In Kabylie, they are the inhabitants who belong to a territory, not the reverse (ath zmenzer = those of zmenzer). This concept was never included/understood neither by the arabo-Moslems, neither by Turkish, nor later by French.
In Arab society, the people are not related to a territory and are not rooted there. Among Europeans, it is the territory which belongs to its inhabitants. Let us take examples: iwzellagen, ath Mlikéche, illoulen, ath waghlis etc.. Among the kabyles, these names indicate territories, not tribes.
The inhabitants of these territories are recognized by a slight variation of the language (pronunciation, narrower terms...) or by their accent. In no case one may differentiate them by their patronym or their affiliation.
Arabs and French translated "agwemmad" and its arabized form the "Arouch" into "tribes", one might be misleaded and understand that a Arch's people have the same affiliation or blood ties, which is not the case.
In certain cases, one finds in the same village (taddart) a population where all the inhabitants carry the same patronym and are descent of common ancestor. In this situation, one really can legitimately speak about tribe (example: ivuziden).
Under the reign of Muslim dynasties, the kabyles were forced to arabize the name of their social authorities. the aguram (the wise, Sometimes still called amoqran) head of the village is called Amin..
In the social and politic organization of kabyle villages, The Imam does not play any role. In certain villages, where the Imam comes from the Imravten families, he is rarely represented in the assembly of the village.
These imravten families have a certain statute that was imposed by the muslim dynasties (especially murabitin). It happens however that the imam attends the assembly as an observer. He does not have the right to request a speach, nor to deliver his opinion if the aguram does not require it.
The imezwar should not in any case use the imam as a witness or to request his support.
In certain villages more strongly Islamized than others, the imam can be invited to recite the fatiha (in Arabic) without however taking the initiative to open the meeting.
After the aguram closes a meeting, the imam might be invited to give the "daâwa el to khir" in kabyle.
The "adrum" is a larger group than the taxarruvtl. Several "iderman" (plural of "adrum") form the village ("taddart") with its agraw (assembled citizens who are in age to carry weapons) and its aguram, the excuter of the decisions.
The villages (tuddar) federate in an area: the agwemmad (today arabized into "âarch"). The inhabitants of the igwemmaden constitutes the "agdud" (people). Contrary to the wide spread idea, the agwemmad in its old acceptance was a territory, not a group of people as some of its translations mean (tribe). In Kabylie, they are the inhabitants who belong to a territory, not the reverse (ath zmenzer = those of zmenzer). This concept was never included/understood neither by the arabo-Moslems, neither by Turkish, nor later by French.
In Arab society, the people are not related to a territory and are not rooted there. Among Europeans, it is the territory which belongs to its inhabitants. Let us take examples: iwzellagen, ath Mlikéche, illoulen, ath waghlis etc.. Among the kabyles, these names indicate territories, not tribes.
The inhabitants of these territories are recognized by a slight variation of the language (pronunciation, narrower terms...) or by their accent. In no case one may differentiate them by their patronym or their affiliation.
Arabs and French translated "agwemmad" and its arabized form the "Arouch" into "tribes", one might be misleaded and understand that a Arch's people have the same affiliation or blood ties, which is not the case.
In certain cases, one finds in the same village (taddart) a population where all the inhabitants carry the same patronym and are descent of common ancestor. In this situation, one really can legitimately speak about tribe (example: ivuziden).
Under the reign of Muslim dynasties, the kabyles were forced to arabize the name of their social authorities. the aguram (the wise, Sometimes still called amoqran) head of the village is called Amin..
In the social and politic organization of kabyle villages, The Imam does not play any role. In certain villages, where the Imam comes from the Imravten families, he is rarely represented in the assembly of the village.
These imravten families have a certain statute that was imposed by the muslim dynasties (especially murabitin). It happens however that the imam attends the assembly as an observer. He does not have the right to request a speach, nor to deliver his opinion if the aguram does not require it.
The imezwar should not in any case use the imam as a witness or to request his support.
In certain villages more strongly Islamized than others, the imam can be invited to recite the fatiha (in Arabic) without however taking the initiative to open the meeting.
After the aguram closes a meeting, the imam might be invited to give the "daâwa el to khir" in kabyle.