MONGABAY.COM
Mongabay.com seeks to raise interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging trends in climate, technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development (more)
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
|
|
Mauritania
Index
People on the street in Nouakchott
Courtesy Larry Barrie
In 1987 six ethnic groups inhabited Mauritania: one of
primarily Arab-Berber (Maure) descent and the others of black
African descent. In 1978 the government estimated that 70 percent
of the population was of Arab or Berber descent and 30 percent of
black African descent. Blacks, however, rejected the government's
figures, claiming their number was much higher. In any case, the
lack of reliable demographic data and a long tradition of
interracial marriage had blurred ethnic boundaries and made
attempts at ethnic identification imprecise.
The Arab-Berber population encompassed peoples of North
African origins, most of whom were nomadic or seminomadic and who
were unified primarily through the use of various dialects of
Hassaniya Arabic. Hassaniya is derived from the beduin Arabic
spoken by the Bani Hassan tribe, who extended their authority
over most of the Mauritanian Sahara between the fifteenth and
seventeenth centuries
(see Arab Invasions
, ch. 1). Hassaniya is
not closely related to other North African variants of Arabic,
probably because the Arab invaders of this southwestern portion
of the Sahara remained relatively isolated from the great Berber
tribes of the northern Sahara. The primary differences among the
numerous dialects of Hassaniya are phonetic.
The remainder of the population in 1987 comprised several
groups of varied African ancestry. Most were sedentary
agriculturists who spoke African languages. Family and kinship
groups were the predominant social units. As elsewhere in Africa,
kinship groups were preserved by interaction and social support,
shared religious observances, and rituals celebrating stages of
the life cycle of individuals. The sharing of rituals reinforced
group solidarity and the values the kinship system embodied.
Traditionally, one of the most common kinship groups
throughout Mauritania was the lineage, or descent group. Lineage
organization is based on the belief that relationships traced
through males differ substantially from those traced through
females. The patrilineage, which traces descent through male
forebears to a male ancestor, is the most common unit of social
organization in Africa; matrilineages trace descent through
female forebears to one female ancestor. Both types of lineages
include men and women, sometimes five or six generations removed
from the founding ancestor, but the linking relatives are of one
gender.
Lineages generally share responsibility for socializing the
young and maintaining conformity to social norms. Lineage elders
often meet to settle disputes, prescribe or enforce rules of
etiquette and marriage, discuss lineage concerns, and preserve
the group itself.
Lineage ties emphasize the unity of living and deceased
relatives by descent through ritual observances and ceremonies.
At times, however, lineages break apart, either because of
interpersonal rivalries or because they become too large to
maintain close ties. When such fission occurs, related lineages
usually maintain some ties and celebrate some occasions together.
If their alliance is important enough to be preserved for several
generations, the resulting confederation of lineages, usually
termed a clan, often includes thousands of individuals and may
become a powerful interest group in the context of a nation. In
Mauritania, many aspects of lineage behavior and expectation are
important, providing lineage members with a sense of history and
social responsibility and defining the role of the individual in
society.
Data as of June 1988
|
|