Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 2.djvu/68

 50 NOETH-WEST AFRICA. primitive type are the inhabitants of the Ghurian and Ycfren highlands ; of all the native tribes these have also most valiantly maintained their independence. The Jebel Yefren is still the hotbed of all insurrectionary movements, and these natives are fond of relating with pride the heroic deeds of their forefathers, notably those of their last hero, Ilhuma, who maintained for years a guerilla warfare against the Turks. In military prowess, as well as love of work, the care bestowed on their fields and orchards, intelligence and natural vivacity, these are the " Kabylcs " of Tripolitana. The contrast is very striking between them and the sluggish peoples of the lowlands. The Jebel Nefusa, north-west of the Jebel Yefren, is also inhabited by Berber tribes, some of whom still speak a dialect closely allied to that of the Tuaregs. But most of the natives are probably descended from those Luata or Liuata, that is, the ancient Libu or Libyans, Avho were the masters of the land before the Arab inva- sion, and who, like the Arabs themselves, came originally from the east to seek new homes in north Africa. In one of the Jebel Nefusa tribes, as amongst the Aulad Nail of Algeria, the young women are in the habit of migrating to the surrounding oases and towns to earn their dowry by the sacrifice of their virtue. Tarik, con- queror of Spain, was a Ncfesi, or Berber of the Jebel Nefusa, and he belonged perhaps to one of those tribes which had become mingled with the Christian popu- lations, but professed the Jewish religion. Hence possibly the favour he showed to the Spanish Jews at the time of the conquest. At present the inhabitants of the Jebel Nefusa, although adherents of Islam, belong to the " fifth sect," being Ibad- hitcs, like the Bcni-Mzab of Algeria. Amongst the Berber highlanders, some tribes still dwell in underground villages, and according to Duveyrier, these troglodytes have given their name to the Jebel Garian, or " Cave Mountains," commonly but wrongly called the Jebel Ghurian. A square space 25 to 30 feet deep is excavated in the sandy or limestone rock, and on either side of this pit are opened the vaulted chambers in which the inhabitants reside. A well sunk in the enclosure supplies them with water, which usually lies within a few yards of the surface. Communication is effected with the outer world by means of a winding passage protected at either end by a strong gate, and through this the people return every evening to their retreat, with their animals and poultry. Before the arrival of the Arabs and the spread of Islam, the troglodytes raised altars to the gods. In the vicinity of the mountains, and especially round about the Jebel Msid on the upland Tar-hona plains, religious monimients have been preserved, dating imdoubtedly from pre-Arab times, and attributed to the ancestors of the Berbers. They are constructed of megalithic blocks resembling those of Britanny, Andalusia, and South Algeria, but presenting some distinctive features. The Berber monuments of Tripolitana take the form of porticoes averaging 10 feet high, made of two square pillars resting on a common pedestal and supporting a quadrangular block, which exceeds in height the vertical stones on either side. Between the latter the opening would be too narrow, says Barth, for a single person to squeeze through, unless he was extremely thin.