History of Haratine People of Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya.

Haratine People can be found in Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya they are also known as Haratin meaning people of dark skin color, Haratine in Arabic meaning plowmen for women.

.According to their Oral history they were captured during wars and brought into Sahara lands as enslaved people by the Arabs, their forefathers worked in the arable lands across the oases the Saharan and adopted the culture and language of the people who used to owned them which they speak Arabic in countries such as Morocco, It is believed they were 2 types of Haratin slaves such as Abid meaning slave and Haratin which were considered as dark skin free people mostly they were of Barbara, Fulani, Wolof and Sonineke ancestry In the 17th Century they were forced and recruited into the Abid al- Bukhari the elite army of the Moroccan ruler called Ismai'l many worked in the palm groves or as herdsmen in the South and Others migrated from Northern part of Morocco often for menial works attached to the soil.  

According to Haratine Anthropologist the Black African origins of Haratins the Moors is beyound doubt, their language, culture were however of the Arabs, the product of centuries of enslavement to Beydan were considered to be white they believed to be the descendants of the Arabs who claimed to be Bebers, In the post colonial Present day Mauritania and migration to some extent broke down the Slavery system In the districts of the capital Noukachott became the haven for escaped Haratine and formed the emancipation movement of the free known as El Hor in 1974.   

Others claimed they descended from Intermarriages between West African tribes, Bebers , Arabs later the Black Guard were soldiers of Black Africans assembled by the Alaouite Sultan of Morocco.

 It is said Black Guard descended from black captives brought to Morocco from Sub- Saharan Africa who settled in special colonies with their families to work and to provide Soldiers who would start a military service they were considered as more loyal and obedient than the Arabs because of their ethnic groups affiliation, Ismai'l black soldiers formed the bulk of his standing army and numbered 50, 000 at peak.

 In their Culture the women wear a headband jewelery and their diet consists of meat, millet, rice, fish, sweet potatoes, traditionally their breakfast consists of honey, milk, cereal, frech bread and butter, It is not respectful or acceptable to eat with or In the presence of their in laws and eating their left hand is a taboo. 

 In their traditions they slaughter cows or goats according to the number of wives and wealth of a husband a pligrimage to Mecca while they leave Mecca they come together and celebrate the end of pligrimage within the 4 days and during rainy seasons the farmers gather his family and celebrate the end of harvest festival, they also share folklores, riddles, recitation of Islamic poetry, puzzles, graphic designing such as Wall drawings and also Artists are taught the deep secret of Arts which is passed down throughout generations along with textiles, pottery and sculptures.