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MOORS 545
an aristocracy and its tributaries, then two types of slaves and finally occupational
castes.
A bidan (white Moor) is ethnologically defined as a nomad of Berber-Arab
origin. Living primarily in Saharan Mauritania and Mali, the bidan becomes
progressively darker in skin color toward the south as a result of black African
admixtures. (Other elements entering the Moorish ethnic group include the non-
Negroid Fulani and the Negroid Wolof and Soninke.)
The bidan upper elements of Moorish society are divided into two strata. The
nobility, or the suzerains, are generally referred to as 'adma, or bones; the
second, commoners or tributaries, are called lahma, or flesh. The 'adma is
composed of the hassan (warriors) and the zawya (religious leaders). Before the
French "pacification," the hassan generally had political preeminence over the
zawya.
Traditionally, the function of the hassan is to protect the zawya; each zawya
tribe has its particular hassan protector. An important zawya tribe may have
several hassani tribes as protectors or vice versa. Such arrangements and verbal
treaties do not, however, imply any kind of zawya vassalage to the hassan. The
zawya provide moral, spiritual, legal and political services to their protectors,
instruct their children, minister to their sick and wounded, act as intercessors
between God and man, chase away evil spirits, prevent curses and the evil eye
and settle disputes. The hassan and zawya complement each other.
Below the two 'adma aristocratic classes come the lahma, or tributaries, who
are in a position similar to that of the clients in ancient Rome. They are grouped
into tribes which may be vassals of either the hassan or zawya tribes. They must
marry at their social level. They, too, may be men of war or of religion, although
those with martial traditions serve as auxiliary forces. Modern government injunctions
to disarm have led most of them to a life of monasticism. Many still
in remote areas pay tribute to their 'adma overlords.
The sudan (black) Moors form the lower classes of Moorish society. They
live in a world of their own, usually in slavery. Although slavery has been
outlawed, it remains basic in the social and economic structure of the Moors.
The juridical abandonment of the term 'abd (slave) and its replacement by that
of hartani (freedman) for a sudan Moor cannot hide the continued survival of
slavery in northwest Africa.
Two kinds of slaves exist: the 'abd-le-tilad, who belongs to the tent and
constitutes membership in the family, and the 'abd-le-tarbiya, an acquired slave.
Many Moors, whether in Mauritania or Mali, remain oblivious to governmental
provisions outlawing slavery. Those who are aware of them consider the laws
impractical. In their view, owners would be ruined without slaves and many
slaves would not know what to do with their freedom. Many freed slaves refuse
to leave their masters, while others form a destitute proletariat in the urban
centers.
The fourth element in Moorish society is represented by the occupational
castes, usually regarded as aliens by both 'adma and lahma, although they have