Iznasen

The Iznasen or Iznathen or Yath Iznathen (in riffian berber of Iznathen : ⵝ/ⵝ ⵢⴰⵣⵏ-ⴰⵝ-ⵏ, in rifian arabic of Iznathen : ابناء/ابنات يزناثن) is a berber rifian tribe. Some Arab tribes coexist with the Yath Iznathen since the 19th century, but are not part of them, because the Yath Iznathen tribe is exclusively Berber, being the Berber name of the Berber tribal group of the Zenata (or Zenatha).

For Berbers, the legitimacy of considering oneself ethnically Berber rests on having a paternally Berber lineage, that is, on the origin of the seed, and the origin of the seed of the seed of the seed, etc..., whether one is man or woman. In other words, Berber identity is transmitted through the paternal line. Therefore, Berberization is impossible, although non-Berbers Berber-speakers, this does not make them ethnically Berber. In each douar, the ethnic origin of every family is known by the indigenous (Berber or Arab).

Beni Znassen mountains.

Layout

The Yat Iznathen tribe is an amazigh rifian tribe. They are divided into four major tribes :

Language

The amazigh Zenati Berber dialect spoken by the Yat iznassen is called Tarifit or Taznassit and is similar to the dialects of the Algerian Berber tribes neighboring the wilaya of Tlemcen (Souaḥlia, Msirda, Trara, Beni Boussaïd, Beni/Ait Snous...), because before the creation of the current Moroccan and Algerian borders, these tribes were very close, and many have family ties with them. and the Arabic dialect of the Yat Iznassen is to the Eastern Moroccan dialect.