The Ath-Kani tribe and French land policy A Study of French Overseas Archives (ANOM)

Abstract

The study draws on the knowledge of the Ath Kani tribe, which is one of the most important tribes in the Sahel valley, from the southeast side of the Djurdjura mountain, which occupies a strategic geographical location, in addition to being a gateway to the villages of upper Djurdjura via Tirourda pass; which allowed it to be a very important stakeholder in land conflicts during the French colonial period, especially with regard to its territorial borders with neighboring tribes on issues of water, forests and pastures, which is explained by documents from the French archives (ANOM) In in which we will discover the contents of the tribe’s historical and geographical archives, how the real estate policy was implemented, in particular the Senatus Consult law, which is an important real estate legal process, due to changes in ownership and the dismantling of the tribal system and social bonds, as well as reactions from tribal residents. How was this real estate policy implemented in Ath Kani and what is the importance of this region in the land register archives?  In this study we rely on archival documents, from which we learn everything about the applications of the Senatus Consult and its negative repercussions on the social and economic structure.

Keywords: Real Estate Policy, Ath Kani, Senatus Consult, Archives, Division.