Chenouas

The Chenouis or Chenoua (Berber languages: Icenwiyen, Arabic: شنوة) are a Berber ethnic group native to the Chenoua Mountains in northern Algeria. They traditionally inhabit areas between the east of Ténès to the west of Cherchell. The Chenoui people number about 750,000.¹ They speak the Shenwa language, a Northern Berber language that is closely related to the Shawiya language and Zenata varieties spoken by Berbers of the Aures mountains in Eastern Algeria and the Rif region. The Shenwa language has about 76,000 speakers.²Their advocacy groups are Chenoua Homeland Association, Chenoui Khaloui Kima Medari, Ichenwiyen, and Tipaza Shenwa. Their political parties are Party of the Revolution and Socialism Berber and the Socialist Forces Front.¹

The Chenoui traditional territory includes the province of Tipaza, parts of the Chlef province and the north of the province of Ain Defla, and thus are called in reference to the Mount Chenoua which dominates the city of Tipaza, 70 km west of Algiers.

The region is part of the greater Dahra region, a long mountainous region along the Meditternean coasts, separated from the Ouarsenis range by the Chelif river and its valley. It expands from 8 km north of Mostaganem until the Algiers Sahel with its highest point being Mount Zaccar (Miliana).

The Chenoua Mount region, highest point of the Algiers Sahel, is the most eastern part of the Chenoui speaking region going from Fouka (42 km west of Algiers) until Tenès (200 km west of Algiers) or even heading further west till Ouled Boughalem in the past. Some people call them the Chelhas of the Tell or even Kabyles of the west.