Berbers are divided by subgroup, yet the generic term that they prefer is Imazighen, meaning, "Free men." Freedom and independence are highly valued by these people, who are much better known as Berbers, a term meaning "barbarians" slapped on them by the Roman Empire. Today the term Berber is so well-engrained that people seldom know who they are without using this derogatory term. The Berbers include several tribes including the Tekna. They were once semi-nomadic. Their yearly cycle was divided between herding camels and goats and farming. This tribe lives in Morocco and Western Sahara.
Today the main vocation of the Tekna Berbers is settled in agriculture. While many characteristics of Berber society have survived, they have been dramatically modified by the economic and political changes of the 20th century.
The Tekna people are Sunni Muslims who believe that the One, Supreme God, Allah, spoke through his prophet, Mohammed, and taught mankind how to live a righteous life through the Koran and the Hadith. To live a righteous life, you must utter the Shahada (a statement of faith), pray five times a day facing Mecca, fast from sunup to sundown during the month of Ramadan, give alms to the poor, and make a pilgrimage to Mecca if you have the means. Muslims are prohibited from drinking alcohol, eating pork, gambling, stealing, slandering, and making idols. They gather for corporate prayer on Friday afternoons at a mosque, their place of worship. The two main holidays for Sunni Muslims are Eid al Fitr, the breaking of the monthly fast and Eid al Adha, the celebration of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son to Allah. Sunni religious practices are staid and simple. They believe that Allah has pre-determined our fates; they minimize free will. In most of the Muslim world, people depend on the spirit world for their daily needs since they regard Allah as too distant. Allah may determine their eternal salvation, but the spirits determine how well we live in our daily lives. For that reason, they must appease the spirits. They often use charms and amulets to help them with spiritual forces.
Pray for spiritual hunger and discernment among the Tekna people in Western Sahara. Pray for the Lord to raise up Tekna disciples who will make other disciples. Pray for Tekna leaders to have dreams and visions of the victorious, risen Christ, leading them to open the door to the gospel.
Scripture Prayers for the Tekna in Western Sahara.
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
Global Prayer Digest: 2014-02-05 |
People Name General | Tekna |
People Name in Country | Tekna |
Pronunciation | TEK-nah |
Alternate Names | Saharawi; Sahrawi; Tekna Berber |
Population this Country | 114,000 |
Population all Countries | 747,000 |
Total Countries | 2 |
Indigenous | No |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 2 |
People ID | 15320 |
ROP3 Code | 109923 |
Country | Western Sahara | ||
Region | Africa, North and Middle East | ||
Continent | Africa | ||
10/40 Window | Yes | ||
Persecution Rank | Not ranked |
Country | Western Sahara |
Region | Africa, North and Middle East |
Continent | Africa |
10/40 Window | Yes |
Persecution Rank | Not ranked |
Primary Religion: | Islam |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.00 %) |
0.04 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
99.96 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
Primary Language | Arabic, Hassaniyya | |||
Language Code | mey Ethnologue Listing | |||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||
Total Languages | 2 | |||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Arabic, Hassaniyya |
Language Code | mey Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 2 |
Secondary Languages | |
Arabic, Moroccan Spoken | |
People Groups | Speaking Arabic, Hassaniyya |
Primary Language: Arabic, Hassaniyya
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (2002-2005) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes |
Bible-Complete | No |
Bible-NT Audio | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Resource Type ▲ | Resource Name | Source |
---|---|---|
Audio Recordings | Audio Bible teaching | Global Recordings Network |
Audio Recordings | Audio New Testament | General / Other |
Audio Recordings | Online New Testament | Faith Comes by Hearing |
Audio Recordings | Oral Bible stories | One Story |
Audio Recordings | Story of Jesus audio | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | Indigitube.tv Video / Animation | Create International |
Film / Video | Jesus Film: view in Hassaniyya | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | LUMO film of Gospels | Bible Media Group/LUMO |
Film / Video | World Christian Videos | World Christian Videos |
General | Bible for Children | Bible for Children |
General | Gospel resources links | Scripture Earth |
Mobile App | Download audio Bible app as APK file | Faith Comes by Hearing |
Photo Source | COMIBAM / Sepal |
Profile Source | Joshua Project |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Read more |