They became prominent in the area with their expansion eastwards around the 17th century,[2] notably at the expense of the Ghenanma and Hamyan.
[3] Like several other tribes of the region, they are divided into "five fifths" (khams khmas), tracing their descent to a common ancestor, `Addi el-Meni`i; according to Dunn (1977:70[4]), these are: To these a "sixth" was added by alliance in the 19th century: the neighbouring Ouled Djerir near Bechar.
[5] Traditionally mainly nomadic, agriculture became an essential part of their economy in the eighteenth century: each "fifth" cultivated a portion of the seasonally flooded lands along the Guir valley near Abadla,[6] and stored the produce in fortified silos (matmuras).
[7] They also bought, or confiscated, palm groves at nearby oases.
By the end of the nineteenth century their expansion had largely ceased, perhaps since the need of collective manpower for harvesting limited their mobility.