Kotamas in The 21st Century
The Kotamas are located in the province of Bejaia, Jijel, Skikda, Agadez, Keita, Mila and Annaba. Kotama culture is still present to some wide extent; for instance, the "fish couscous", seksou bel'hout, popular in this region and in northern Tunisia is of Kotama origin.
From a cultural standpoint, the inhabitants of this region keep track of their identity as Kutama, but most tribes have been assimilated to the Kabyles (Bejaia), Chaouis (Skikda, Setif), Arabs (Annaba) and the Kabyles el hadra (Jijel, Mila), Tuaregs (Agadez, Keita, Tahoua) . There are also descendants of Kutama Siwis in Egypt. The challenge to resist the influence of the dominant tribes, such as the Sanhadja or the Bani Hilal, and of the dynasties who succeeded the Fatimids, such as the Ayyubids, the Hammadids, and the Almoravids, was difficult; that there is a Kotama identity today is evidence of their persistence in the face of these obstacles. From the standpoint of language, the dialect has largely been Arabized (as in Jijel) or diluted with other Berber dialects (as is true in Bejaia).
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