The Berbers have lived in Africa since the earliest recorded time and their references dates back to 3000 BC. There are many scattered tribes of Berber across Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. They normally live in desert regions like the Sahara and in the Atlas Mountains. They would live there because the Arabs conquered North Africa in the 7th century AD, and pushed them out.
Berber is obtained from the Roman term for barbarians. They are a non-Arabic tribes. Throughout the centuries, the Berbers have mixed with many ethnic groups, mostly Arabs and because of this, they were mostly identified by linguistics instead of racial basis. The Berber language has 300 closely related dialects. There are several tribes and they have their own distinct languages. Some of the largest Berber tribes are Rif, Kabyle, Shawia, Tuareg, Haratin, Shluh, and Beraber.
They were traditionally Muslim, and thier societies tended to be isolated. Back then they struggled constantly for power in North Africa with Arab tribes for centuries. The Barbary Coast of North Africa was named after the word Berber, and was known as a place where Arab and Berber pirates would prey on ships on the Mediterranean Sea.
Traditionally, their lifestyles consisted of raising sheep and cattle. However, some Berbers subsist by working in flourmills, doing woodcarving, quarrying millstones, and making pottery or jewelry. The women generally do the housework, weaving, and pottery. The Berbers generally live in rural areas. Their housing is usually clay huts or tents made out of goat hair. In larger villages, however, houses are made of stone. Today, most Berbers are migrant workers who work in Spain or France.
http://www.africaguide.com/culture/tribes/berber.html
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