Abstract
A religious dispute between Moroccan tribespeople is examined in detail, illustrating the relationship of competing types of belief to social changes that have redefined the boundaries of community within a rural society. Traditionally symbolizing the unity of peaceably coexisting tribal segments, a Muslim saint today provides the means by which a polemic is established between competing groups. The disenfranchisement of one “holy” lineage from sharing in the revenues produced by the saint's cult is related to (a) its members' involvement in extratribal networks of political and economic activity, and (b) the contesting of its leadership status by members of rival descent groups, who remain more closely bound to purely local concerns. Its meaning renewed but altered, the cult plays a key role in legitimating exclusive resource allocation at the local level. [popular religion, regional cults, Moroccan Islam, Muslim saints, North African tribes]
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