Hamadsha

The Hamadsha is a pair of closely linked Muslim fraternities in Morocco, with male members called Hamdushi and female members called Hamdushiyya, practicing a possession rite that is primarily therapeutic, either curing affliction or giving the afflicted a new social role. The order traces to two founders buried near Meknes, Sidi Ali ben Hamdush, who established the Allaliyyin branch, and his servant Sidi Ahmed Dghugi, who established the Dghugiyyin branch. Members organize into subgroups called taifa meeting at zawiya lodges, incorporate Gnawa-influenced music and rituals involving the spirit figure Aisha Qandicha, and identify as Sunni Muslims while practicing a folk mysticism that resembles the zar and bori possession traditions found elsewhere.