Their staple crop is dates, but barley, wheat, sorghum, millet, and a few other crops are also grown. They generally have more camels than horses and cattle, since caravan trading is very important. They also raise numerous donkeys, goats, and sheep. There are about 300 to 400 small Tuat villages and towns. The larger villages are protected by mud walls and are essentially independent of all others.
Wealthy families live in rectangular houses with walls four meters high.
The Harratines and slaves live outside the towns. Wars between the towns are rare, and the people generally live in harmony with one another. Each Berber village is governed by a democratic council, or jemma , composed of all adult males who meet weekly. The Tuats usually marry only within their own group and strict monogamy is practiced. Prior to the seventh century, the Berbers had successfully resisted foreign invasions of Islam.