PeopleNorth AfricaWest Africa

Amazigh (Berber)

The indigenous peoples of North Africa; Imilchil betrothals and yennayer new year.

Morocco

Algeria

Libya

Tunisia

Mali

NigerTamazightTashelhitKabyle

Customs they practice

4 recorded rites, each with its steps and its WHY.

Courtship & marriagemachine draft

The henna night

Across North Africa, the Swahili coast, and the Cape, the bride’s hands and feet are adorned with henna on a music-filled night before the wedding, surrounded by the women of both families.

Amazigh · Egyptians · Swahili Coast +2for women

Courtship & marriagemachine draft

The Imilchil betrothal festival

The Amazigh festival in Morocco’s Atlas mountains where Ait Haddidou families gather each September and young people meet, court, and conclude betrothals during the fair.

Amazigh

Community & hospitalitymachine draft

The three glasses of Saharan tea

Among the Tuareg and across the Sahara, green tea is brewed strong and poured from height in three rounds: "the first bitter like death, the second gentle like life, the third sweet like love."

Tuareg · Amazigh

Faith & ancestorsmachine draft

Yennayer · the Amazigh new year

On 12–13 January the Amazigh world welcomes the agrarian new year (counting from 950 BCE and the pharaoh Sheshonq): a feast of couscous with the year’s wishes, first haircuts, and doors opened to good fortune.

Amazigh

What they eat

3 dishes, what they mean and when they appear.

Staplemachine draft

Couscous

Tiny steamed semolina granules, hand-rolled and traditionally steamed three times over a simmering stew, served heaped with vegetables and meat: the Friday and celebration table of the Maghreb.

Amazigh

Celebrationmachine draft

Tagine

A slow-cooked stew of meat, vegetables, and often dried fruit or preserved lemon, named for the cone-lidded clay pot it is cooked and served in.

Amazigh

Fasting & faithmachine draft

Harira

A hearty, tomato-based soup of lentils, chickpeas, and meat, thickened with flour or egg, traditionally the first thing eaten to break the day’s Ramadan fast.

Amazigh

What they wear

4 pieces, what it says and who may wear it.

Garmentmachine draft

Djellaba

A long, loose, hooded robe worn by both men and women across the Maghreb, practical for weather and modesty alike, worn daily and, in finer versions, for Friday prayer and celebration.

Amazigh

Beadwork & jewellerymachine draft

Amazigh silver jewellery

Heavy silver jewellery, fibulae, headpieces, and bracelets, often set with coral, amber, or enamel, worn by Amazigh (Berber) women and passed down as family heirlooms.

Amazigh

Garmentmachine draft

Haik

A large, unstitched white or cream length of cloth wrapped around the body and often the head, historically worn by Amazigh and wider Maghrebi women as an outer garment for modesty and travel.

Amazigh

Adornmentmachine draft

Henna adornment

Intricate reddish-brown patterns painted onto the hands and feet with henna paste, worn especially by brides in the days before a North African and wider Muslim-community wedding.

Amazigh · Muslim communities of Africa