Berber ornaments and tattoos - the white north of Africa

Contrary to appearances, the indigenous people of North Africa are not negroid Africans or even Arabs, but peoples who have come to be known as Berbers. Even more surprising is the fact that the Berbers belong to the white race. From among the Berber tribes come such famous people as Edith Piaf, Isabelle Adjani, and Zinedine Zidane.

The name "Berber" comes from the Greek word "bárbaros" or the Latin "barbarus," which simply means "barbarian," and entered European languages from the Arabic "al-Barbar." Incidentally, the Arabs did not realize the pejorative meaning of the word. The famous Arab historian and philosopher Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406) considered the word barbar to be the name of the forefather of the people. The Berbers themselves call themselves Amazigh (l.mn. Imazighen), meaning "free people." However, they usually use the names of particular tribes, such as the Rifen, Taureg, Kabyl and others.

Berber women's jewelry

While the people of Arab origin of the northern Maghreb preferred finely crafted gold jewelry, the Berbers from ancient times preferred the often massive silver products. Beautiful, heavy, handcrafted only from silver or alloys based on it. Berbers believe that gold is the metal of the devil and brings misfortune. Sometimes their ornaments have a golden tint, but this is only the result of adding a small amount of copper to the alloy. Depending on the region, coral, ivory and semi-precious stones are also sometimes in use. Typical forms of ornaments are triangles and rhombuses, as well as the so-called "hand of Fatima" (chamsa), which is credited with protection from the "evil eye. The ornaments feature traditional Berber symbols - the spiral, as a symbol of infinity, the Berber cross "tenegehlt", the letter "yaz" - a symbol of the unity of all nations. The jewelry worn by a woman shows her social and family status, her husband's prosperity, and her tribal affiliation.

Berber jewelry was a precious treasure and family heirloom passed from generation to generation. Often individual pieces were reworked or completed - which is why it is difficult to determine their age today. For families living in a nomadic fashion, jewelry was also a reserve of capital for a black hour. It was easy for women to carry during their year-round migrations. In a world that was completely or almost completely without money, silver ornaments played a role as a means of payment. Coins were most often soldered to form necklaces and bracelets, from where they could be broken out as needed; their real value was only the value of the metal.

Tattoos

It was a culturally ingrained custom among Berber women to apply the traditional blue-green tattoo to their faces, forearms, wrists and calves. The tattooed designs consisted of stylized letters and borrowed symbols and ornaments. Symmetrical lines and crosses were inspired by animals, trees and celestial bodies - fig trees, palm trees, the moon, stars, snakes, scorpions, butterflies, fish.

The designs were first drawn on the skin and then pricked. Blue dye was obtained from indigo. In addition, soot and charcoal were used. Geometric patterns, consisting of circles, triangles and straight lines, are of pre-Islamic origin. They were representations of gods and nature created by the indigenous people of North Africa before the advent of Christianity and Islam. The palm tree and fish, in turn, were symbols of the Carthaginian fertility goddess Tanit.

Unfortunately, the settlement of Berbers in cities, where they are subject to the influence of Arab and Western culture, means that the ancient customs and mores cultivated by the nomads are slowly beginning to become a thing of the past. Also, traditional Berber tattoos.