Questions/Anwers


1) Question: I would also like to ask you why berber designs vary and what makes it that way?
Answer: Bebrer arts and crafts vary because, every tribe has different nautuarl surroundings, and different things that are important to them. This will affect the designs because, the Berber arts and crafts are a way to express themselves, which means depending on their surroundings will change the patterns. In additon to that families in each tribe of their own unique design too.

2)Question: Do you think that the Berbers would change their Symbols when they are moved into a plain or so?

Answer: This will affect the designs because, the Berber arts and crafts are a way to express themselves, which means depending on their surroundings will change the patterns. In additon to that families in each tribe of their own unique design too.
3)Question: Why did each of those tribes choose those colors?

Answer: Each of the Berber tribes choose the colors that they use because of the things around them. If a Bebrer tribe grows the henna plant, they might use red for one of the dyes which they use.

4)Question: What colors are the most commonly used in Berber carpetry? Amina Answer: As a said, each Berber tribe has it's own colors which they use. Normally though every Berber carpet has white in it.

5) Question: Do the shapes and the colors used in the carpets reflects the place were a group of berbers is livings ?

Answer: Yes, for example the symbol for the Mountains. This symbol is important because Berbers live in the Mountains and is part of their every day life. For the colors, it also reflects because lets say they grow indigo, then they would use the indigo plant to make blue. They make symmbols of what is around them and important to them, and the colors are what is avalible.

Berber Arts and Crafts

BERBER ARTS AND CRAFTS

The Berber people have a unique type of arts and crafts. Some designs have been handed down generation to generation providing an important part of their culture. The Berber people make jewelry and carpets as well as other types of arts and crafts. With different symbols, colors, designs, and dyes, each Berber tribe has its own personality shown through the workmanship.

Jewelry plays a very important part in the lives of women. If women have only one piece jewelry or less they are considered poor. Heavy earrings are hung by chains on a headpiece or wrapped around the ears due to their weight. Other jewelry includes bulky bracelets, pendants, old coins, and the “Hand of Fatima” that is believed to have good luck, and ward off evil and sickness. Women mainly wear, silver, turquoise, and amber, in their day to day jewelry. Although women normally wear jewelry, some men do as well.

Each Berber carpet is special and unique; one carpet is not the same as another. Only women make carpets, and once their daughter is around age seven, she teaches them how to make carpets, along with designs. This is a tradition but is quickly fading away because daughters are becoming restless, and impatient, when learning how to make the carpets. Every tribe has their own designs and colors: the Zumor tribe in Khemisset uses red and white, the Beni M’Guild tribe in Azrou uses black and white, the Beni Warin uses red, white and a little bit of yellow. A natural carpet color is cream or brown, they use the wool from sheep to make the carpets, and then go through multiple steps to complete it. To make the carpet and their designs, they either use a loom to weave or tie knots. There are four main symbols: headdress, eye, horn, and mountains. When making designs, these four symbols can be combined together to have a more complex look. Natural dyes have been used for color: indigo for blue, saffron for yellow and orange, and pomegranate fruit along with henna for a red color. Today more tribes have started to use a chemical dye; this might stop the Berbers from using the old way of dyes.

Why should we keep Berber arts and crafts? I think we should keep Berber arts and crafts for three main reasons. First, it is a unique art specific to the Berbers. Second, the crafts can be sold in order to receive money for basic needs in their family’s life. Third, if Berbers lose their arts and crafts then part of their culture will be lost along with it, and part of the Berbers as individuals will also be lost. In a way, we will also be losing something too, a part of somebody’s history and past lost. From their arts and crafts, we will be able to find out more about their culture and people. We could associate the natural dyes the Berbers use to the natural environment; their symbols to their way of life; and learn what was most important to them. If we lose the Berber arts and crafts, it will be gone forever and we can’t get it back.

A Berber experince

During week without walls we did many things that Berbers did during their everyday lives. We walked for many hours a day, washed clothes like the Berbers, and a lot more. Out of everything that I did the one particular thing that stood out was making canals to help the people.

We took rocks and had to make a wall that would be able to guide water into the river. We had tools that the Berbers used, for example, our hands and a hoe. We would dig the hoe under the rock and then yank the rock out. Next, we would lift the rock and place it on the wall. After a long time of working we finally made a canal. This stood out to me because we never have to make a canal to water are crops, I never got to experience this.

Culture

Traveling place to place it is no surprise that me and my family ended up Africa again. Being a family of six we always have something to entertain us, and we always are able to learn about other cultures. I'm Caroline I'm american but now I live in Morocco, I have a dog, 2 sisters, mom, and dad. I have lived in Alabama, Chennai, Accra, Nalerigu, D.C, and now Morocco. As we travel around I get to know more cultures, and from them have more traditions. I am trying to write about my culture but I do not know where to began. I was born in Nalerigu and lived there for a long time, when we left we took away their culture of food that is really good. In Alabama we always went to a southern church, and now we always go. India we took away the festivals and traditions. I could go on talking about my culture but the last thing that I will say is that everywhere I lived has helped shape my culture to what it is today.

Morocco/D.C

When I first came to Morocco I didn’t know what to expect. When we got in the van and started to drive the first thing I realized was the driving, the crazy unfamiliar, driving. It was so much different then D.C people were frequently honking horns,quickly swerving into the next line, yelling to one another out of their car, and not moving to the side of the road when ambulances come by, it was crazy. In D.C, it was orderly nobody honked that munch and you didn’t run a red light. After a few days though I got used to the driving, but then came Ramadan. People come early back from work, causing traffic to be worse, and the people were in a rush. Without letting you know they would cut you off, my mom had to push the brakes so hard we almost crashed. my dad then became frustrated and got mad “ these people need to get out of the cotton pick’n road.” he would yell. But once Ramadan ended my dad went back to normal and the driving died down .When I fist came to Morocco I didn’t know what to expect, now I do.