Berber Traditions Summary

The Berber language, food, arts, music, and weaving, which constitute their lifestyle have been passed on from generation to generation in order for the people to continue living like their ancestors. So why take it away from them now? Why not give the Berber children the opportunity to live a life full ethnic tradition? With the change happening on the outside world, the Berbers are getting more and more influenced by modernization. Many traditions are being forgotten and replaced by newer technology. If this ongoing change continues in the Berber lifestyle, their ancestral traditions will be lost and they as a people will slowly fade away. Furthermore, traditions equate an identity. If the identity is lost what is left of a person but skin and bones. Though the Berbers may be in favor of some change, they would lose their traditions if the change is too big.

Weaving is a very important part of Berber traditions, mostly for women. This activity can take up to 7 years or even more to finish a piece, depending on the size and precision involved. A carpet may be made for a ceremony or to tell about a ceremony too. Before starting to weave, there are other steps to follow in order for the carpet to be successfully completed. The choice of materials, which include wool, camel hair, and rarely and in places close to cities, Berbers use nylon and olefin. The natural materials are hand washed and then colored.

The Berbers use bold colors, which come from different plants or even spices. For example: saffron makes yellow, henna or pomegranate make red or orange, and wild mint makes green.

The weave also varies depending on the climate in the area. In a colder climate, you will find looser and larger loops. However, in a warmer climate, you would find a finer weave, and in a mild one a weave of about 2 cm. In each region, there is a different weave for not only different animals are present (camel or sheep), but also there can be small changes in traditions that greatly affect the inspiration and weaving of Berber women.

Food was and is still a mandatory tradition that affects the lifestyle of people very much. This is because if a Berber woman were to prepare a simple dish like nuggets, she would have a lot more leisure time, and the traditions would not be the same then.

Also, since the traditional food like treed, couscous, and other tagines require many different spices and herbs including cinnamon, cardamon, nutmeg, paprika, and black pepper, the woman would have to go get them, and then cook a dish that could take the whole afternoon or even more. The spices used, are those most available to them (closer to them).

Tea is also an important part of Berber traditions because it symbolizes a warm welcome to a guest of the house. Berber tea is based on mint hot water and theine.

Berber music and dance is popular for its instruments and and the mix of men and women. Both men and women dance and sing together though now they are starting to doubt that traditions because of the influence of the Arabs. Berber music and dance would not the same without its instruments: genbri, bendir, taarrija, and al ghaita which are only a minority of the existing Berber instruments.

Berber jewelery is known to be big and bulky. Berber women wear bigger jewelery in important events and celebrations than on normal days at home. Women wear the hand of Fatima, which wards of evil. Wealthier ones wear it in silver, while the less wealthy wear it other materials.

All of these topics would be lost forever if the Berbers were to disappear. If the Berbers lose their traditions, they lose their identity. And when a person loses their identity, they do not belong to any group, and if all the Berbers lose their identities, the culture will fade away. Also, if this modernization affects Berbers, it means that it has affected other ethnic groups who also have, are, or will lose their traditions too. After all these groups fade away, what will people be inspired by, the arts, the books, architecture? What will they become? A banal lack of inspiration displayed to show the decayed traditions of the world