Sarah's input
Re: Sarah's input -- Rosanna Post Reply Edit Forum Where am I?
Posted by: Timbuk-2 Post Reply
02/16/2017, 13:48:40

Interesting!

The name Lmallem is most definitely not their real family-name, but a nickname, pointing towards their profession.

The name of the town is BOUTILIMIT (see my map in previous post), a main Berber settlement and a centre for local crafts (Muraqat, tent-mats, shells etc.).

One question is: Who of the family did this PF-beads? The men or the woman? There is usually a strict devision between the two: While men work all hard materials (iron, gold/silver, wood, shell, stone) woman work soft materials (Muraqat, fabric, leather, mats etc.). Resin falls into the first group and is therefore most likely male work!

What is mentioned here as "B'than Maure families" refers to the "BEIDAN" - the white and noble Maures (beidan = white). It is a known tradition that customers deliver the materials for whatever they want to get done (by the "Mallem" - the Saharan [silver-]smith), all materials actually, may it be metals, leather or as obviously here, the resin beads for carving.

What surprises me is the information that noble families (the "Beidan" in other words) should have been the customers of carved resin beads. It might very well be so, but usually the Beidam prefer gold, Morfia and other ornaments of more precious and costly materials.

The design-variations of the PB-Beads indicate that not a single "Mallem", but various Mallem-families, were engaged in the work of resin-bead carving. No Mallem (or Mallema - his wife) was engaged in only one kind of work. The Mallem did it all - the iron tools for farming, knifes, the silver-work for bracelets, rings and amulets and basically everything else his customers desired. A universal talent, the Saharan handyman!

The Mallem - of ancient Jewish descent, as older sources insist - held a very special position within the Beidan family, he was attached too. Feared for his "magic work" with fire on one hand, and needed and desired for his qualities as a craftsman.

Whole books were written about the "Mallem", his descent, his abilities and his social position within the tribal Saharan (and elsewhee in Africa) fabric.



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