Key points of this article:
- Origin and etymology of the term "Berber"
- The cultural significance of "Amazigh"
- Diversity of Moroccan craftsmanship
- Guide to correct terminology
You may have already noticed: we always talk about Amazigh rugs and never about Berber rugs.
Yet, the word Amazigh is almost never used in common language, even more so when it comes to identifying rugs.
Why did we choose to use such a little-known word?
The origins of the word "Berber"
To answer this question, let's delve into a bit of etymology:
The word "Berber" derives from the ancient Greek "bárbaros" and the Latin "barbarus", which also gave us the word "Barbarian".
In Greek, the word literally meant "stammerer" and designated someone who could not speak the Greek language.
The Latin "barbarus", on the other hand, referred to the "foreigner"—one who was outside Greco-Roman civilisation.
Today, the word "barbarian" carries a negative connotation. A "barbarian" is crude, uncultured, cruel, inhuman.
The historical evolution of the term
The term gave rise to the Arabic word "barabir" or "barabira", which was used in the Middle Ages by Arab authors to identify the indigenous populations of North Africa.
From there, words with the same negative etymology spread progressively throughout the Western world: English speakers say "Berber" while the French use "berbère" (during colonisation, France even proclaimed the "Dahir Berbère", a decree that created a dual legal system dividing Moroccans into "Arabs" and "Berbers").
The true meaning of Amazigh
As you might imagine, the indigenous people of North Africa do not call themselves "Berbers".
In their language, they call themselves "Imazighen" or "Amazigh", which means "Free People". A decidedly beautiful meaning that does them honour.
The diversity of Moroccan craftsmanship
Not all rugs created in Morocco are made by Amazigh artisans who identify as such.
For example, our rugs made in Boujaad, Salé or Khmisset are more often created by craftswomen who do not claim any Amazigh identity. Their reference language is Darija (Moroccan Arabic). So how do these artisans define themselves? Simply as Moroccan.
Morocco is all of this: a country with a history spanning millennia, rich in a blend of cultures that compose its identity: Amazigh, Arab, Muslim, African, Andalusian, Jewish, Mediterranean.
In conclusion
Many of the artisans we work with are Amazigh, but not all.
That's why we've chosen to call our rugs with an inclusive term.
What you find here are Moroccan rugs, because they are made in Morocco, always and forever.
Updated 27/11/2024
