After some early Jewish and Christian conversions, the Berbers adopted Islam, but still continue to practise some pre-Islamic beliefs. All mountain villages have at least one mosque. Some of these are just basic house-like structures, the only external hint of their identity being a loudspeaker on the roof to call the faithful to prayer five times a day. The more prosperous villages have a much more elaborate mosque with minaret.
As is the case in many developing countries, rural emigration is prevalent – with young men and husbands leaving their mountain homes for the ever-expanding urban concrete jungles, many with little prospect of a earning a regular wage. Those that do find work either in Morocco or one of the larger European cities can be away from their mountain homes for ten months in the year, sometimes even longer. Playing catch-up with Europe and the West by leap-frogging into the digital age, Morocco is changing fast, particularly in the north of the country. Radical Islam, hashish production for Europe, large numbers of young unemployed graduates and the long-running wrangle in the western Sahara all continue to occupy the energies of King Mohammed VI and his elected government.
Village houses in the Medlawa valley
Away from the valleys in the Ait Bougammez and Toubkal regions, where tourism has brought about steady expansion and a higher standard of living, life in the majority of High Atlas valleys continues as it has done for centuries, but even here changes are afoot. Most accessible villages are now being connected to the national electricity grid, and richer households sport satellite dishes on their rooftops. New pistes (dirt tracks) are being pushed ever higher and further into once remote valleys, and longer-established pistes are being surfaced with tarmac. Travelling in the back of small trucks to and from the nearest town has become the local means of travel, but, tragically, the combination of poorly maintained vehicles and precipitous pistes and roads result in frequent fatalities.
Baking bread in communal village ovens
Despite the Berber people's often meagre possessions, they are on the whole a friendly and welcoming people. Men plough the fields, maintain the irrigation systems, thresh the barley (if mules are still used), build houses and discuss village politics. Women, who will often shy away from (eye) contact, are the carriers in the majority of villages, where they can be seen bearing huge loads of firewood, bundles of barley to be threshed or animal fodder on their backs. This workload, on top of home-making, cooking, making bread, cutting animal fodder, bringing the family cow out to graze and child rearing, generally means that women live shorter lives than men in these villages.
Most children attend school to the age of 12, after which (depending on their gender) family finances and ease of access to second-level schooling dictate who stays at home and who continues their education. Historically, the elder son has continued, while his sisters and younger brothers have helped with home duties, worked in the fields and looked after the sheep and goats. Girls can marry legally from the age of 18, but often they are married younger in an arrangement agreed between the families.
Most mountain villages originated from a core family grouping – indeed, some remain organised on this basis, particularly the more isolated ones. Some valleys have quite a community-based approach to development, while others continue to maintain inter-village rivalries and jealousies. While primary education is freely provided, with most children attending, access to health care – both in terms of financial affordability and physically getting to a clinic or hospital – is much less comprehensive. What would be simple accidents and straightforward injuries in the West can often lead to complicated or tragic outcomes in the mountains.
Language
Until a few years ago the Berber languages could not be taught in schools, but this has changed under the present king, Mohammed VI. A particular valley's relative wealth and isolation will determine whether some of the male inhabitants can speak Moroccan Arabic as well as their native Berber tongue. More educated and travelled men will also speak French. Women from the mountain villages will usually just speak their native Berber tongue.
Berber women carrying firewood
Over the entire High Atlas range there are significant linguistic variations. Tashelhayt is spoken generally west of the Tizi n-Tichka, while Tamazight is spoken more in the eastern part of the range and extends up north into the Middle Atlas. Even within entirely Tashelhayt-speaking areas, there are a lot of regional linguistic differences. To the visitor, it is likely all to sound the same. Useful words and phrases with the most widespread meanings can be found in Appendix B.
Azib Tamsoult, with good example of terracing
Climbers and trekkers in Imlil and the Toubkal region will wonder what the fuss is all about, as many of the local guides, muleteers, hotel owners and refuge staff speak at least a smattering of English. Some will be virtually fluent. Visitors to the Ait Bougammez valley, on the other hand, which is second to Imlil in terms of numbers of tourists, will have to rely on French much more than English. It seems that, while the French have visited both areas, English speakers have largely ignored or not been aware of the Ait Bougammez valley, and this has influenced language acquisition by the locals.
Away from these two regions, the mountain visitor will be fortunate to find a local village man who speaks French. The chances of finding someone able to speak English will be extremely slim. Anyone intending to complete routes in this guidebook that are not in the Toubkal massif would be advised to brush up on their French, as well as to digest some of the useful words and phrases outlined in Appendix B.
Local Customs and Etiquette
In addition to organising paid-for services (accommodation, mules, porterage and so on, which are dealt with separately below), the mountain vistor may well find themselves interacting with villagers in a number of ways, and this can often be the highlight of a trip. Once language issues are dealt with as well as possible, social relations can be helped along by observing some simple guidelines.
Being invited into a home for some mint tea, and possibly food, is a way of glimpsing village life beyond what is seen in the fields. If you accept the offer, upon entering the room where you will take tea, make sure you remove your footwear at the door – or at a minimum the edge of the floor covering. Sitting cross-legged is best so as not to show the soles of your feet. You may take a glass of tea in either hand, but if you are offered anything to eat you should only use your right hand. Sometimes the routine is to offer tea and nuts together, followed by some bread with butter or oil, and even possibly a tajine. In these cases you may be given the opportunity to wash your hands. The host will pour water onto your hands from a kettle over a basin. A towel will then be proffered. When you have eaten enough, be firm but polite. You do not have to finish everything put in front of you! Upon leaving, a small remuneration, although not required, would be gratefully received. Alternatively, some basic first-aid supplies, if needed by the family, would be received with thanks.
Mosque in Amsouzart
Taking photographs can be a tricky business. Cultural sensitivities abound. Often children will ask for their photo to be taken and then expect money or sweets in return. Women will hide their faces, while some men will eagerly pose. If you have enjoyed some tea in a house, you may ask if you can take a photograph of the family. If the answer is no, don't ask again. A good but expensive way to take photographs is with a digital Polaroid camera that prints out the image immediately, so that you can give it to the family. Then take another photo with your main digital camera for your own keeping. If you are intending to return to that same village in a few months' time, offer to take a photograph and have it printed off for them – but do make sure you can keep this promise.
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