- Thing to Know : Charity of Nomad
Who are the Nomads?
In the era of information and immediacy, we can obtain anything just in an instant, but perhaps, when compared to other realities around us, the modern way of life is more stimulating than it is nutritious. There are those who still keep a lifestyle that has remained the same since immemorial times due to the belief that their life, although much harder, is a continuous effort for freedom and personal development. These are the Tuaregs and the Berber nomads of the desert .
From past times until today, the daily life of the nomads is characterized by ancestral customs linked to the various stages of life in the Sahara. These include the personal evolution from birth to old age, holidays and religious ceremonies including those referring to the holy month of Ramadan. Despite the scarcity that prevails in the Saharan regions, the nomads continue to be characterized by their hospitality and sense of family and solidarity. They also have an innate sense of respect for their pets and livestock.
In the southern provinces of the Kingdom, nomads continue to live their lives in the traditional way, and all that concerns their daily life remains authentic and unparalleled.
Most nomads today live from their livestock. They spend some time in a place that meets the needs of their flock with regard to water and grazing, and they live on tents that they carry with them when changing places. The tents , made up of a wooden truss covered with fabrics of different nature, such as wool and cloth, that allow to shelter and protect from wind and sand, while providing the necessary mobility for the continuous search of water and pastures.
Each camp has several tents. There is usually a larger one as a common bedroom and a simpler one as a living room. Sometimes they build a small adobe building, for the kitchen and pantry.
In the small world of these people, the tent is considered the first social unit within the nomadic society. It is not only a spatial unit that is used for housing, but also reflects a set of relationships between members of the same family. Some Nomads say they would prefer to live under a tent than under the roof of a house, because it gives them a wider margin of action and allows them to be closer to their family.
In terms of clothing, the men and women in this society continue to wear specific garments in the Sahara region.
The men cover their faces with the turban, the woman, instead, only the hair. It is said that men do it for fear of inhaling evil spirits by mouth.
The Tuaregs are often known by the nickname of “blue men”, while the Berbers are not associated with a specific color, although, contrary to most Arabic societies, their clothes are remarkably colorful. Many turbans are blue since use a natural dye is used, the indigo, which inks the skin.
Like urban women, nomadic women also have their share of embellishment, using henna, to dye the hair or to beautify the fingers and nails. Thereafter, they decorate the body with silver coins and precious stones that they inherited from their mothers.
