Desert Nomads, 1949

[Applause] almost a third of the continent of Africa is covered by the great Sahara herds part of the Sahara is Sandy but here in the North near the Atlas Mountains in Morocco the soil is Stony the climate is very hot and dry only little rain ever Falls usually in the spring and Autumn for hundreds of years this border region has been used as grazing Land by the berbers and Arabs who live in the Sahara our camp belongs to five families who are members of the same tribe we earn our living by raising and selling camels we need a fire in the early morning for though the days are hot the nights are cold we keep the camels close to our tents during the night and take them out to graze in the daytime among our people a man's wealth is measured by the number of camels he owns the camel was first brought to the Sahara from Arabia 1500 years ago because they can live without water for a long time camels are among the very few animals on the desert they can feed on the thorny plants which grow in the nearly rainless desert because their mouths are tough in addition to our herds of camels we also have a few goats which Supply us with milk and meat and whose skin and hair we use and sell they have to climb into the trees to find food the animals must be watched to prevent them from straying off and getting lost the milk we drink comes from Camels as well as from [Applause] goats FMA the son of our chief like the other boys of our camp takes his turn at guarding the camels his turban which is woven of goats or camel's hair protects him from the heat of the Sun for lunch BMA has a bowl of Camel's milk he also eats some fresh dates which grow at a few places in the desert where there is enough water while the men are watching the animals the women go to get water whenever we can we pitch our tents near a spring or a well where there is water there is usually food for our animals water is scarce in the desert our water supply comes from widely scattered pools when it rains in the mountains to the north some of the water seeps for many miles underneath the surface of the desert often it collects in pools but sometimes we we have to dig for [Applause] it water is carried in bags of goat skin which we make ourselves we use goat skins instead of pottery jars because they are easy to load and won't break when carried on the backs of our animals our women grind enough barley for the day's cookie we must buy barley and the other grains we eat because there is not enough water to raise crops in the [Music] desert the water Skins are hung on wooden racks to make pouring easier we use barley in making a dish we call Couscous when the coarsely ground grain has been mixed with water the women put it in a basket which fits into the top of the cooking pot they seal the basket to the mouth of the pot with flour paste Steam from the soup which simmers in inside the jar cooks and flavors The Barley five times a day we bow in prayer always facing in the direction of our holy city Mecca we are muhammadans and believe in one God for whom our name is [Music] Allah almost every day we eat couscous moistened with soup sometimes we have goat or camel meat water is scarce so we use it carefully in washing what is it is a custom for our men and our women to eat separately the name of the chief of our group is Brahim the chief always decides where we shall camp and when we shall move on to other pastures tonight we are told that we must break camp in the morning to look for new feeding grounds when it rains even less than usual we have to move two or three times a week to find sufficient food for our animals many of our things are carried in bags made of fine leather since we move so often everyone knows just what to do it is easy to pack because our only possessions are those which we simply cannot live without in the cases there is a special place for each piece of equipment if the equipment were not protected it might break when carried on camel bag next the tent come down they are made of cloth woven from the hair of camels and goats they are thick enough to protect us against the hot sun during the day as well as the cold at night yet they are light and can be easily moved [Music] a pack camel can carry 500 lb or more the very young children are loaded on quiet well-trained camels in a framework that can be covered with cloth to shade them from the hot sun with in 3 hours we Nomads can pack everything we own and be on our way across the desert to a great extent the needs of our animals rule Our Lives because even our few camels quickly eat up the plants and grass around each campsite we do not live in groups much larger than five families in very dry years our camels cannot find enough to eat and many die of hunger today our chief has led us to a place where no one has camped for a long while always as soon as we reach a new camping place we unpack our possessions set up the tents and go to get water when we are on the March the camels have little chance to eat or drink because they can go without food or water for as long as a week camels are valuable to people who live in dry lands like ours we cover the ground with matting to make a floor for our tent we will sleep on rugs of goats or camel's hair laid over the matting packed in the Bales are our provisions and cooking utensils as soon as we make the women bake barley bread they place the dough between hot stones after the fire has died down the stones cool and are removed then we have a loaf of fresh bread our children cannot go to school because we are always moving from place to place sometimes one of the men will teach the boys and girls a few verses from the Quran which is the muhammadan [Music] [Music] Bible tonight after our camels have been tied up the men Gather in the tent of our chief Brahim we haven't been to market for a long time we will soon need to buy some more food especially barley and tea which is our favorite drink the chief decides that a group of us should go to the city and sell some camels with the money we will buy the things we need BMA will be allowed to go with us the trip will take at least 2 days so we start early in the morning in addition to the animals we intend to sell we take extra to camels to bring back the provisions we expect to buy camels are raised only in the desert but they are much in demand in the regions north of the Sahara there they are used as work animals though their meat is also eaten many camels live and work for 20 years on our way to the city we will rest for the night at an oasis in the desert an oasis is any place in a very dry region where the land is fertile because there are good Springs or Wells the of palm trees is always welcome for they are a sign that water is nearby because there is water food can be raised on the land of an [Applause] oasis farmers can live in permanent homes instead of following herds as we Nomads do but even in the Oasis water is not to Beed each farmer takes his turn at using the water for a limited time each [Applause] day as his turn comes he opens the irrigation ditch into his own [Applause] fields we measure the time allowed to each farmer by using a small bowl with a hole in the [Applause] bottom the water clock allows everyone to get a fair share of water when the time is the bowl [Applause] sinks in the Oasis all the land that can be tilled and irrigated is used for crops houses are never built on fertile ground even the soil between the date palms is planted with barley or maze or vegetables The Palms themselves produce big clusters of dates because our ancestors once protected the Oasis from robbers we Nomads by an ancient custom are entitled to all the dates that the Growers are unable to sell from The Oasis where we spent the night it is about 15 mil to the City with an early start we can reach the city in time for the market which is held each Saturday and Sunday this old city at the northern edge of the Sahara is called gamine in ancient times it was a crossroad for Traders from Morocco on their way South today lamine still attracts Nomads from great distances for it is the most important camel Market in Morocco camel buyers from cities farther north come to this Market to trade inspecting a camel's teeth helps to tell how old it [Music] is the sale of each Cel involves much bargaining when a price has finally been agreed upon the money is paid over to our chief the deal is completed when the seller strikes the purchase money in the buyer's [Applause] [Music] hands because the man who has bought our camels is anxious to sell them as quickly as possible he will take them to Northern Morocco by motor [Music] truck most of the money that we receive from the sale of our camels is spent in the city when we need the products of factories and Farms like grain cotton cloth and T must buy them in the city because we cannot make or grow them [Music] ourselves Rahim and BMA inspect the various kinds of tea for sale tea comes to the desert markets from China and other far away [Applause] lands wood is scarce in the cities of the desert even the long Twisted roots of shrubs are expensive to buy because very few trees grow in our dry land The Barley sold in the grain market is grown on oases or on farms farther north of where we live the Merchant's grain may be plump or shriveled depending on how well it was watered by rain or by Irrigation in the field where it grew [Music] [Applause] [Music] from the mosques of the city faithful muhammadans are called to prayer five times a day by a man we called a after finishing our trading we return to our camp in the desert it is a rare man among us who would change places with the traders of the city or the Farmers of the Oasis TI down to shops or to the soil searching for food and Nomads wander with our animals through the Sahara Desert which is our [Applause] home