Desert Nomads: French Morocco (1949)

[Laughter] continent of Africa is cut by the great Sahara Desert. It is the homeland of groups of nomads who wander from place to place with their flocks and 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 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 goats. [Applause] Bma, 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 camels hair, protects him from the heat of the sun. For lunch, BMA has a bowl of camels milk. He also eats some fresh dates which grow at the 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 the scattered pools. When it rains in the mountains to the north, some of the water see many miles underneath the surface of the desert. Often it collects in pools, but sometimes we have to dig for it. [Applause] 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 cooking. We must buy barley and the other grains we eat because there is not enough water to raise crops in the desert. [Music] >> The water skins are hung on wooden racks to make pouring easier. We use barley in making a dish we call couscous. [Applause] 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 inside the jar, cooks and flavors the barley. [Music] >> Five times a day we bow in prayer, always facing in the direction of our holy city, Mecca. We are Muhamadans and believe in one God for whom our name is Allah. [Music] 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. 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 back. Next, the tents 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. [Music] 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. Within 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 camels hair laid over the matting. >> Packed in the bales are our provisions and cooking utensils. As soon as we make camp, 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 Muhamadan Bible. [Music] Tonight, [Music] 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. >> Bjma will be allowed to go with us. The trip will take at least two days. So we start early in morning. In addition to the animals we intend to sell, we take extra camels to bring back the provisions back 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 sight 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 oasis. Farmers can live in permanent homes instead of following herds as we nomads do. But even in the oasis, water is not to be wasted. Each farmer takes his turn at using the water for a limited time each day. [Applause] As his turn comes, he opens the irrigation ditch into his own fields. We measure the time allowed to each farmer by using a small bowl with a hole in the bottom. The water clock allows everyone to get a fair share of water. When the time is up, the bowl sinks. In the oasis, all the land that can be tilled and irritated 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 miles 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 Glamin. In ancient times, it was a crossroad for traders from Morocco on their way south. Today, Glamin 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. [Music] Inspecting a camel's teeth helps to tell how old it is. [Music] The sale of each camel 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 hands. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] 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 truck. [Music] Most of the money that we received 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 tanned leather, we must buy them in the city because we cannot make or grow them ourselves. [Music] Brahim and Bjba inspect the various kinds of tea for sale. Tea comes to the desert markets from China and other faraway lands. [Applause] [Music] 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 merchants'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. [Applause] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] From the mosques of the city, faithful Muhammadans are called to prayer five times a day by a man we called a muazi. After finishing our trading, we returned 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. We are not tied down to shops or to the soil. Searching for food and water, we nomads wander with our animals through the Sahara Desert, which is our home. [Laughter]