If you search on Google for the word “Berber woman“, among the first results you will find a beautyful vintage photo of Lehnert Landrock comes out with a young Berber girl of the Ouled Nail tribe, taken in Algeria in 1905… the girl’s expression is so strong and penetrating, that I decided to find out more about the Berbers, and in particular about the Ouled Nail tribe.

THE TRIBE

The Berbers (or, in their own language, Imazighen, meaning originally “free men“), are the indigenous inhabitants of North Africa.

The Ouled Nails are a semi-nomadic or nomadic Berber population that lives mainly in the highlands of the Saharan Atlas mountain range that extends into Algeria. The oral tradition of the Ouled Naïl people says that the ancient Arab descent from the tribes arrived in the area about a thousand years ago. Nomads live in black and red striped tents, while semi-nomads reside in fortified villages called “ksour,” or in unfortified villages called “dechra”. Despite the harsh conditions of the dry and cold highlands in which they live, this ethnic group has managed to cope fairly well in its traditional environment over the centuries. The city of Djelfa has traditionally been an important market and commercial center for the Ouled Naïl, in particular for cattle raised in mountain grasslands; but their folk dance accompanied by Bou Saâda music, represent one of the tribes’ sources of income.

THE DANCE AND THE COSTUMES

Although the primary roles and activities of their rural environment were related to the breeding of animals, most women practiced dance and song from childhood, and the practice of leaving the home to go to perform was common. in the premises of the cities or in the Sahara Oasis. This happened especially in times of famine, when in order to survive, they tried to save money and improve their economic status. Traditionally, they left the desert around 15 years old, only to return around 30, to marry and have children.

Ouled Nail costumes are always magnificent. They wear very high-necked tunics, long sleeves, on long skirts, with more or less heavy fabrics, with various patterns, mostly geometric or striped. Often they also wear a veil made of sequins, held by gold threads, but they are never “veiled” that is, with their faces covered, like many other North African women.

The make-up is abundant: very kohol on the eyes, the face adorned with heavy jewels is often tattooed with tribal designs that indicate the tribe to which it belongs. The very black hair is gathered in braids rolled up on the sides of the face that hold large earrings in their place. There are also several colored turbans that show the underlying hairstyle.

The money they own does not keep it in bags or purses but they wear it in various ways. They make up the coins in large necklaces with which they also adorn their beautiful hairstyles, to which they also sometimes add some ostrich feathers.

Another way to carry the money is to sew together the fabric parts of the shawls or skirts using the coins as splice parts. They therefore wear many jewels, large circles on their ears with many hanging coins, bracelets and necklaces. A curiosity: the Ouled Nail women are famous for their large bracelets full of studs and spikes, which they use to protect themselves from insolent gentlemen.