NATIONAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF THE SAHARAWI PEOPLE

NATIONAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF
THE SAHARAWI PEOPLE
University of Girona
SAHARAMARATHON
www.saharamarathon.org
Africa: the origin of
humanity
The oldest human remnants have been found in Africa. They have been the basis for studying the origin and evolution of humanity.
The first humans then spread from Africa to all the continent and gave rise to the origin of
the different human populations of the world.
The theory of a common origin of humanity is currently the most accepted one and this
common origin is Africa.
Paranthropus Boisei
(Kenia)
Australophitecus africanus
(Sudàfrica)
Homo ergaster
(Kenia)
Homo habilis
(Kenia)
Early Paleolithic
Paleolithic refers to the prehistoric stone age period
and is the moment of history when humans first made
instruments from stone and wood.
The oldest period of the Paleolithic age is known as
early paleolithic and corresponds to the period which
spans from 2 million years ago to 200, 000 years ago.
Humans lived during the early paleolithic age. These
groups of men and women were known by different
names: australopithicus, homo habilis and homo erectus.
The glacial spread of the Paleolithic age did not reach
the Western Sahara. In this period the climate was
much more humid than now and the landscape was
characterized by an immense savannah with forests in
which lived numerous animals and plants.
The humans of that period were hunters and gatherers
and wandering nomads. They lived from hunting large and small animals and from the gathering of all
kinds of plants.
To study the human beings that lived in that period
the early Paleolithic era is divided into two periods, according to the type of stone instruments that were
used. First it was the period of carved stones and after
the Achelene period, known also as the period of the
bifacials or hand axes.
Middle Paleolithic
and Epipaleolithic
The period spanning between 200,000 and 30,000
years ago is known as the middle Paleolithic. In this
period, human beings which were very similar to us
appeared and are know as homo sapiens araico.
This period of prehistory is divided into two cultural
stages: the Musterinese, which is characterized by a
special kind ot tool made from worked stone using a
technique called Levallois carving style and the Ateriense, which is known because arrowheads from chiselled stone were being made in this period.
At the end of this period a kind of modern human
known as homo sapiens sapiens appeared. He was an
inventor and domesticator of fire and he carried on being a nomadic gatherer and hunter.
The period of antiquity between 30,000 and 8,000
years ago is called the Epipaleolithic era. In this period
of history human beings began to make tools from
stone of reduced dimensions with blades to cut the
stone with and from bone, to make needles and other
instruments of precision.
AGEPeríod
8.000-BPNeolítico
30.000 - 8.000 BP
200.000 - 30.000 BP
2.500.000 - 200.000 BP
Epipaleolítico
Paleolítico Medio
InferiorOluvainense
The Neolithic
period
Neolithic means the period of new stone and corresponds to the period in history in which human beings
learn to domesticate plants and animals, giving rise to
agriculture and herding. The Sahara is one of the places on earth where this important change takes place
for the first time.
The human beings that lived during the Neolithic period also learned to do ceramics, weave and undertake
other handicraft activities.
During the Neolithic many human groups stopped being nomadic hunters and gatherers and instead became settled and started practicing agriculture.They
created settlements at the foot of hills, near river valleys, where the flowing water could be used for agriculture.
The climate in the Neolithic was much wetter than at
present. A lot of the land was covered in pasture and
forests where wild animals lived and could be hunted.
The Art of
Rekeyeiz
The zone of the cave drawings of Rekeyeiz is situated
in the north of the settlement of Tifarity, in the hill ranges of Lemgasem. A series of shallow cave shelters escavated in the sandy rock are found in this hill range
and are largely east -facing.
Paintimgs representing lone wild animals, hunting scenes and rituals are found in these cave shelters. Herding is also represented with human figures herding
large bovine numbers.
The cave art of Rekeyeiz can be considered the most
important example of prehistoric art in Western Sahara. The beauty of the figures, the variety and range of
colours along with the large number of figures found
in the cave shelters, makes the zone a cultural and historical treasure. This unique heritage needs to be more
protected in Western Sahara.
The Art of
Gleb Terzug
In the zone of Gleb Terzug, situated in the north of Mijik is found a large number of engravings on the surfaces of rocks of marble.
These engravings for the most part were achieved by a
chiselling technique. Represented on the rocks are
wild animals like giraffes, rhinoceros and reptiles as
well a bovine and magic symbols.
This concentration of rock art indicates to us that human biengs lived there in prehistoric times and that
they dedicated themselves to hunting and gathering
as well as herding.
The rock art
of Sluguilla
The rock art of Sluguilla is located a few kilometers
from Rabuni on the way to Bir Lehlu. It is found in a
rocky landscape made up of sheets of chalky rock. The
concentration is located around a prehistoric lake
which would have contained abundant vegetation
and wild animals.
The rock art of this area is characterized by the use of
incisive engravings. The deep lines result from the act
of repetitive engraving over time. The figures represented are the animals that lived in this place and were
hunted by the same human beings who drew them.
These animals were giraffes, elephants, rhiniceros as
well as different species of antelope.
The rock art
of Taref
The rock art of Taref is located near Bir Lehmar. It is
characterized by an abrupt outcrop of sandy rocks
which harbour a large number of cave shelters that
were formed from wind erosion.
In these cave shelters you can find representations of
rock art that abound in symbols, animals and human
figures.
The exact meaning of these symbols remains unknown. They could equally be herd marks as they could
be symbols referring to ritual or magic. They could also
represent symbols associated with the origin of some
kind of writing system.
From Prehistory to
History
One of the most important sources for studying preheistory is the rock art that was done by those peoples
who still did no use writing to communicate.
Excellent examples of this kind of art are found in the
Western Sahara and was done by different human
groups that populated the territory over time. These
groups came from other places and brought with
them new elements like the horse, the chariot with
wheels, the camel and the first alphabets.
All these elements are found in the rock art of the Western Sahara. By knowing about this kind of art we will
know about an aspect of the cultural origins of the current Western Sahara.
Funerary
monuments
One of the principle archeological riches of the Sahara
are its funerary monuments. The Western Saharan
landscape is full of funerary architecture as a result of
its occupation by human groups of different cultures
throughout history.
The funerary rituals make up an important aspect of
the culture of all peoples. The study of the archeological remains of these funerary sites is a source of very
important information to learn about the way of life of
these peoples.
Objects are frequently found in the burials which raise
an infinite number of questions about the beliefs of
these peoples: What did life and death mean for them?
What was there after death?
The origins of the
Saharawi people
Around 3000 years ago the Sanhaja, antecedents to various different Berber groups, began to migrate from
the north to the northwest of Africa. As they advanced
they expelled the populations of black skin that lived
in the Sahara, until they occupied all the territory.
However, the Sanhaja only gained full control of the
desert once they began to use the camel, which was
nearly 2000 years ago.
During many centuries the Sanhaja, who inhabited the
zone of western Sahara, clashed with other peoples in
order to control the trade routes which traversed the
desert from north to south. In this way, in the 9th century, they took control of Aoudaghost an important
centre on the transaharien route.
Towards the end of the same century they lost control
of this centre to the Soninke, a group originating from
modern day Ghana.
The Almoravide
Empire
Despite the conversion of the Sanhaja to Islam, in the
8th century, it was a very superficial islamization and
their adherence was not properly consolidated until the
Almoravide movement of the 11th century.
Thanks to this unification, the Sanhaja were able to recuperate lands from the south which had been in the
hands of the Soninke and from the Zenata in the north,
another Berber people who controlled the southern
part of the Atlas region.
In 1056, under the command of Abdallah Ibn Yacin, the
invasion of the Almoravide troops began from north
Africa. However, conflicts erupted between the different
tribes of the Almoravide confederation which resulted
in its fragmentation into different groups. One group returned to the south, while the other crossed the mediterranean and began the conquest of the Iberian peninsula and established itself in Andalucia and in actual
Morocco. There they founded Marrakesh and stimulated
an important cultural movement. However, they lost
contact with their country of origin and abandoned
their old way of life.
History: the
13th to 16th
centuries
At the beginning of the 13th century a bedouin arab
people proceding from Yemen, the Beni Hassan, occupied the Sahara subjecting or expelling the other
peoples they encountered. Two centuries later they expanded into the southwest part of the Sahara and came into contact with the Sanhaja.
The relation between the Beni Hassan and Snahaja was
complex. They established accords, but there also were
clashes, such as the Shur Bubba one. With the centuries the Sanhaja and the Beni Hassan ended up fusing
with eachother. The majority of the Saharawi people
are descendents of this fusion. Another part of the population have a different origin. The black population
originate from the south and the origin of the artisans
are attributed to West Africa.
Between the 13th and 16th centuries, the inhabitants
of Western Sahara moved across the desert via more or
less regular routes and did not know either frontiers,
nor bowed to any greater power.
Towards the end of the 16th century, the Sultan of Morocco, Ahmed El Mansur sent an expedition to conquer
Timbuctu, the nucleus of trade routes and an important commercial centre. The impact of this expedition
on the tribes of the Sahara was minimal. Although Timbuctu paid tribute to the sultan for nearly a century, at
no stage did the Saharawis subject themselves to the
power of the Morrocan sultan.
The first contacts
with Western
Powers
The contacts of the Saharawi population with the
Europeans began in the 15th century. The myths
which spoke of the riches of Asia or of the gold of Sudan began to infiltrate the minds of the Europeans.
In that same century they began to explore the sea
and the first attempts took place to discover new comercial routes along the Atlantic coasts of Africa.
In the first half of the 15th century, the coast of Morocco was explored up to cape of Bojador and in the
year 1445, Joao Fernandes travelled into the interior
of Western Sahara. It was by this way that Spanish
and Portguese commerce began with the African
empires and with the Saharawi tribes who controlled
the caravan routes.
Along the coast, they founded commercial posts
which attracted African merchants. To prevent conflict between them, the colonial powers signed different treaties such as the Alcacovas treaty in 1479 and
the one of Tordessillas in 1497. Throught them the
Spanish and Portuguese empires determined their
zones of influence in West Africa.
The colonization
the Sahara
of
From the beginning of the colonial period, the Spanish
did not show much interest in Western Sahara and until
the19th century they did not penetrate the interior of
the territory. By that time France had already become a
dominant power in NW Africa.
In 1886 negotiations were initiated to define the frontiers between the French and the Spanish which gave
rise to accords in 1900. 1904 and 1912. But due to Saharawi resistance, Spanish control of the Western Sahara was not effective until much later.
Due to constant rebellions which took place in the Western Sahara, in 1934 France threatened Spain with occupation of the territory. This threat led to a FrancoSpanish military cooperation to destroy the resistance
of the Saharawi anti-colonial movement. Once crushed,
it made it possible for colonial Spain to exploit the riches of the territory and control the Saharawi population.
Theimpossible
decolonization
During the 50’s and 60’s around seventy Asian and African countries gained their independence. The great
wave of decolonization had begun around the world.
In 1965, the UN proclaimed the right of self-determination for the Saharawi people and urged Spain to begin
the process of decolonization. A few years earlier, the
king of Morocco had expressed his intention to annex
the territories of Western Sahara. The idea of a Greater
empire for Morocco had taken hold. Upon seeing the
situation, Mauritania also felt compelled to claim a part
of the Western Sahara territory.
At the beginning of the 70’s, under international pressure Spain decided to take steps to organize a self-determination referendum and began doing a census of
the population of Western Sahara. But from this stage
onwards,pressure from Morocco and other colonial
powers began to obstuct the process which should have ultimately led to democracy and peace in Western
Sahara.
The
nationalist movements
and the creation of the
Polisario Front
In the course of its search for independence, the populaton of Western Sahara came into constant confrontation with the occupation of its territory. In 1958 an important armed uprising took place against the
French-Spanish troops. Later in 1968, the national movement for Saharawi liberation was born, led by Mohamed Sidi Brahim Bassiri. The movment succeeded to
unite a great part of the populations in manifestations
which were brutally repressed.
The Popular Front for the liberation of Saguia el Hamra
and Rio de Oro, the POLISARIO, was born on May 20th
of 1973. This movement of national liberation would
lead the struggle on a popular, military, political and
diplomatice level.
T he G reen M arch
and the T ripartite
Accords
The political and economic interests of Spain had
greater importance than those of the Saharawi
people at the decisive hour of their future.
After presenting various obstacles to the celebration
of a self-determination referendum, proposed by the
UN, Hassan II decided to organize a march of 350,000
Moroccan men and women with the intention of taking possession of Western Sahara. To this Green
March was added 25, 000 Moroccan soldiers.
Spain initially expressed its will to protect the territory and celebrate the referendum according to the
UN mandate and that was the position expressed by
the Prince Juan Carlos of Borbon, the current Spanish
King, during his visit to Al Aauin on November 7 of
1975.
But one week later, on November 14 of 1975, the Tripartite Madrid Accords were signed in which Spain
handed over Western Sahara to Morocco and Mauritania. It was as a result of this exchange for political
and economic compensations that Spain abandoned
the Saharawi people to face their fate.
The War
The Spanish governor prepared in advance for the
handing over of Western Sahara to Morocco and Mauritania. A curfew was decreed. The Saharawi neighbourhoods were enclosed by barb-wire to prevent the
flight of the population. The Spanish soldiers of Saharawi origin were obliged to hand in their weapons and
their movements were controlled.
The Spanish military quarters were abandoned in an
orderly fashion. The change of troops was done in such
a manner that from night to day, the Sahara passed into Moroccan and Mauritanian hands.
The Exodus and the
creation of Refugee
camps
The war began with the Moroccan occupation. One
part of the Saharawi population fled towards the desert persecuted by the occupying planes and troops.
The Polisario Front did its best to face the occupation
and to help organize the flight and absoption of the refugees.
To avoid the Moroccan attacks during the exodus, the
refugees went as far as the outskirts of Tindouf in Algeria. There camps were created. From there the Saharawi population resisted the occuaption of their country.
The Moroccan walls and
the Peace Plan
Mauritania recognized the Saharawi people’s right to
their territory. Morocco on the other hand continued
its illegal occupation.
In 1980, as a result of the war of attrition and the contant incursions of the Saharawi Popular Liberation Army, Morocco changed its strategy and decided to build
great walls in the desert equipped with sophisticated
military technology. But this new military strategy was
still not able to contain the attacks of the Saharawi Liberation Army.
As a result of a situation which appeared to have no
end, in 1989, the UN formulated a Peace Plan which included the celebration of a self-determination referendum. The Peace Plan was accepted by all the parties
concerned. In spite of this, Moroccan intransigence
and the complicit silence of Western governments has
made it impossible for the referendum to be implemented.
T he R efugee
Camps
The refugee population which arrived to Algeria was
set up in four large camps in the Hamada, in one of the
most hostile and barren parts of the Sahara.
Only the firm will of the Saharawi People to survive
and continue fighting made it possible for them, in
the immense but empty territory, to build workshops,
gardens, hospitals, schools and be organized to endure
the already very long wait for a positive solution to the
conflict.
Without a doubt, this wait would have been much harder without the help of organizations and people who,
from all over the world, have offered their support and
solidarity to the Saharawi people.
COUNTRIES THAT RECOGNIZE SADR
(JANUARY 1997)
1.- MADAGASCAR
(28 de Febrero de 1976)
2.- BURUNDI
(1 de Marzo de 1976)
3.- ARGELIA
( 6 de Marzo de 1976)
4.- BENIN
(11 de Marzo de 1976)
5.- ANGOLA
(11 de Marzo de 1976)
6.- MOZAMBIQUE
(13 de Marzo de 1976)
7.- GUINEA-BISSAU
(15 de Marzo de 1976)
8.- COREA DEL NORTE
(16 de Marzo de 1976)
9.- TOGO
(17 de Marzo de 1976)
10.- RWANDA
(1 de Abril de 1976)
11.- YEMEN DEL SUR
(2 de Febrero de 1977)
12.- SEYCHELLES
(25 de Octubre de 1977)
13.- CONGO
(3 de Junio de 1977)
14.- SAO TOMÉ Y PRINCIPE
(22 de Junio de 1978)
15.- PANAMÁ
(23 de Junio de 1978)
16.- TANZANIA
(9 de Noviembre de 1978)
17.- ETHIOPIA
(24 de Febrero de 1979)
18.- VIETNAM
( 2 de Marzo de 1979)
19.- KAMPUCHEA
(10 de Abril de 1979)
20.- LAOS
(9 de Mayo de 1979)
21.- AFGHANISTAN
(23 de Mayo de 1979)
22.- CABO VERDE
( 4 de Julio de 1979)
23.- GRANADA
(20 de Agosto de 1979)
24.- GHANA
(24 de Agosto de 1979)
25.- GUYANA
(1 de Septiembre de 1979)
26.- DOMINICA
(1 de Septiembre de 1979)
27.- SANTA LUCÍA
( 1 de Septiembre de 1979)
28.- JAMAICA
( 4 de Septiembre de 1979)
29.- UGANDA
( 6 de Septiembre de 1979)
30.- NICARAGUA
( 6 de Septiembre de 1979)
31.- MEXICO
( 8 de Septiembre de 1979)
32.- LESOTHO
( 9 de Octybre de 1979)
33.- ZAMBIA
(12 de Octubre de 1979)
34.- CUBA
(20 de Enero de 1980)
35.- IRÁN
(27 de Febrero de 1980)
36.- SIERRA LEONA
(27 de Marzo de 1980)
37.- SIRIA
(15 de Abril de 1980)
38.- LIBIA
(15 de Abril de 1980)
39.- SWAZILANDIA
(28 de Abril de 1980)
40.- BOTSWANA
(14 de Mayo de 1980)
41.- ZIMBABWE
( 3 de Julio de 1980)
42.- CHAD
( 4 de Julio de 1980)
43.- MALI
( 4 de Julio de 1980)
44.- COSTA RICA
(30 de Octubre de 1980)
45.- VANUATU
(27 de Noviembre de 1980)
46.- PAPUA NUEVA GUINEA
(12 de Agosto de 1981)
47.- TUVALU
(12 de Agosto de 1981)
48.- KIRIBATI
(12 de Agosto de 1981)
49.- NAURU
(12 de Agosto de 1981)
50.- ISLAS SALOMÓN
(12 de Agosto de 1981)
51.- MAURICIO
( 1 de Julio de 1982)
52.- VENEZUELA
( 3 de Agosto de 1982)
53.- SURINÁM
(11 de Agosto de 1982)
54.- BOLIVIA
(14 de Diciembre de 1982)
55.- ECUADOR
(14 de Noviembre de 1983)
56.- MAURITANIA
(27 febrero de 1984)
57.- BURKINA FASO
( 4 de Marzo de 1984)
58.- PERU
(16 de Agosto de 1984)
59.- NIGERIA
(12 de Noviembre de 1984)
60.- YUGOSLAVIA
(28 de Noviembre de 1984)
61.- COLOMBIA
(27 de Febrero de 1985)
62.- LIBERIA
(31 de Julio de 1985)
63.- INDIA
( 1 de Octubre de 1985)
64.- GUATEMALA
(10 de Abril de 1986)
65.- REPÚBLICA DOMINICANA
(24 de Junio de 1986)
66.- TRINIDAD Y TOBAGO
(1 de Noviembre de 1986)
67.- BELICE
(18 de Noviembre de 1986)
68.- ST. KITTS AND NEVIS
(25 de Febrero de 1987)
69.- ANTIGUA
(27 de Febrero de 1988)
70.- ALBANIA
(29 de Diciembre de 1987)
71.- BARBADOS
(27 de Febrero de 1988)
72.- EL SALVADOR
(31 de Julio de 1989)
73.- HONDURAS
(8
de Noviembred de 1989)
74.- NAMIBIA
(11 de Junio de 1990)
75.- MALAWI
(16 de Noviembre de 1994)
76.- SUDÁFRICA
(Junio de 1995)
The Saharawi
Social structure
The Saharawi society, like the majority of traditional societies of the Sahara was a clearly hierarchical society.
Every person belonged to a tribe. Each tribe either
maintained relations of dominance or subserviance with respect to others.
The different tribes that lived in Western Sahara can be
divided into three main groups:
• The warrior group, the hassaniya tribes which possessed military power.
• The group with certain religious prestige, the zuaia
tribes
•The group dedicated to animal herding and had to
pay tribute to the other tribes
There also were three other groups who dedicated
themselves to various activities:
• The artisans, who only offered their services in exchange for food and protection.
• the musicians who displaced themselves for social
festivities and to sing for the chiefs.
• The slaves, who were used by the tribes as herders
and to do the hardest domestic chores.
With the colonization of the Spain first and then the revolution and creation of the SADR, all these traditional
social structures have been undergone transformation
unitl the current form of social organization, which isable to face the challenges of the present.
Currently, all the inhabitants of Western Sahara, no
matter what their origins and social position, enjoy the
same rights and are all Saharawi citizens. This is the
only possibility for overcoming ancient divisions and
rivalries and to achieve the common goal of survival
for the Saharawi people.
Family Life
The traditional Saharawi family was formed by a man,
his wife and children, who all lived together in a tent.
The tents were rarely found on their own. Next to them
were groups of other families and neighbours, forming
camps which varied from three to fifteen tents. In times of war these camps could reach up to 250 tents.
Next to the families which made up a campment
would normally also be some servants, artisans, a teacher and occasionally a musician who offered his services for a period.
The men were in charge of the herds and the defence
of the campment. The woman was in charge of the
transport of water, the gathering of wood, the herding
of the small herds and the milking of the camels and
all the other family jobs of weaving, preparing the tent
and the preparation of food.
The traditional economy of
Western Sahara
The nomadic herds were the base of the Saharawi livelihood and economy. Alongside this, other complementary activities were carried out such as commerce,
some form of agriculture and the exploitation of the
saltpans. In the coastal regions maritime fishing was also practiced.
The Nomadic Herd
The raising of herds was the foundation of the Saharawi economy. Although goats and sheep were also
raised, the herd was basically made up of camels. The
camels were the animals that were best adapted to the
conditions of the desert. During the dry spells they
could spend up to five days without drinking and were
capable of travelling large distances. The female camel
was at the heart of the herding economy as she could
reproduce and also be used as a beast of burden.
Everything from the herds was used. The milk and its
derivatives constituted the basic food of the Saharawis
along with meat. The skin was used to make mounts,
ropes, carpets, pillows as well as to decorate cases, musical instruments etc. Weaved strips of the tent were
made with camel hair. The fat was used for both medicinal and cosmetic pruposes. The excrements and and
urine also had therapeutic use.
The herds were the property of the family. Each tribe
and fraction had a distinctive brand to identify their
herds. Practically all these brands have a legend which
explain their origin.
Traditional agriculture
Although water was scarce, agriculture was practiced
to a degree but only as a complimentary activity.
The most fertile terrains were reserved for cultivation
of cereals and vegetables. Agricultural activity was largely family based but the participation of the entire
camp was needed for the larger jobs of sowing, tilling
and harvesting.
The traditional economy of
Western Sahara
Commerce
Throughout history the Sahara has been a passage zone
and the destination of important commercial routes. Some of these routes were born in Europe and their destinations were Essauria, Timbuctou and San Luis of Senegal.
Transaharan commerce traditionally developed along a
north south axis. From the 17th century on a new eastwest commercial axis emerged which united the zones
of the interior to the coast and were where the European
powers began to establish themselves.
Products such as arabic gum from the north of the Senegalese river or ostrich feathers, attracted European traders who offered metals, textiles and food in exchange.
But the nomads did not limit themselves to commercial
bartering alone and also fulfilled the role of protection,
transport, guides as well as the hiring camels.
The saltpans of Iyil were the most important commercial
nucleus next to Western Sahara. From Iyil large chunks of
salt were extracted of aproximately 1x 0.4x.15 in dimension. The workers in these saltpans got one out of every
687 extracted in addition to a measure of millet for each
animal load, which consisted in six slabs per camel.
Fishing Traditional
Some groups from the coast dedicated themselves to
maritime fishing. For that they used nets of about 10 meters in length and 3 meters wide which were kept vertically in the sea with cork and pieces of clay pots. They fished without boats and were able to master the art of
fishing from the coast using some very long sticks to place and collect the nets.
The artesans
Artesans resided in each campment and with their abilities satisfied the technical needs of the group. They
produced instruments of luxury or utensils for life in
the desert and in exchange got food and protection.
In the past, the artesans did not enjoy the prestige and
recognition that they currently get. Despite living next
to the families they were considered strangers and formed a separate group. They could only get married with members of their own group.
The artisan and his wife dedicated themselves to making handicrafts, but the specialties of each were distinct.
The man with his simple implements of hammer, tweezers, pliers and bellows, dedicated himself to working
with wood, bone, gold, silver or iron. The woman dedicated herself to working with leather and undertook
curing, engraving, painting and sewing. Using leather
they made big saddle bags, pillows, waterskins, ropes,
mounts, tobacco pouches, boxes lined with skin and
other decorative objects.
Handicrafts
Saharawi art is a minaturist art form judging from the
extraordinary delicacy of the decorations which are
achieved using a pen and chisel on silver or on leather.
The artistic style appears to largely consist of geometric motifs which contain hidden meaning that are
difficult to decipher by those who lack expertise. Some
specialists have the knowledge of letters and of magical numbers with which they make amulets and talismen to offer protection to those who wear them.
Some of the designs of Saharawi art, like those we can
find in the leather tapestries, the wood containers or
the jewellery bear the equivalent of the arabic alaphabet.
If we read the decorative motifs we can observe how
the number five appears with much frequency given
that it symboizes the hand of Fatima, Providence and
summarizes the pillars of law and religion.
It is understood that the ornamental motifs rarely corresponded to the free fantasies of the artesan. The designs are limited, each one has a name and many have
a precise meaning and a clear function to fulfill.
Music
Originating from Mauritania where they even formed
villages, the musicians emigrated to the north to find a
triabl chief who would take them in and would be contracted to sing eulogies for him and to his group.
If the chief did not want their services, the musicians
would compose themes of a satirical nature to make
fun of him or his group. It is possibly because of this
fact that many musicians are considered with ambivalence, somewhere between being admired and reviled.
The musicians also enjoyed a prominent role during
periods of battle. They recited poetry of a heroic character and played to give courage to the warriors.
The music of the Sahara can be distinguished between
the abundant popular songs that were known by one
or various tribes and the cultivated music of the zone
known as el howl.
El howl is a style of music which is widely spread and
appreciated, not only in Western Sahara, but also in
Mauritania, Mali and the south of Algeria. Within el
howl can be distinguished 7 styles which are performed in a fairly rigorous order and reflect specific themes such as war and love.
Childhood
During the first years of life the women are in charge
of caring and educating the children.
From a young age, the children receive religious and
moral training through the first songs sung to them by
the adults. They are also taught through games, proverbs and divinations in which religion and magic are
mixed, recitations from the life of the prophet and the
actions of their anscestors.
From 7 years old onwards, there is an important change in the lives of girls and boys. For boys his education
is taken over by the father which involves a stricter and
more severe education. At that age the boy is circumcised and begins to attend koranic school.
The rest of his time is divided between playing and
learning his future role as an adult. The education of
the girls is taken over by the rest of the women with
whom they learn how to behave and are taught the
skills expected of a woman.
Kora
School
n i c
In Western Sahara, schooling arrived with Islam, as religious training required learning to read and write.
In each encampment of traditional society there
would often only be a koranic school. If a encampment
had to remain in one place for a long period they
would build a zriba which were branches in the sand
symbolizing the walls of a mosque whose ceiling was
the sky.
After a long period of study during which one learned
to read and memorize a great quantity of books, the
teacher encouraged the student to impart his learnings.
In this way he began his activities in the service of the
family who looked after him in exchange for his teachings. His students, between 6 and 15 years old, had
to learn fragments of the Koran, as well as aspects based in religion and a sense of respect and obedience.
Religion
Religion has always formed a fundamental aspect of
Saharawi society. Like in the rest of the countries of the
Maghreb, two forms of seeing and practicing Islam
were practiced side by side in the Sahara. For one part
there was orthodox knowledge derived from theology
and Islamic law. The other was grounded popular beliefs, the mystics and the fraternities.
During colonialism, the fraternities played a very important role in the whole Islamic world due to their
ability to mobilize forces in favour of independence.
Various examples of this existed in the Sahara. One
was the case of Cheikh Ma el Ainin, who counted on
the support of Saharwi tribes for a few years, who
grew more and more opposed to the presence of foreign forces in their territory.
Another aspect related to the popular religious tradition were the ritual and magical practices, the food taboos, the evil eye, the spirits and different types of
prodigies.
Within the Saharawi population, the use of amulet is
well known and has various functions. To ensure safety
nine magic numbers are used in a square, whose number equates the name of God. To favour the development of the intelligence of students they will inscribe
kaiketar on the boards. To favour understanding between people living together in a tent they put the
boudour in the lintels of the tent.
The territory of Western Sahara:
The main geographical areas
The Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic occupies a territory of 284,000km2. It is delimited by Morocco in the
north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east
and south and the Atlantic ocean to the west.
From the point of view of landscape and the geography, the territory of Western Sahara can be divided into five large regions:
1. Saguia El Hamra
2.Hamada
3.Zemmour
4. Adrar Sutuf
5.Tiris
6. The coast
Common to all these regions is the climate which is either semi-desertic or desertic. However, these five regions present notable differences between them in
terms of geological structure, the existence of subterranean water and vegetation.
La Saguia
El Hamra and
the Hamada
Saguia El Hamra
This regions gets its neame from the river that traverses it and into which drains all the fluvial flows of the
zone. These rivers known as wads are usually dry,
however abundant vegetation thrives in their dry riverbeds during the entire year.
The grasas are natural depressions which accumulate
humidity. They tend to be populated by acacias and
other trees and heat resistent bushes. A line of wells
border this region in the south. The only important
area of dunes is in the region of the Draa.
The mines of Bu Craa are found In Saguia El Hamra ,
the largest and richest open air source of phosphates
in the world, covering an area that is 84 kilometers
long and 15 kilometers wide.
The Hamada
The Hamada begins to the east of Saguia El Hamra. It is
a rocky desert plateau of relative elevated altitude
where the refugees camps are currently found.
The vegetation in the Hamada is practically nonexistent, although below its surface exist natural aquifers
of water.
Climatic conditions in the winter as much as in the
summer are extreme in the Hamada. The severity of
the climate is well known to all the refugees. It is due
to this that the traditional curse stems which says:
“May God send you to the Hamada!”
Zemmour
Zemmour is to the south east of Saguia El Hamra, a region of mountains, granite and silica, where the rocky
plains alternate with abundant rock formations of relatively low altitude.
Dry river beds and deposits of subterranean water are
abundant in el Zemmour, although not as much as in
Saguia el Hamra. Some fertile valleys exist and wide
depressions that make it one of the most beautiful
landscapes in the region. The massif of Guelta is the
centre of this zone.
The frontier between Zemmour and the regions of the
south are formed by the mountains of Um Dreiga, Karb
Ennaga y Negyir as well as the forest of Tawahfagt and
the extensive plains and valleys that surround Bir Nazaran.
Tiris
Tiris is a region of immense plains. According to the time of the year, it will either have abundant vegetation
in the form of green plants or grains which provide
pasture for the camel herds in winter or else will become one of the most arid regions in the summer, where
all vegetation disappears and the herds must leave.
Valleys with acacias can be found in Tiris as well as some wells. The wells make life possible in the region
which otherwise does not have as much water as the
other regions.
The horizontal nature of the landscape is only interrupted by the glabats, isolated mountains of black
granite. Their rounded surfaces rise up from the
ground and create one of the most distinct and beautiful landscapes in all of Western Sahara.
Adrar Suttuf
and the Coast
Adrar Suttuf
The hill of Zug of 480 meters height represents the
border between Tiris and Adrar Suttuf. This region is
the highest in Western Sahara, with hills that reach 500
meters. These hills and the valleys that separate them
characterize the landscape in the central and eastern
parts of Adrar Suttuf. Towards the coast the landscape
transforms into a white and rocky texture and the vegetation disappears closer to the coast.
The Coast
The western frontier of the Sahara consists in 1200kms
of coast. Much of it is made up of cliff formations. In
some parts the cliffs are as high as 100 meters. Other
parts of the coast consist in very long beaches.
Along the coast are some ports and well known natural bays that were known to navigators in the distant
past. The bay of Rio de Oro between Dakhla and Argub
of 30 km length and 20 is the best known and is next
to the bay of Cintra.
Historically the litoral was barely populated since the
wealth that could be extracted from the sea was little.
In the present, however, the fishing banks represent
one of the greatest sources of wealth in Western Sahara.
The cities of Western
Sahara
According to the chronicles of the Carthaginian explorer Hanon, in the IVth century AC, the first commercial
structure was built on the Saharawi coast. During the
XIV and VX centuries there were Spanish and Portuguese landings along the coast.
Until the 19th century, the Spanish did not begin to
build commercial posts along the coast. Towards the
end of the 19th century, the English also established
themselves along the Saharan coast and opened trading posts, one in Hausa and the other Tarfaya. Their
intention was to opem a new route for commercial penetration into the centre of Africa from the Saharan
coast. The project, however, did not succeed.
Apart for Smara, the rest of the cities of Western Sahara are the result of contact between the Saharawis and
the different colonial powers which were in the region
through the years. The Spanish founded Dakhla, El
Aauin and La Guera. The cities became important commercial centres and the population slowly began sedentarizing their outskirts, drawn by the work and the
salaries offered by the Spanish.
The process of sedentarization increased enormously
from 1960. By the end of the Spanish presence in 1975,
only 20% of the population of Western Sahara could
consider themselves to be leading a totally nomadic life.
The city of Smara has a very distinct history. Cheikh Ma
el Ainin ordered the construction of the city in 1898, in
a zone that was removed from the coast and was rich
in pastures ans water and was well placed to control
the caravans that were headed for the north. The city
was partially destroyed in 1913 in a punitive operation
carried out by the French. Despite this, it still enjoys a
special and prestigious aura.
La Flora
Contrary to what some may believe, the territories of Western Sahara are not totally desertic. A relatively rich flora
and fauna in fact exists.
There are more than 500 species of plants which are distributed throughout the territory according to climatic conditions, the soil composition and the abundance of water.
The humid zones like the graras and the dry river valleys
are the richest in vegetation. In these places it is easy to
find acacias, grains like wheat and oat, woody plants and
herbaceous plants like the “donkey melon”.
This last one is avoided by many animals and tends to be
an indication that there is awatertable at shallow depth.
The most resistant plants to the highly saline water which
have capacity to reach undergound layers with sweeter
waters, form a concentric belts around the saltpans.
In the rocky terrains like the Hamada, vegetation life is virtually non-existent. In the cliffy regions and the zones with
permanant humidity vegetation is diverse and is denser
and more consistent, with an abundance of grains, reeds
and fig trees.
The trees
In the graras the undersoil is rich in water and its clay base
can be cultivated if it adapted to the seasonality of the rains.
Different kinds of trees can grow in the graras. The most
common ones tend to be resistant to the scarcity of water
like the Ateel, Tarfas, Ignin, tamat, turya, figs, eucalyptus,
acacias and date trees.
The Fauna
The Western Sahara is quite rich in birds. One of the
main reasosn for this richness is that the territory lies
along one of the important migratory bird routes between Europe and sub-Sahara Africa.
The ostrich has always been one of the distinct birds of
the Sahara. Before the colonial era the ostrich was very
abundant, however in the present the ostrich has sadly
become almost extinct with only a few examples to be
found in Mauritania.
With respect to other animals, the same fate has affected the gazelles, the antelope and the orix. Unregulated
hunting and the war has led to their disappearance.
Currently one can find mammals like the fox, the fennec
fox , the cheetah, the linx, the hyena or jackal, as well a
smaller sized species such as the rabbit, mice, hedgehogs, shrews and others.
One of the animals that are most characteristic of the
Saharan fauna are the lizards of which exist two kinds.
Different kinds of snakes are also found, some poisonous like the lefa. Near the coastline you can also find
some turtles.
Fish
One of the main riches of Western Sahara is the maritime fish. The saharan continental platform is one of the
richest fishing zones on the planet. In an area covering
more than 150,000 km2 live a great diversity of species, around 200 of fish, 60 moluscs and a variety of
cephalopods and crustaceaans.
The use of
the nature
The desert offers all the elements needed to survive in it
but is requires knowing them. The Saharawis have been
learning about them over hundreds of years. For this reason, one of the principle riches of the culture is the profound knowledge which they have of the desert and has
enabled them to live when others would not be able to.
The herds, flora and fauna provide foods needed for subsistence but also products can be extracted from them
to make medicines and remedies.
The pharmaceutical knowledge of the Saharawis is rich.
They know of the medicinal properties of tazaukennit,
which is good for treating syphillis. They know about afalachit, an excellent laxative. They also know of suaia and
lemlefa, good for treating stomach problems. The henna
is used as an antiseptic and the branches of the ateel are
used as toothbrushes.
Useful products are also obtained from animals to cure
certain illnesses. The lizard, apart from being edible also
possesses medicinal value. The fat of the camel is used to
treat diabetes.