The Magical Life of Berber Women in Kabylia

[Al-khiyal]

The Magical Life of Berber Women in Kabylia by Makilam

Kabyle women from Algeria were believed to have been relegated to a role, subjugated by dominant males, in which they were confined to reproduction, nature, and their sensibilities. The weaknesses created by this inequality were thought to be compensated for by their living inconspicuous lives practicing magic, especially in love. Makilam rejects these preconceived ideas and demonstrates that women’s magic was expressed in every domain of their daily lives: pottery making, food provision/preparation, and weaving. In fact, the traditional Kabyle society was incapable of functioning without women, who ensured its material and spiritual unity.

"One of the most important tasks of postcolonial scholars is unraveling the misrepresentations foisted on indigenous peoples by colonizers. For the multicolonized Berber peoples, not the least of the task is to reinstate women as the vibrant, life-affirming cultural core they were and remain. In this engagingly thorough work, Makilam strips away the impositions of outsiders to reveal the true conception of Berber women as the privileged and spiritual creators of her home culture."

~ Barbara Alice Mann, University of Toledo, Ohio

[Al-khiyal]

Symbols and Magic in the Arts of Kabyle Women by Makilam

Makilam’s research on the history of women and Berber culture, one of North Africa’s most ancient civilizations, demonstrates that the Kabyle women’s magic practices, graphic symbols, and rites of passage permit a new interpretation of their cultural identity from those that have traditionally been attributed to them by Western observers. This completely new vision of the symbolic grammar of the "decorations," notably expressed in pottery, weaving, tattoos, and wall-paintings, leads us to reconsider the meaning of the Kabyle arts and contributes to our knowledge of Maghreb cultures and the role of women in "traditional" societies.

"Makilam presents a wealth of uncommon knowledge about the pre-Islamic cosmology, ritual life, and social structure of the Kabyle, the indigenous Berbers of Algeria. As a classically trained ethnologist raised in the heart of Kabyle women’s traditions, she provides rare insights into the daily rituals and the magical significance of their intricate visual arts. Her insider’s view into matrilineal sacred practices reveals the complex symbolism and cultural centrality of Kabyle women, previously unrecognized by Western researchers. Makilam’s brilliant and disciplined scholarship is essential reading for anyone interested in the role of women in traditional Berber society."

~ Joan Marler, Executive Director and Professor of Institute of Archaeomythology, California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco

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La magie des femmes kabyles et l'unité de la société traditionnelle de Makilam



Signes et Rituels magiques des femmes Kabyles de Makilam

[Al-khiyal]

Makilam, Historikerin und Doktor der Philosophie, wuchs bis zum Alter von siebzehn Jahren in einem Dorf des Djurdjura auf. Seitdem lebt sie in Europa, ist aber intensiv an ihre Herkunft gebunden. Ihre von persönlichen Erlebnissen durchzogene Untersuchung bietet viele neue, bisher unveröffentlichte Erkenntnisse über Riten und Mythen einer im Aussterben befindlichen Gesellschaft.

Makilam, kabyle, historienne et Docteur en Philosophie, a grandi dans un village du Djurdjura jusqu’à l’âge de dix-sept ans. Elle vit depuis en Europe tout en étant très attachée à ses origines. Son témoignage, ponctué d’expériences personnelles, a le mérite d’apporter de nombreux éclairages nouveaux et inédits sur les rites et les mythes d’une société en voie de disparition.

Makilam is a Kabyle, a historian and a PhD. She was raised in a village of the Djurdjura, (a region of northern Algeria) until she was seventeen, and has since lived in Europe. She has always remained very close to her roots, and her testimony, interspersed with personal experiences, sheds completely new light on the rituals and myths of this vanishing society:

Makilam

[Bent_Bladi]

omg!! it's in english!!! FINALLLY!!!!!!!!!

[nouha]

Kabyle women from Algeria were believed to have been relegated to a role, subjugated by dominant males, in which they were confined to reproduction, nature, and their sensibilities.

unfortuntely thats the case of all women in the world...