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The North Africa’s indigenous
people are the Berbers; they can be met in Egypt, in Siwa Oasis,
as well as from the Mediterranean Sea to the Niger River, being
distributed in a discontinuously way. The Berbers talk Berber
languages and among the famous Berbers are Septimius Severus – a
Roman Emperor, Apuleius – a Roman author, and Saint Augustine.
As regarding the Egypt Berbers, the society of the Berbers that
live in Siwa is a patriarchal one. As religion, they are Muslims
and the distinctions regarding the wealth are pretty important.
A man’s estate is shared by his family according to the Islamic
laws concerning the inheritance. To have multiple wives is
permitted at Berbers but the custom in Siwa is to have just one
wife. A common thing is the marriage with the first cousin. One
tradition of the Egypt Berbers is that the bride, in her wedding
day eve, is brought to the village pool. The bride has to wear
her best clothes and her hair has to be arranged in 40 braids.
At the pool, the bride is bathed by an old woman, removing the
virginity silver disc. The family of the fiancé awaits the bride
on her way back home and offers her numerous gifts like 40
dresses. 7 of them must to be worn by the bride in her wedding
day, one on the other’s top. Usually, the newlyweds live with
the parents of the groom; to the rectangular house, sometimes a
new level is built for the young grooms. The Egypt Berbers`
houses have a height of several stories, with the walls made of
clay and stone; the roofs are flat and covered with land. A
council made of male chiefs runs the Berbers town. |
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