The Berbers, who call themselves Amazigh, are the indigenous people of Northern Africa. There is evidence that the Berbers have existed in the Maghreb region of Africa since the beginning of recorded history in the area. It is believed that modern Berbers are the descendants of the pre-Arab inhabitants of North Africa.
One of the earliest groups of Berbers were the Caspians, who lived in the region over 10,000 years ago during the Neolithic era. The Berbers, who were named by the Romans after the Latin word for barbarians, are regularly referenced throughout Greek and Roman history. In many historical Greek texts, the Berbers were called Libyans and were the sole representation of Africa in Europe at the time. Today, the Berbers are a widely diverse group that reflect the various people and cultures that conquered their lands.
The two largest populations of Berbers are found in Algeria and Morocco, where large portions of the population are descended from Berbers but only some of them identify as Amazigh. They are also found in the Sahara of southern Algeria and of Libya, Mali, and Niger.
The Berbers have a long and ancient history, much of which has been overlooked because the ancient people had no written language. The first hint of their history came with the discovery of cave paintings. North African cave paintings as old as 12,000 years have been found in Tadrart Acacus, Libya. Many of the paintings depict farming activities and domestic animals. There are also paintings that have been found at Tassili n’Ajjer in southeastern Algeria.
Berber culture provides the invaluable tourist industry with much of its cachet which includes its distinctive architecture, crafts, and costumes set in a romantic landscape that is specifically Moroccan. Berberism is sufficiently established as an ideology and as a cultural and political program to provide the scattered communities of Berbers with a new national identity in place of the old anthropological one.
Berbers of Morocco are known for the festival of Fantasia which is also known as the Game of Gunpowder. It dates back to a time when battles were still fought on horseback and Berbers were skilled horsemen. Today, this same horsemanship is showcased as a performance during or at the closing of a Berber wedding celebration. The performance is an exhilarating colorful display of expert riding. A group of riders adorned in traditional dress, rush forward at great speed for about 200 meters before firing their old gunpowder loaded weapons, into the air, in unison, effectively creating one synchronized sound.
Another Berber tradition is the Betrothal festival of Imilchil. It is a music filled dancing feast accentuated with colorful traditional clothing. It is celebrated to remember a legend of two lovers who were forbidden to marry because they came from families in different tribes. The legend tells the story of a young man and woman from different tribes who met one day and the attraction was instant. Their love however was forbidden and in their grief they cried themselves to death. Their tears produced two lakes known as Isli for the man and Tislit for the woman. From then on the families decided that one day a year would be set aside when young men and women from different tribes could meet and marry one another.
The style of cooking and range of food differs from tribe to tribe. Inevitably the various cultural invasions throughout the generations have influenced and evolved the Berber cuisine. However, some of the staple ingredients, such as couscous, still remain.
The Islamization of Berbers began with the Arabs.Many Christian Berbers have also emigrated, mostly to France, with only a handful remaining in Morocco.
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