12:37
awal
انجاز لحسن الحو
samedi 5 mars 2016
Posted in: Etymology of Imazighen
The perplexed term 'Berber' is shrouded with mystery, just as the Berbers themselves. Regardless of whether some people like or dislike the use of the term 'Berber' the name had entered the international vocabulary and therefore it will be used here when writing in English. The matriarchal name 'Tamazight', albeit more popular in its recent masculine and patriarchal form Amazigh, is gradually becoming known to the outside world.
This is not to say that there is anything wrong with using the term Berber, just because it was mistakenly associated with Greek barbarous and the negative connotation it conveys – as it existed long before the Greeks and the Romans, and also was used by the Ancient Egyptians and the Berbers long before them. There is no doubt that the etymology of the name 'Berber' was altogether misunderstood, and it never meant 'barbaric' or 'savage' simply because the Romans used it to describe the Ancient Egyptians whom we all know were far more advanced and civilised than both the Romans and the Greeks.
Generally speaking the term "Berbers" was used by foreigners (or aliens some would say) to describe the native inhabitants of North Africa, while the Berbers call themselves Imazighen. Likewise, its etymology of "Free People" or "Freemen" has neither etymological basis nor historical foundation, and it was merely a superstitious conjuncture that somehow gained widespread popularity amongst both Berberists and European scholars, probably after it was introduced to them by Berber Leo Africanus, without questioning its authority or explaining how it came to have this bizarre etymology. Which part in the term 'Imazighen' that says 'free' and which part that means 'people' remain to be explained. The only etymology that can be concluded so far is "noble", as in Tamaheqt majegh ('nobel'). Noble they are, no doubt; but free is far from true. Freedom starts in the mind, then magically manifests in the real world.
Imazighen is the plural form of the masculine singular Amazigh or Mazigh, while 'Timazighin' is the plural form of the feminine singular Tamazight. This means that the recent use of the term 'Amazigh' to describe a group of people (as in the Amazigh of Libya) is incorrect because the term is singular; and therefore the correct form to use is the plural form: the Imazighen of Libya. The popular and masculine form used almost world-wide, namely "Amazigh Language", does not exist; violates the sacred Tamazight; and seemingly is heading towards threatening the very base on which it was based – the matriarchal nature of the Berber society. Tamazight by itself means exactly that: 'Berber language'. For some unknown reason there seems to be the alien tendency to abandon the original matriarchal form Tamazight and ultimately all its associated forms!
'Tamazgha', meaning the 'land of the Imazighen' (or North Africa), was also invented by activists to describe what the Berbers have always prescribed as Thamorth, ('land, town, country'). Terms like 'Amazighity' (mixing the English suffix -ty with Berber a-Mazigh-) and 'Imazighenautes' (the Berber geeks of the internet) give the amusing impression that things are getting complicated.
Some might say this should not pose a threat, so long as modernisation is applied to illuminate (rather than integrate then eliminate). But nature has already taken care of this process in a natural way. TEK ('TraditionalEnvironmental Knowledge') is continually modernising all aspects of human existence in one complete system we know as evolution – with the free 'will' to steer one's destiny.
This extensive TEK knowledge of indigenous People's heritage and accumulative wisdom, which modern scientists now seek for new insights, insures cultural continuation and inspires new inventions of material types, smart tools and even new human societies altogether; encompassing all aspects of human's existence. Yet despotic democracies, in contrast, emphasise only one single aspect on the expense of all other aspects including the desecration of nature, policing indigenous principles, impoverishing people, and even feeding the earth with toxic waste. This transitional expression will not succeed in evolutionary terms, because it violates long range perspective with which nature sees her future offspring thriving as ever!
The Berbers' mentality, their cheerful attitude to life, their customary egalitarian justice and tribal council of the elders (of both female and male transparent members of the society who lead by example), and all the good, unique elements that distinguish Tamazight society from the 'warring' ideals thriving in neighbouring and far distant countries may all become affected by, if not infected with, the new cultureless direction towards which the Berber society may one day find itself led to –> something the Imazighen of today ought to be concerned-with right now, rather than shortsightedly endure in decades to come. If the Berbers loose their unique sense of identity, as a Berber, one may no longer wish to remain a Berber, simply because there will be none in essence.
To take away from indigenous people their pride, then deprive them of the values at the heart of their existence, rather than preserve their priceless world heritage, goes against all human ideals allegedlyreverberating across the moral world. The Berber Tuareg of the Sahara were also brought under the hammer in recent decades when they were forced to perform some patriarchal con-sessions to abandon a number of Tamazight matriarchal institutions including the "sacred matrilineal naming system".
Letters written language Tamazight Tifinagh
Letters written lagunage Tamazight Tifinagh
Letters written language Tamazight Tifinagh is one of the oldest characters, where they were shred inscriptions to this topic characters carved on rocks in the Sahara desert of North Africa, and this topic inscriptions dating back thousands of years .
Letters written language Tamazight Tifinagh is one of the oldest characters, where they were shred inscriptions to this topic characters carved on rocks in the Sahara desert of North Africa, and this topic inscriptions dating back thousands of years .
