Origin: Moors, (Morocco, Western Sahara)

Name:
MŻo/A/3991: juk (bag) – tiziaten (hassaniyya language)
MŻo/A/3994: shabrack (fragment) – ibuich (hassaniyya language)
MŻo/A/3996: table (luggage shelf) – amchaghab (hassaniyya language)
MŻo/A/3997: saddle (shelf) - amchaghab (hassaniyya language)

Dating: mid 20^th century

Dimensions:

MŻo/A/3991: height 120.0 cm, width 56.0 cm
MŻo/A/3994: height 76.5 cm, width 62.0 cm, depth 1.8 cm
MŻo/A/3996: height 37.0 cm, width 60.5 cm, depth 36.0 cm
MŻo/A/3997: height 83.5 cm, width 65.5 cm, depth 79.0 cm

Materials: wood, leather

Techniques: saddlery techniques, blacksmith techniques

Acquired by: Adam Rybiński

MŻo/A/3991: antiques market, Loches, France
MŻo/A/3994: antique shop, Tours, France
MŻo/A/3996: antique shop, Paris, France
MŻo/A/3997: antique shop, Valence, France

Description:

 The four presented Moorish objects have several common features. First of all, they are related to movement. Moors as nomads have many items related to transport in their inventory. The second common feature is their place of purchase. They were not purchased in the field during ethnographic research or study trips, which is of the greatest value from a scientific point of view. But they were bought on the secondary market (antique shops, flea markets, online platforms, etc.) in France. One may ask why in France in the first place? Didn't travelers from other countries go there? Of course, the Moors attracted the attention of Westerners. Most, however, went there the French, because it was their sphere of influence (north and west Africa).

The collector himself emphasizes that until 2010 he acquired objects in the field during research. Later, due to the inability to travel in the field (the Azawad uprising in 2012, later unrest in the region and the state of health), they were obtained in Europe. As already mentioned, he bought them on the secondary market. In such situations, the seller usually does not have any knowledge about the object being sold. By purchasing an item in the field from a user or manufacturer, we can learn a lot about it. In the case of a second-hand collector's purchase, the scientist must rely only on his own knowledge.

An interesting example of an object - seemingly not very interesting - found and acquired thanks to the knowledge possessed, is a woman's saddle that also serves as a shelf (MŻo/A/3997). At the time when the camp is moved, the saddle is placed on the back of the camel with the posts up. When the group arrives at the new encampment, the saddle is removed from the camel and brought into the tent. It is turned 180 degrees, in this way the posts begin to function as legs and the saddle becomes a shelf for luggage. The use of one item in two different ways proves the huge economy of nomads. Moving from place to place, they cannot have too much luggage, hence the use of items in various ways. A similar function is performed by the object with the reference number MŻo/A/3996, its shape resembles the aforementioned saddle, one can say that it is its miniature. You can use it as a table or luggage rack.

Bibliography:

Brett Michael, Elizabeth Fentress, 1997, The Berbers, Hoboken: Willey-Blackwell.

Information obtained from Adam Rybiński.

Edited by Lucjan Buchalik

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The purchase is co-financed by the Ministry of Culture, National Heritage and Sport as part of the National Institute of Museums and Collections' own program "Expansion of museum collections".