Day 10- Harvesting Fodder, Protective Spells, and Rejection
Someone should come here and do research on all the varieties and methods for making bread and types of grain they grow for it. I’ve been served 4 kinds already today! During our first interview we were served us yet another kind of bread made in a different sort of oven than the traditional tanort or small fire ovens. After another interview we returned to our host house and had couscous with the family- a fully veggie/vegan one so I could partake.
Part way through our walk this afternoon, we met Halti Iesha who invited us in her home. Apparently she is the medicine women as well as midwife for the douar. She did a sort of ritual with us using salt and strings to stop all the people in the village looking at us. Felt like a remnant of shamanism and indigenous Amazigh practice not wiped out by invader influence. And the salt she used on us she wrapped in paper and told us to put it in the fire back at Yemena’s house when we were home, and then insisted we eat tiny fennel biscuits before leaving. After we walked south on the road and were met by two women who invited me to harvest lefsa (alfalfa fodder) with them in their apple orchard- so an impromptu participant observation and we got to do an interview at the end. It was hard work cutting the plants, felt my back and knees twinging by the end, but at least it’s a pleasant environment to work- bird song and buzzing insects all around. There were an amazing number of ladybugs and other insects crawling through the plants, the soil was really alive.
After we walked down the road again to the last orchard year the high southern peaks we headed back to the houses and tried to find one of the women who told us to visit, and after failing tried to see Halti Hadija’s family. Some children tried to help us find the houses just followed us in a swarm and we got even more confused. Souad and I were both so distressed, she especially since she apparently has never had someone shut doors or turn her away. But this is the nature of doing any kind of research that involves people, especially if you’re an outsider. It feels uncomfortable and is really stressful to be an outsider, but we have had more people welcoming us than not, so just need to focus on the positive otherwise we won’t be able to get enough for sure. We both seem to be getting ill so this is probably part of it, just amplifies stressed. I tried burning the broom plant, and breathing the smoke, it’s a medicine that the family uses, but only after did Yemena say it’s for chest sickness and fever, so didn’t help much. Things should be better tomorrow hopefully.