Hazardous Heights

Amslane Day 1- journey to my first research field site

View from our rooftop of the south snowy peaks

Day 1 (evening arrival at site)

Three 3 transit/taxis later (about three hours driving), my translator-Souad- and I made it to the douar (small village) in Imegdale- the first field site!

The transit ride from lower Imegdale to the douar was mildly terrifying to say the least. The road up was more winding than the formidable highway 1 on the California coast where I grew up. The dirt and rock ground made for an extremely bumpy ride. This made quite a few people feel ill and was not helped by the steep mountainside and cliff edges we were ascending (although there were small rock piles on the roadside for protection in some places). It didn’t help that the old beat-up transit van didn’t have real seats inside so we had to brace ourselves with bags or on small benches on the side. Impressively the several men and boys sitting on van’s roof outside and on the ladder off the back never fell off (but there was a runaway coke bottle during a particularly bumpy stretch). I feel the NorCal roads prepared me well for this kind of risky road trip so I was able to enjoy the views, although my stomach did turn on a fair few faster bumps.

In the river with Souad

The terrain in and around the douar of Amslane is and how there are such different environments. The mountainsides encircling the fields of the douar are very dry seem too steep to hold much vegetation or the soils are too rocky/denuded. Around the river and streams are lush green terraced croplands. It has been raining more here recently so I’m glad I could come in spring while the plants are still green and flowering wild and in the fields before harvest. Such kind and friendly people here too, the women were all so welcoming. Still getting used to the many cheek and hand kisses and shakes whenever greeting people, and learning the basic greetings and terms in Tachelhit (the local indigenous Amazigh dialect). Upon arriving we were served bread with sweet mint tea with several women and the two children of our host family. After a time sitting around and meeting more female neighbours and children while chickens ran around us on the paths by our host house, we walked into the fields. A kind girl, Saieda, a (neighbour to our host family) showed us around for several hours and hopping on stones through the river and finding paths in the trees .

On the walk back I did my first participant observation walking back and helping the women of our host family and their neighbours who were carrying touga (animal fodder plants) on their backs. It was mostly a poaceae species that they seemed to have collected but with other plants mixed in. The rest of the evening was a lot of sitting waiting for the father of our host family to arrive back and unlock the doors to let us into our room. Our host family is 5- a little boy and girl- Fatim and Yousef, the mother and wife Yemena, the grandmother Hadija, and her son the father/husband- Brahim. We have to say Halti Hadija since Halti is the respectful term to use before elderly persons names. We have a separate room and toilet on the top floor of the house. Interestingly, the grandmother had the keys all the time, but had to wait for her son- the man of the house- to arrive and give permission/take the keys to open the door. Our guest room above is quite nice, but the washroom/toilet will be an adjustment.