Right and left in the atlas mountains: dual symbolic classifications among Moroccan Berbers

Abstract

Dual symbolic classification, notably the preference for right over left and for white over black, are common features of most Islamic societies. This article presents additional evidence of the prevalence of such classification in the Berber‐speaking mountain region of south‐central Morocco inhabited by tribes which for the most part practise sheep transhumance and which provide a rich symbolic harvest in terms of dichotomies, polarities and contrasts. It focuses in particular on the Ait ‘Atta, who were found to have a sub‐system of dual symbolic classification both more formally expressed and forming more of a coherent whole than that of the Rifians. The author suggests tentatively that this kind of dual symbolic classification, as well as a greater overall clarity in socio‐political organisation, may be more prevalent or more clearly thought out among transhumant or fully nomadic groups than among sedentary agricultural ones.