Homeland of the Shilha

Homeland of the Shilha

 

 



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The Shilha live predominantly in southern Morocco, however a small portion also inhabit western Algeria. Many of them live in the Western High Atlas and the Anti Atlas mountains of Morocco. Much of their daily lifestyles are limited by their landscape and climate. They have very limited land that can be used for agriculture, due to the limited amount of rich soil, vegetation and water. The landscape is very mountainous with large valleys in between the separate ranges. Their communities are very separated by the Atlas Mountains. Even though they are not very long, they have some of the highest peaks in the entire region.


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Between November and May the entire region is blanketed in snow, making it difficult to keep crops alive as well as feed the livestock. On the southern slopes of both the Atlas Mountains and the Anti Atlas Mountains there is almost no plant life or vegetation available to them.
Many of the people live down in the valleys and tend to live nomadically as they travel from place to place. A few of the people live within square huts on the sides of the mountain ranges.

Much of northern Africa is very barren with the exception of a few reservoirs of water found deep within canyons. The location of the Shilhan villages and society are dependent on the availability and proximity of natural resources such as vegetation for their herds, water, and adequate soil for agriculture. Centuries of their people inhabiting these rough terrains have made them experts at being able to survive with little to no resources provided by the earth.

References

Cohen, Mark I. Morocco: old land, new nation. Publisher: New York, Praeger [1966].

Sadiqi, Fatima. "The Place Of Berber In Morocco." International Journal Of The Sociology Of Language 1997.123 (1997): 7-21. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.