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Economy & land·15 of 19

Transhumance, oases and markets

Pastoralists above all, between summer pastures in the north and winter pastures in the south, most Aït Atta were still transhumant in the 1960s.

Nomad camp in the mountains (1955) — Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen (Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam), CC BY-SA 3.0

Confirmed by a verified source

Contrary to the thesis of general sedentarisation (Jager Gerlings and Jongmans, 1955), Hart asserts that the great majority of Aït Atta groups were still transhumant in the 1960s, with a few exceptions (Aït Atta n-Umalu of Wawizaght, Aït Wallal of Kelaat M'Gouna, Aït Unir of Boumalne).

The syntheses describe summer transhumance to northern pastures and winter transhumance to the south, a spectrum ranging from fully sedentary groups to the Aït Khabbash, year-round nomadic camel herders, and camps made of a circle of tents around a sheep pen.

Markets were rare in the heart of Aït Atta country and were located mainly on its periphery, at Tazzarine and Alnif on Wednesdays according to these syntheses, or at Tinghir, Boumalne, Nkob, Zagora and Rissani. The 1955 photographs kept at the Tropenmuseum show herds, camps, irrigation and the date harvest.

Assisted translation, not validated

Sources — 3 sources cited · 3 independent documentary line(s)

  1. Hart, 1967 — p. 82Excerpts consulted · Academic research
  2. Jager Gerlings et al., 1955Known through indirect citations · Academic research
  3. Wikipédia (français) — « Aït Atta » — sections Transhumance, MarchésFull text consulted · Encyclopedic synthesis
Historical photographNomad camp in the mountains (1955)1955Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen (Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam)Probable attribution— Identification based on a published or institutional source, without independent confirmation.
Historical photographShepherd and flock in the mountains (1955)1955Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen (Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam)Probable attribution— Identification based on a published or institutional source, without independent confirmation.
Historical photographYoung boys and sheep by a river (1955)1955Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen (Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam)Probable attribution— Identification based on a published or institutional source, without independent confirmation.
Historical photographIrrigating crops (1955)1955Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen (Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam)Probable attribution— Identification based on a published or institutional source, without independent confirmation.
Historical photographDrawing water at Tagounite, Drâa valley (1955)1955Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen (Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam)Probable attribution— Identification based on a published or institutional source, without independent confirmation.
Historical photographMan with cattle, Todgha valley (1955)1955Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen (Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam)Probable attribution— Identification based on a published or institutional source, without independent confirmation.
Historical photographTent of Aït Atta transhumants1933 (date déclarée)Wikimedia CommonsUncertain attribution— Provenance, date or subject not established: read with the reservations in the record.
Historical photographTinerhir, the souk (postcard, 1930s according to its Flickr posting)« c 1930s » (titre de la publication Flickr ; carte non datée par son éditeur)Carte postale publiée sur Flickr, via Wikimedia CommonsUncertain attribution— Provenance, date or subject not established: read with the reservations in the record.