Nomad Girl of Morocco’s Tafilalet
Morocco: A nomad encampment somewhere in the Guir Desert
An unmarried Berber girl stopped her chores for a moment and allowed me to take her portrait. There was a bit of tension in the air. I sensed hostility from the gnarled, rather nasty-faced, old man who was the head of the group.
I heard the word for ‘infidel’. In Moroccan Arabic, the term is “aromine”. I’ve read that it stems from the days when the Romans conquered North Africa and used Morocco as a source of raw materials, including the lions to fight gladiators in the coliseum. When pronounced, it sounds like the word ‘Roman’ and it means that you are not Muslim and not one of them.
I can’t remember now, but I must have offered something in return for taking the photos. I used to bring cigarettes with me. Most Moroccans would do almost anything for a pack of Marlboros in those days…not the women…they had no say in the matter, but the men were happy to trade for a good smoke.
Although I like this photograph…I’m never happy when I look at it. The uncomfortable feeling of those moments with this particular family still resonates.
Let’s talk photography for a minute. This is a portrait…a head shot in Hollywood parlance. Often a head shot is boring but because this girl covers her hair and has pulled her veil over her face, the photo tells a story. Her wide eyes and fresh face proclaim a look of innocence.
I shot this in black and white, but added a sepia tone. Adding toning increases detail in a black and white photo. I also added the orange background instead of the etiolated (pale or white) sky. I learned the word ‘etiolated’ from Jeffrey Tayler who writes travel narratives. He uses obscure words frequently and this is one that stuck although it is hard to find a use for it.