Symbols and Magic in the Arts of Kabyle Women

The Author: An anthropologist and historian, Makilam received her Ph.D. in history and ethnography from the University of Bremen, Germany. She is an indigenous Kabyle and was raised in a Berber village in northern Algeria until she was seventeen. Although she has since lived in Europe, she remains very close to her roots, and her testimony, interspersed with personal experiences, sheds new light on the rituals and myths of this vanishing society.

«Makilam presents a wealth of uncommon knowledge about the pre-Islamic cosmology, ritual life, and social structure of the Kabyle, the indigenous Berbers of Algeria. As a classically trained ethnologist raised in the heart of Kabyle women’s traditions, she provides rare insights into the daily rituals and the magical significance of their intricate visual arts. Her insider’s view into matrilineal sacred practices reveals the complex symbolism and cultural centrality of Kabyle women, previously unrecognized by Western researchers. Makilam’s brilliant and disciplined scholarship is essential reading for anyone interested in the role of women in traditional Berber society.» (Joan Marler, Executive Director and Professor of Institute of Archaeomythology, California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco)