The Moussem Herders Assembly of Tan-Tan

The Moussem in Tan-Tan is a Sahara Herders Assembly held every year in the southwest part of Morocco， and more than 30 tribes from south Morocco and other hordes from northwest Africa would come together here to take part in this great event.

At first， it was just a spontaneous and regular herders party and in one week in May every year. From 1963， it applied the form of Moussem （an annual Assembly combining economy， culture and society） and for the first time organized “the Moussem in Tan-Tan”， for promoting traditional exchanges in regions and making it a place for exchanging goods， meeting friends and holding ceremonies. It is said that Moussem was first related to Moulaye Laghdaf， who fought against the occupation of France and Spain and died in 1960. His cemetery is near this town. During 1979 to 2004， due to security issues， there haven’t held Moussem Assembly here. Now the new Moussem Assembly is held in September every year and is an important one of friends’ gathering， goods transaction， cultural exchange and Berber traditional skills protection and also an important festival in this area.

坦坦的木賽姆是在摩洛哥西南地區(qū)舉辦的一年一度的撒哈拉牧民大會，摩洛哥南部的30多個部落和來自西北非洲的其它游牧民族會聚集而來參加這一盛會。

起初，這只是個自發(fā)和定期的牧民聚會，時間在每年五月間的某一周。從1963年起，大會采用了木賽姆形式（集經濟、文化和社會于一體的年度集會），第一次組織了“坦坦地區(qū)的木賽姆”，用以推進地區(qū)傳統(tǒng)的交流，使它成為一個交換物品、會見朋友和舉行慶典的場所。木賽姆據(jù)說最初與穆罕默德·拉格達夫有關，他反抗法國和西班牙的占領，死于1960年，墓地位于該鎮(zhèn)附近。1979至2004年間，由于安全問題，這里沒有舉辦木賽姆大會。如今新型的木賽姆大會于每年九月舉行，是一個集朋友聚會、商品交易、文化交流和保護傳承柏柏爾族人文化傳統(tǒng)技能于一身的重要集會，現(xiàn)已成為該地區(qū)的一項重要的節(jié)慶日。

In September， the annual Moussem Assembly will open. During this important festival， many farmers， peddlers and seasonal moved herders will gather here in splendid clothes for it. In the open fields， there are similar temporary tents built by families regularly， which are the places for goods transaction and exchange and also where they have rest. It is a great event of profound national features. Firstly， men in white robe hold hand drum and clap hands singing Islamic Holy Book; secondly， the parade of women and participants demonstrates the official beginning of the assembly. In history camels and horses are important transportation tools for Berbers and Arabs. The organizers collect many horses and camels fed by lots of tribes and make them do horse race and camel race with outstanding national features and reward winners. It is also a great event for cultural inheritance that it includes a series of shows， like music show， singing and poetry competition and other oral traditions and games. Some even use this assembly to hold wedding ceremony. It is more like a grand trade fair. People buy， sell and exchange needed goods and foods for production and living. Skilled craftsmen make and repair metal tools for people and senior pharmacist let people inquire and consult there， and there are carrier pigeon competition and exchange.

In 2005， the Moussem Herders Assembly in Tan-Tan applied by Morocco was listed in the human oral and non-material cultural heritage.

每當九月份時，一年一度的木賽姆牧民大會便拉開序幕。在這個重要的節(jié)慶日子里，無數(shù)的農戶和商販以及隨季節(jié)游牧的牧民們穿著特別為節(jié)日準備的盛裝匯聚在這里。在空曠的場地上，各家各戶有規(guī)則的搭建起臨時的幾乎相同的帳篷，這既是他們在大會期間進行商品交易和交換的場所，也是他們休息睡覺的地方。這是一場具有濃厚民族特點的盛會。首先有身著潔白禮袍的男人手捧手鼓和擊掌膜拜詠唱伊斯蘭圣經，其次是婦女和參會者的游行，這代表著大會正式開始。歷史上駱駝和馬是柏柏爾人、阿拉伯人的重要交通運輸工具，大會的組織者們集合了眾多部落飼養(yǎng)的馬匹、駱駝，讓他們進行有著鮮明民族特性的賽馬、賽駱駝比賽，并給優(yōu)勝者以獎勵。這也是一場文化傳承的盛會，木賽姆大會還包含有一系列的演出，如音樂表演、歌唱、賦詩比賽，以及其他哈賽尼口頭傳統(tǒng)和游戲。也有借這場盛會舉辦結婚慶典的。這更像是一場隆重的商品交易會，在木賽姆大會上人們買賣、交換著自己所需要的生產生活用品及食品，有手藝精湛的工匠為有需要的人們制作和修補金屬工具，有資深的藥師為人們提供問診和咨詢服務，還有信鴿的比賽和買賣交換。

2005年，摩洛哥申報的坦坦地區(qū)的木賽姆牧民大會被聯(lián)合國教科文組織批準列入人類口頭和非物質文化遺產代表作名錄。

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Morocco is monarchy country at the northwest part of Africa. Its east part borders with Algeria， the actual controlled Western Sahara at the south part borders with Mauritania， west part is near the Atlantic Ocean and north part faces Portugal and Spain crossing the strait of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean Sea. Tan-Tan is a province at southwest of Morocco and borders Western Sahara and Algeria with an area of 29，000 square kilometers and the capital is the City of Tan-Tan. The residents here are mainly Berbers.

摩洛哥，是非洲西北部君主制國家。其東部與阿爾及利亞接壤，南部其實際控制的西撒哈拉地區(qū)與毛里塔尼亞緊鄰，西部濱臨大西洋，并向北隔直布羅陀海峽和地中海與葡萄牙、西班牙相望。坦坦則是摩洛哥西南部的一個省，與西撒哈拉和阿爾及利亞接壤，面積約29，000平方公里，首府坦坦市。該地區(qū)居民多為柏柏爾人。

Berber is an old nation in Africa. When Aras came to North Africa in the 7th century， they started to believe Islam and accepted Arabian culture. Through the development of decades of centuries， most Berbers accepted Islam and Arabian culture and became one of the Muslims. The economic and living ways of Berbers are not unified now that， some are settlers based on agriculture and some are herders or semi-herders based on animal husbandry. In fact， Berber is not a single nation and it is a joint name for tribal people with similarities in culture， politics and economic life. Today， Berbers are mainly living at the south part of the country and the population is 8 million. They basically maintain their original language and culture and once had advanced handicrafts like pottery making and weaving.

柏柏爾人是非洲較古老的民族，7世紀阿拉伯人進入北非后，開始信奉伊斯蘭教，接受阿拉伯文化。經過十幾個世紀的發(fā)展變化，大部分柏柏爾人都接受了伊斯蘭教和阿拉伯文化，而成為穆斯林民族之一。柏柏爾人的經濟生活方式現(xiàn)已不統(tǒng)一，有的是以農業(yè)為主的定居民，有的則是以畜牧業(yè)為主的游牧民或半游牧民。實際上柏柏爾人并不是一個單一的民族，它是眾多在文化、政治和經濟生活相似的部落族人的統(tǒng)稱。今天柏柏爾人主要居住在摩洛哥的南部，有約800萬柏柏爾人?；颈３至怂麄冊瓉淼恼Z言和文化，曾有過制陶、編織等較發(fā)達的手工業(yè)。