Moors Gallery
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Moors need only a tent to live well. Cool breezes come in. Heads are sheltered from the fierce Sahara sun. No doors mean you and your neighbors come and go easily.
Some say Mauritania is one big village. There are few secrets, perhaps none! Mauritanians have a profound group awareness. They must answer to each other, their neighbors, their leaders. While independent thinkers in private, they answer to the community.
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A Moor camel rider, while rarely seen, exemplifies the values they share: proud, independent, tough, able to withstand extreme weather conditions and not tied to any one place. They love tradition and are suspicious of anything foreign or new, curious, but rightfully wary.
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The term "Moor" is generally applied to any person who speaks the Hassaniya language. Their current homeland reaches from Morocco to Senegal and east to Mali.
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The Moors are nomadic but in the south are primarily farmers or are relatively urbanized.
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The Moors are exclusively Sunni Muslims and embrace two Sufi brotherhoods, the Qadiri and the Tijani.
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A proud mother eager to pose with her son.
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A "thumbs up" indicates contact with the western world.
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The Imam's (spiritual leader of the local mosque) wife enjoys being a mother.
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Spinning yarn with the kids!
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Wash day: A community activity.
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Thank God for soap and water.
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Preparing Lunch
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Enjoying life in the village.
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Catch of the Day
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Beautiful children with a bright future.
There is an elementary school in their village opening their minds to the outside world.
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Protecting the rice field from birds.
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Fishing boats used on a near-by lake.
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Innocent children whose lives are yet to be shaped.