African Folklore: An Encyclopedia - Marshalls University

African Americans 443
A corn market in Morocco, 1960. Photo © Micheline Galley.
An auction in Morocco, 1960. Photo © Micheline Galley.
Besides the Arabs and the Berbers who represent the main constituents of the
Maghribian society, two other populations should be noted. First, there are the Jews, a
very ancient community that was augmented by new members after their expulsion from
Spain in 1492, but that has almost completely emigrated to the western countries and to
Israel in recent years. Second, there is a black African population, descending from
African slaves brought from the south.
These populations suggest there has been much cross-cultural fertilization within
Maghrib society. For example, the narrative cycle of “The Maiden Who Seeks Her
Brothers” (Arne-Thompson 1964, 451) although very popular in several pastoral areas of
Algeria and Morocco, reflects a system of kinship and marriage that is common among
African social groups farther south (Galley 1994, 40; Baklouti 1988, 115–21).
Sometimes, on the other hand, external influences have been well integrated into the