I cannot do credit in this novel to the incredible richness of Amazigh (Berber) culture, so to any Imazighen who read this book I do apologize for any mistakes I have made. There are some very good modern treatises on Berber culture and their art. These begin with Berber Art: An Introduction by Jeanne D’Ucel (1932) and continue with Saints and Sorcerers: A Moroccan Journey by Nina Epton (1958), and The Berbers by Michael Brett and Elizabeth Fentress (1996). Amazigh Arts in Morocco: Women Shaping Berber Identity by Cynthia J. Becker (2006) focuses more on the Ait Khabbash who live south of the Atlas. My personal favorite was Imazighen: The Vanishing Traditions of Berber Women by Margaret Courtney-Clarke and Geraldine Brooks (1996). There are some books that one simply has to possess. This is one of them. One of the most poignant accounts of the hardship of life in the Atlas Mountains comes from Mountains Forgotten by God by Brick Oussaid (1989). This is a personal memoir from a young Berber man who grew up in incredible poverty.
And what about the kahina? One can read about her in Colonial Histories, Post-Colonial Memories: The Legend of the Kahina, a North African Heroine by Abdelmajid Hannoum (2001), but I’m partial to an article found in The Amazigh Voice (June 1996): “The Daring Daughters of Kahena” by Ann Marie Maxwell.
In the end, I invite you to visit Morocco and experience the Maghreb for yourself. It’s a beautiful, friendly country.
The Berber clan in this book is of my own devising.
The Serpent's Daughter Page 31