Abstract

The Beni M’tir Berber tribe of Ait Ouefella are thought of as direct descendants of a prophetic lineage, possessing a special title in Moroccan society known as chorfa. The chorfa are believed to possess an innate sanctity or holiness manifesting through curative abilities. The existence of such healers is confirmed as an extension of Northwestern African saint veneration (maraboutism); a syncretic, dissonant yet surviving trace of indigenous beliefs otherwise absent in the rest of the Arabized world. The nation’s anthem is the ‘Cherifian Anthem.’ The Royalty are chorfa. Chorfa is thus regarded as a central organizing animus of the North African kingdom in this ethnographic work. To understand the chorfa, one must become one, if possible. Accordingly, a multi-sited fieldwork in Morocco, with apprenticeship as a principal research methodology, was undertaken over the summer of 2019. The objectives were to comprehend the chorfa’s place in society, its evolving relationship with the land and within the Arabized Berber saint paradox. The legend and historiography of the chorfa are explored according to the Mid- Atlas saints’ own narratives. This thesis features oral histories, tales of healing, chorfic curative methods, roles, inheritance mechanisms and their ironic tensions. Healing emerges as a product of conditioning and expectancy processes engendering placebo-like effects. The place of healing is examined with such intimacy that the inverted cursing abilities of the chorfa are revealed. Healing is situated within its larger socio-economic context delving into important questions of public health, social change, environmental preservation, anarchy, morality and indigenous resilience.