日本中東学会年報
Online ISSN : 2433-1872
Print ISSN : 0913-7858
聖者シャルキーの祝祭:中部モロッコのムーセム(聖者祭)について
堀内 正樹
著者情報
ジャーナル フリー

1989 年 4 巻 1 号 p. 1-43

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This article contains the description and interpretation of a saintly festival held in central Morocco. Saintly festivals, called "Moussem-s". are common to all areas in western Maghreb countries and about one thousand of Moussems are being held each year in Morocco. They have a great variety of characteristics according to their own localities and are embedded in each specific socio-symbolic context. It seems almost impossible to draw common features from all these Moussems, both in sociological and symbolic forms. The only abstract which we can obtain is, in my view, that the Moussem is a rare occasion of great gathering of rural people, and can be esteemed as "embodiment of society". Though this proposition, spoken out in a rather self-evident way, seems to be a matter of course, it still holds significant importance in the context of interpreting festivals and rituals. Religious festivals and rituals are often posited as extraordinary events which are separated from everyday life and constitute special domain that is opposed to mundane, profane and structured social world. But the Moussem of Sidi Sharqi demands a careful interpretation regarding this bifurcational opposition scheme. Its connotation in symbolic scene requests us to understand this tribal gathering as an extension and crystallization of daily social life. This feature finds its validity also in social context. The Moussem and weekly markets make the current personal networks observable in clearly embodied form and even produce the network itself. It is by no means cut from daily activities. The general theme that festivals have the features of "Communitus" is not applicable to this Moussem. This proposition underlies the whole description and interpretation of this article. After examining the meaning of the term "Moussem" and its distribution in Morocco (Chapter I), I shall report the outline of past three Moussems of Sidi Sharqi, which were held during 1985-1987 when I carried out my fieldwork there in Boujad. holy town of Sidi Sharqi (Chapter II). And in Chapter III, I describe the above-mentioned proposition from two view-points. First of which is the socio-economic aspect of participants to this Moussem. namely two major tribes Beni Zemmur and Smaala. Here, fluidity and amorphism in their segmentary structure comes to the main point. I shall mention that the gathering at the Moussem is a reflection of this daily fluidity in their tribal social conditions. And I shall also point out that the Moussem is a rare opportunity for tribesmen to act as a member of "tribe", because the tribal system has been undermined by national policy and its succeeding socio-economic change in general Moroccan scene. Moussem is not independent of social reality. The second aspect of the proposition shall be discussed in symbolic sphere. Time and space of the Moussem is examined by symbolic context and will be concluded that the gathering is continuation of everyday life, not separated from the mundane domain as has often been formulated in Turner or Leachian manner. Sacred symbol, Sidi Sharqi, stands by the Moussem and accordingly by the society. In other words, binary opposition comes into existence between Sidi Sharqi and the society produced by the Moussem. The gathering itself belongs to the mundane, not to the sacred. Finally. I shall discuss the relation between Sidi Sharqi and his Moussem (or Boujad society) from the view-point of "Stranger as the holiness" theme. Sidi Sharqi can be better understood when we see him as a stranger. He has many attributes which are peculiar to strangers possessing symbolic power. Conclusion is as follows; (1) Tribesmen are the main participants in the Moussem. (2) Tribal social structure is dominated by fluidity and amorphisra, which will decide the form of the Moussem. Importance is laid on detailed parts, not on the whole.

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© 1989 日本中東学会
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