a drifting thought

Imlil is known as the base for trekking to Mount Toukbal. Of course we were not attempting the summit ourselves, but instead looking to experience an accessible bit of the Atlas mountains (only around 90 mins from Marrakesh) in a trip otherwise 90% focussed on surfing.

One walk in particular stands out in my memories…

Although overcast and hazy, the nature around Imlil had an almost fairy tale like feeling to it, with lush green pockets complete with babbling brooks. Scampering around avoiding patches of mud, we turned a corner to the sound of bleating.

A woman was sitting on the rocks with her arms full of 2 of the fluffiest lambs. The kind of lamb that looks like it walked of a Pixar set and immediately makes you regret ever being a meat eater.

There was a lot of squirming as they tried to get out of her grasp back towards some other sheep we could see across a stream perched on some rocks. What I assume was mama sheep was mournfully bleating back at them, only in-between snatches of grass, as food is life of course. My thoughts went to the lamb tagines soon to be consumed for dinner across the village.

We sat on a rock to see what unfolded. The slate sky and scrubby bushes gave the proceedings a somewhat Old Testament feel. Two other women appeared on the sheep-side of the stream. We watched them cross, weighed down with huge mounds of grasses on their backs. Slightly horrified, we noticed one of them was holding a scythe as they made their way to the lambs. C grimaced and said look away! As historians, our imaginations are perhaps too quick to go to biblical sacrifice scenarios.

It transpired, that woman 1, had just brought the lambs across the stream and was waiting with them for woman 2 and 3 to arrive. Woman 1 handed the lambs to their fresh arms, and recrossed the stream to heard the other animals across. It was more a school riddle of ‘a fox and a chicken need to cross the river but can’t be alone together’ than anything else.

Mother sheep and babies were shortly reunited and we all left the scene un-traumatised.