Yani

Meaning: A berber tribe in Kabila

Material: Real Moroccan leather, Vintage Arab Hanbel, Tuareg spoon.

Description: Hanbel is made through a flat-weave process whereby the weaver threads the weft back and forth through the wrap until the rug or pillow is finished.

Symbology: Arab Hanbels are very rare to find, they’re known for their unusual colors compared to the Amazigh ones. Arab who lived next to berber tribes picked up several techniques and symbols and started mixing them with their own.

In this Hanbel, to the left of the red band, we can see the triangle trellis used by the Amazigh as a symbol for plenitude, fertility, and female’s nurturing nature.  Moving to the left there is a succession of male elements: Fish bones, straight lines, and ladders. All the way to the left, the X symbol, which is a female element  representing the way berber women used to deliver: open arms over a wire and open legs.

The rest of the lines separating the two red bands are male elements suggesting protection.