5) Israel and Libyans in (or outside of) Egypt
Okay, let's recap. I hope you understand that Hawaiian and Berber cultures share many common traits, particularly those concerning fertility rituals, the use of dolls made of a cross wrapped in cloth, the cult of ancestors, the anointing of standing stones, and baskets or nets filled with provisions and food of all kinds. I also took the opportunity to show you how, in ancient times, the northern and southern Mediterranean were unified. So much so that the Greeks knew that some of their most important deities, such as Athena and Poseidon, originated in the Maghreb, and more specifically in Tunisia. We also saw the special place of the ram and animal fertility—embodied in the festival of Boujloud or Biyelman, you know, the satyr—whose cultic capital was in the oasis of Siwah in Egypt.
And now it's time to take a closer look at the links between Israel and the Berbers in ancient times—after all, that's the subject of this video, isn't it? To begin with, have you heard of the Merneptah stele—also known as the stele of Israel ? This stele is part of a series of monuments dating from the 13th century BCE, erected by Pharaoh Merneptah throughout the country at the beginning of his reign. It includes a hymn to himself commemorating his victorious military campaign in Libya and the land of Canaan.
The pharaoh declared himself victorious over the Tjehenou – whom we now know to be a coalition of Libyans (Libou and Mâchaouachs) and the Sea Peoples (Akaouash, Toursha, Rouk, Shardanes, and Shakalash). But this stele is best known for containing, in its final stanza, the earliest supposed reference to Israel (or rather, to the Israelites) outside of any biblical context; it is also the only mention of Israel known in Egyptian texts – and, surprisingly, this mention appears precisely in a context that mainly refers to these famous Libyans, a fact that has escaped many observers except Oric Bates.
Oric Bates tells us a little more about this stele. He tells us (P220) that after Merneptah's victory, a period of unrest followed, during which the Libyans eventually settled in Egypt through raids, leading to the exodus of Egyptian populations to the south. Until Ramses III ascended the throne and decided, like his ancestor before him, to launch a military campaign.
Oric Bates also mentions the joining of other bands of raiders, the famous « Sea peoples », coming from the Levant, the « Denyen, Weshesh, Shekelesh, and Sherden, the Thekel and Peleset » —the latter evoking the Philistines of the Bible. The arrival of these allies would have stimulated the ambitions for revenge of the Libyans who had been defeated at Merneptah. Oric Bates P144 also notes that, on Egyptian monuments from the New Kingdom, the Libyans are depicted wielding South European-style swords at a time when metal-rich Sardinia was at least partially controlled by one of these mysterious Sea Peoples, the Sherden. All this paints a picture of North Africa and Southern Europe as being far more integrated than we might think. Surprising, isn't it? I mean, surprising that we forgot it so quickly, don't you think?
But that's not all. Oric Bates tells us of an Arab legend concerning Siwah—you know, the oasis that was the capital of Berber divination, known even as far away as Greece. This legend tells how:
One of the governors of Egypt meted out penalties upon some of his people, but these latter escaped into the desert with a little food. Now after some time, their food being exhausted, they saw a ram, and the ram trotting away into the hills, they followed it, and came to a town with men dwelling in it. The inhabitants paid no taxes and had trees and streams and gardens. The newcomers inquired of the dwellers there concerning their country, and they said that they never had to do with the outside world. And after dwelling there a long while, the fugitives returned to Egypt. Afterwards they sought again for this oasis, but found it not.
Well, Oric Bates didn't make the connection, but to me, this story of a tyrannical pharaoh, a flight from Egypt into the desert, a miraculous ram (often made of gold), and the arrival in a wonderful land reminds me very much of the story of the Exodus from Egypt? « Bi’ibilou Yatsanou mitsrayim … »... Do you remember that Judeo-Moroccan song we sing on Passover night? I admit I've always had doubts about the exact meaning of 'eGeL, the calf in Hebrew—I see it more as a ram, 'aGaLah meaning a wheel, a cart. Like the spiral horns of a ram, but anyway, let's move on, we'll see about that later.
For now, my children, it is time to get down to business. The Paraklet promised you great stories, and the Paraklet always keeps his promises. And you will see that we are veeeery far from having exhausted the troubling question of the connection between Israel and the Berbers. Come closer. Make yourselves comfortable and listen to the incredible story of Mahasuk, as collected by Leo Frobenius in his collection of Kabyle tales « Contes Kabyles » published between 1912 and 1914 (Volume III, pp. 187-190).
It is the story of 100 turbulent brothers. One day, a widow had had enough and went to see the sultan, saying:
« These hundred children are wicked and ill-mannered! They are a real calamity! Of course, it is not always easy for a family to raise such a large number of children But so many ill-mannered and naughty ones, we've never seen anything like it! If they behave so badly at this age, what will they be capable of when they grow up and become big and strong? I'm sure they'll start plotting to overthrow you and put one of their own in your place as Sultan of this city! » The Sultan thought for a moment before responding: « What do you think? What do you advise me to do? How can I eliminate the danger threatening me? ». « If I were you », suggested the widow, « I would have them all arrested, locked up in sacks, and thrown into the sea to drown! »
The sultan decided to follow the horrible advice of the outraged widow and had the 100 children arrested. But, taking advantage of the guards' sleep, the eldest cut open the sacks and escaped with his 99 brothers into the nearby forest to find refuge.
They walked for several days through the forest, moving further and further away from the sea. One day, Mahasuk [our famous ingenious eldest] saw smoke rising in the sky in the distance. He signaled to his brothers to stop and said to them « Look at that smoke over there. There must be a house and people living there. Stay here under the second brother's orders and wait for my return. I will go there to see if I can find something to eat. If I encounter cruel monsters, I will be the only one to perish. If I have not returned after four days, continue on your way through the forest, but take a different direction ». Then he took leave of his brothers and went on his way.
Mahasuk then arrived at the house where he found an old woman who told him that a mare driven mad by worms was terrorizing the region, galloping in all directions, killing and devouring any man who came within her reach. She also revealed to him a place where a large quantity of semolina was stored and told him: « You can take as much as you want. Just take enough for a hundred « galettes » (flatbread), and I'll bake them, and you can distribute them to your brothers who are hungry in the forest ».
Back at camp, Mahasuk learned that a younger brother had wandered away and been caught by a jackal.
Armed with his big stick, Mahasuk immediately set off in the direction indicated. He sneaked up on the jackal and killed it with a violent blow from his stick. The little brother was recovered safe and sound […] Once they were all reunited, Mahasuk distributed the bread among them and said, « Now each of you has a « galette » . You can eat it all, but you can also save some for later. I'm going to depart again and leave you here by yourselves. I will try to find us a comfortable place to stay and something to eat. Stay here together until I return and obey your older brother's orders! ». Mahasuk took leave of his brothers and returned to the old woman.
The old woman then told him where to find the terrible mare—near a spring where she came to drink. Mahasuk set up an ambush and struck her violently on the nostrils with his stick every time she bent down to drink. He did this seven times. Each blow knocked out one of the seven worms that were torturing her. Freed from her torment, the mare entered Mahasuk's service.
Back at the camp:
...after everyone had eaten their bread, Mahasuk, still perched on the mare, led his brothers to the hut of the generous old woman. She willingly showed them the way to the abandoned city. The hundred boys went there and after a quick inspection, it turned out that the city offered the best living conditions one could hope for. So they settled there and led a pleasant life, lacking nothing, as the city was well provided for in every way.
After a while, however, Mahasuk decided to return with his brothers to their native land. Each of them arrived in the city on a beautiful horse and heavily armed, and they routed the Sultan and his followers who had tried to drown them. « The people of the city decided to elect Mahasuk, the eldest of the hundred brothers, as Sultan of the city and of the whole country ».
This story of Mahasuk is incredible. I imagine you know why? No? Come on, it's a faithful replica of the story in Exodus. Yes, Exodus again and again. With MahaSuK in the role of... MoShe - Moses, of course! « Bi'ibilou Yatsanou mitsrayim... » Look, the story begins with this old woman complaining to the king about the large number of these unruly children and the threat they pose to his reign:
But the Israelites were fertile and prolific; they multiplied and increased very greatly, so that the land was filled with them. A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, « Look, the Israelite people are much too numerous for us. Let us deal shrewdly with them, so that they may not increase; otherwise in the event of war they may join our enemies in fighting against us and rise from the ground ». So they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor; and they built garrison cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses. But the more they were oppressed, the more they increased and spread out, so that the [Egyptians] came to dread the Israelites. Exodus 1:7-12
After , attempted to slow their population growth, the king decided to drown the children—but his officials did not really follow his instructions:
The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, saying, “When you deliver the Hebrew women, look at the birthstool: if it is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live.” But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live. [...] Then Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, “Every boy that is born you shall throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.
Similarly, when the king's servants return to the city, they are rewarded by the people, who believe that the servants have delivered them from these horrible rascals who caused them so much trouble. Whereas in Exodus, in verse 21, which is somewhat obscure, the midwives are rewarded by God, who builds houses for them.
In any case, the children eventually escape and wander in the forest—just as the children of Israel eventually leave Egypt and wander in the desert. Moses/Mahasuk sees a light in the distance—and this time, the closest reference is to be found in the Quran, Surah Al Qasas—the legendary stories—28.29:
Once Moses had fulfilled the term and was travelling with his family, he caught sight of a fire on the side of the mountain and said to his family, ‘Wait! I have seen a fire. I will bring you news from there, or a burning stick for you to warm yourselves ».
M Mahasuk also mentions cruel monsters, which brings to mind the inhabitants of Canaan, the land that devours its inhabitants.
Then there is the story of the semolina and the « galettes » ( flatbread), which Mahasuk distributes to his brothers, which is simply a replica of the story of the Manna.
When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. Exodus 16:15.
We even find this mention of storage in the Kabyle version: « You may eat it all, but you may also keep some for later », which is the reverse of the Exodus version: « And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it over until morning », Exodus 16:19.
As for the story of the younger brother saved by Mahasuk with a stick, it reminds me of the Hebrew slave saved by Moses:
He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his kinsmen. He looked this way and that and, seeing no one, struck down the Egyptian and buried him in the sand. Exodus 2:11.
Finally, note that Mahasuk leaves his brothers in the care of their older brother. Just as Aaron, Moses' older brother, also plays the role of second in command, particularly when Moses goes up the mountain to receive the tablets of the Law. And Moses said to his brother Aaron, « Take my place among my people, do right [by them], and do not follow the way of of those who spread corruption », Surah Al Araf 7:142.
Then, the story of the mare near the spring that Mahasuk strikes seven times with his staff also reminds me of the story of Moses striking the rock to bring forth water. It also reminds me of the story of the 12 springs in the Quran told in Surah Al Baqara 2.60 or in Numbers 33.9, or even the story of the she-camel and the Thamud in the Quran. Although the resemblance is less clear, I must admit—others will certainly explore the question further after me.
In any case, guided by the old woman, Mahasuk and his brothers arrive in an abandoned city that:
...offered the best living conditions one could hope for. So they settled there and led a pleasant life, lacking nothing, as the city was well provided with everything.
Here, of course, we are referring to the conquest of Canaan. As for the end of Mahasuk's story, which ends with the return and victory of Mahasuk and his brothers over the Sultan and his henchmen, this is, in reverse order, the drowning of Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea.
And of course, the old woman whom Mahasuk visits several times, who gives him the 100 « galettes » and provides him with all the information he needs to guide him on his adventures, is obviously God, the Lord, in the Bible. Allah in the Quran. The source of guidance. Yes, my children, the story of Mahasuk is nothing more than the story of the Exodus told in a different way. Or conversely, the story of the Exodus is nothing more than the story of Mahasuk told in a different way. And both echo the Arab legend of the flight of slaves to the oasis of Siwa.