Mouhou Boussine is a weaver from a small village in the sub-Saharan desert plateaus of Morocco’s Valley of the Roses.

The local fields are fed by a river year round and Mouhou works hard farming roses, walnuts, pomegranates, peaches and figs. She also gathers firewood, cooks for her family and manages to find time to weave, and work as the president of the local weaving association.

The association is known as Jamaiate Assif or River Association, after the river that sustains the area – as well as irrigating their fields, the villagers use the river to feed and water the livestock which produce the fibers used in the carpets they weave.

Mouhou cannot read or write, but she is passing her skills down to others in the village and to the nearby nomads who still live in caves. She teaches women how to weave on the new metal looms provided by the government, and how to spin yarn by hand, a skill which is being lost by the younger generation.

Weaving is laborious – it starts with washing the wool in the river under the hot sun, then use natural dyes from plants harvested from the fields. Each carpet takes several months to create, starting with the gathering of recycled materials, then hand spinning wool, and finally weaving the carpet on a vertical wooden loom.

The Moroccan government is now supporting the carpet weaving – they have helped by forming associations, constructing association buildings, and donating looms.

The weaving gives the women a new outlet for their creativity and expression. It helps elderly women keep their minds active and gives single women more options. Crucially, the income earned is used to buy nutritious foods and educate their children.

Mouhou learned to weave rag rugs, or hand-woven carpets, from the women in her family. Using clothing, unraveled sweaters, and natural-dyed handspun sheep and camel wool, Mouhou and the other weavers of her cooperative create brightly-colored carpets with bold geometric designs. Their carpets decorate homes and also serve as beds, couches, and tables for meals.

Girls learn to weave when they are around 13 and when they are 15 to 18, they begin to weave carpets in preparation for marriage. The carpets serve as a bed for newlyweds, children are born on them, and elderly relatives pass away on them—every stage of life (from conception to death) takes place on these carpets.They are often the only furniture in the home and provide a soft place to sit for meals, bedding, and for special events such as baby showers and weddings.

This weaving is becoming a vital source of income for the women left behind by the men going away to find work. They hope to keep their families together by creating sustainable opportunities.

“We hope to educate possible buyers of the love, labor and ancient tradition that stands behind each of our carpets so that we can earn a fair wage for our hard work,” says Mouhou.

— David Moore on behalf of the Development Staff at the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market

Writer and photographer Moore’s journalism has appeared in The Irish Times, Salon, and New Mexico Magazine. He’s also the author of The Accidental Pilgrim, which describes his travels through Europe with a sixth-century Celtic saint.

Mouhou Boussine needs your help to get to the Market. Through the Market’s Artist Sponsorship Program, you can provide financial support that will help support her international airfare, local transportation and lodging, meals and hospitality and Market Readiness Training.  Contributions of any size will help Mouhou attend the Market to represent Jamaiate Assif for a life-changing experience.