“MI MEZRAN”: THE FORGOTTEN LEGEND OF A FREE WOMAN.
Among the Kabyles, who has not heard their mother or grandmother say “ewwet agejdur” (hit agejdur), especially during times of household chores?
It is said that an Agellid (king) called Agejdur lived in a kingdom rich in trade in something so rare: carpets made of silky women’s hair!
This king was cruel. He declared that the hair of all the women in his kingdom was his property. He made them cut them off when they reached their waist, showing off their mermaid hips. Once done, they had to weave them and make magnificent rugs. Neighboring kingdoms competed for them. They were very expensive. Agejdur was happy!
The women of the kingdom, renowned for their silky, dazzling black hair, therefore let their hair grow, which was no longer theirs but the property of Agejdur. Even the queen and her mother did not escape this unique enterprise! The kingdom was thus known as The Kingdom of Bald Women “TAGELDA N TFARḌASIN”.
Agejdur had a daughter. It’s an Edenic pearl! Beautiful and mischievous, but above all haughty. Her hair was so black that even the winter night would be jealous to see it, and so long that she would create a storm if she only shook her head once. Everyone called her MI MEZRAN (the one with the long hair)!
Agejdur loved Mi Mezran, but she feared him. Like all the women of the kingdom, she was sad.
One day, Agejdur wanted to remarry a widowed queen from another kingdom. The latter, who would have already seen and envied Mi MEZRAN’s hair, had set an uncompromising condition: Agejdur’s daughter’s hair as a tapestry!
Agejdur hesitated at first but agreed in the end.
Agejdur decided to do what his daughter had feared since she was little. Cut his hair. Worse! offer them to a tyrannical and envious mother-in-law (Takna n yemma-s).
One night, then, she took a thick and strong stick (Aqelluz) and fatally struck her father the king who was sleeping. She killed him dry!
Mi Mezran, took the blood of King Agejdur and traced with his right index finger a straight line on his chin as white as ivory. Let no one forget tyranny! Some talk about tattooing in the same place. The tattoo on the chin has since been known in deep Kabylia as “TICREṬ N UGEJDUR”.
The next day, Agejdur’s daughter was proclaimed queen of the kingdom! She had put an end to the hair carpet business. The Kingdom of Mi MEZRAN was born!
When an old woman says today “ewwet Agejdur s uqezzul”, she may not know that she is talking about a brave act of a legendary queen!