Kabilian silver jewellery in Florida

A workshop for manufacturing Kabilian silver jewellery opened in Florida, USA. It is the business of a crafts man from Beni Yeni, in the province of Tizi Ouzou.

• The workshop employs 10 craftsmen, who maintain the traditional craft of the silver jewellery, which reflects life in their home region, where people give significant importance for their old customs.
• Silver jewellery, worn by women in the Djurdjura Mountains, in Tizi Ouzou region, is handed down  from mother to daughter. They are heavy, but decorated with nice and coloured flowers, as well as pieces of shining coral in the middle.
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• The Kabylian craft is specific among the Algerian heritage. Also people in the region are proud of their traditions and their identity. There is a lot of cottage industry and small workshops for pottery, clothes and silver jewellery, and the distinctive Berber dresses are worn by older women and by young girls too at home or at wedding parties. There are some  traditional stone-built houses alongside the newer brick ones, and in many small villages people go to the spring to get their water, carrying it in large water containers -women often carry it on their heads-.
• Algeria is a Muslim country and most villages have a mosque, and religion can play quite an important role in people’s lives. Even more modern families may have quite traditional roles within the house, but it just depends on the family.