|
Translated by Susan Bamford
The slougui
in Morocco, yesterday and today
The slougui
- a lord among hounds and a hound among lords. This axiom has long been a
truth, up to the point of becoming a cliché: as can be seen from the
many proverbs and traditions in the rural environment, the slougui
occupies a privileged place among domestic animals, particularly in
relation to the "common" dog or cur.
Quoting
Emir Abd el Kader, Daumas speaks of slougui pups being breast-fed by
women. Before being able to measure the
significance of such a gesture, it is necessary to understand the
symbolic power of "milk brotherhood" in North African society. In this manner, a boy and girl
breast-fed by the same woman become brother and sister and therefore may not marry
each other under pain of committing incest. In the old days, in order to
seal a peace treaty or cooperation agreement between two tribes or villages,
a dish of cereals in milk would be prepared, to which would have been
added a small amount of woman's milk so that the guests all become milk
brothers, thereby in principle ruling out subsequence violence on either
side. This "milk motherhood" therefore confers an almost "human" status
on the slougui.
More recently,
a hunter waiting on the look-out for game could sometimes be seen holding their slougui
back with an improvised leash made from their turban.
I have actually witnessed such scenes during the 70s and 80s. Here
again, the significance of such a gesture is huge - the turban covers a
man's head and is therefore the noblest as well as the most typically
"masculine" part of his attire.
Another semi religious association between man and
slougui:
the slougui is often painted with henna, either for decorative purposes
or for protecting against the evil eye with the imprint of a hand, or
also for healing the soles of their feet after a chase. Other than the slougui,
only the horse can be decorated in this way, except for the sacrificial
ram in a festive or religious ceremony.
The
difference between slougui and dog can be found in spoken Arabic: the
word "slougui" is not followed by "hachek" which is the equivalent to
"with all due respect".
On
the other hand, one will hear "A donkey, a dog, with all due respect..."
or "the cattle, with all due respect", but never for the
slougui
or the horse.
One also
speaks differently to the slougui or to the dog: to tell a dog to go
away one says "Khâss", while for a slougui it would be "Sleg" which is
constructed on the same ternary root s-l-g.
In
the same way, a sonorous "Rrrâ"
would be pronounced to tell a donkey to go forward, while a horse would be entitled to
a "Riii" - less guttural and more respectful. Indeed, it could
be said that
in Morocco the slougui is to the dog what the horse is to the donkey.
The slougui's
superiority over the dog is also attested by this saying attributed to
the jackal: "Better seven mongrels than a single jarret-noir" - jarret-noir
(black-hock) being a nickname for the slougui that is so feared by the
jackal.
However, society is changing and casting doubt on almost all its
historical values.
Today, Morocco has become an urban society in which the slougui no
longer has the privileged place formerly reserved for it in rural
areas.
Like any deposed aristocrat, the slougui is now a rather laughable
figure, with
its stark outline being easy to ridicule… its nonchalance looking more
like laziness, its leanness and above all its long nose providing
material for proverbs and comparisons (but mocking proverbs or
derogatory comparisons such as "bony as a slougui", "lazy as a slougui",
"slougui nose") aimed at ridiculing an adversary during verbal
sparring or an argumentative discussion.
Several facts may help to explain this change
in meaning. First of all, people who live in towns no longer hunt, or in
any event not with slouguis. They know nothing of the slougui in action,
of the slougui in its natural environment. Its rather extreme appearance
can no longer be linked to its abilities. It has therefore become an
object of scorn like everything else related to a rural past, so close
and yet so strongly denied by these recent town dwellers.
Secondly, the
introduction
of European breeds such as the German Shepherd, Rottweiler, Pit-bull, or
Cane Corso has overturned the canine hierarchy as well as the values
that hold it together. The slougui now finds itself relegated to the
rank of "beldi" dog, i.e. local, alongside mongrels and Atlas shepherd
dogs. On its home ground, the slougui has little by little fallen back,
absorbed by the Galgo - more impressive, a better sprinter and
benefiting from an aura of being more exotic or "roumi" because of
having been
imported from Europe.
Last but not least,
the French law of 1844 banning all hunting with sighthounds (in force in
Morocco under the protectorate) was not abolished once the country
became independent. Any slougui is therefore the potential source of a
fine by park rangers. This hound which used to confer an air of nobility
on the most impoverished of shepherds can today throw him into a
nightmare situation of administrative red tape, at the mercy (on his own
tribal territory) of a set of rules that he does not understand and a
civil servant who is all-powerful. This has led to a relative
loss of interest even in country areas and the very birthplaces of the
breed.
Curiously enough,
many town-dwellers of all ages and backgrounds still recognise the slougui
as soon as they set eyes on one. But there are also many (even in rural
areas) who invite you to come and see their
slougui, and proudly lead you through courtyards and backstreets to....
a quivering setter or pointer.
In
its birthplace today,
the slougui is following an erratic return path via dog shows and
associations. It is gradually rediscovering its symbolic function and
identity, in collective terms. However, in town it is a long way from
dethroning the Labradors, Westies and German Shepherds in the more
well-to-do neighbourhoods. In the countryside, its position remains
under threat, since its function has been banned ever since the 1844
law.
This lord among hounds who once made any man into a lord remains in a
virtually
unnoticed decline while the image of a shepherd in his long woollen
cloak, with a few slouguis surrounding him, on the alert or just
lounging around, is now no more than a cliché that has disappeared
forever with the turn of the century.
|
|
Translated by Susan Bamford
The slougui:
judging criteria
A
breed
standard is the detailed description of its morphology, i.e. of its form
and structure. It has a twofold purpose:
-
it serves to assess an individual's conformity with the ideal model,
and to grade competitors at a show for example.
-
Above and beyond
any aesthetic considerations, the standard also seeks to maintain
the aptitudes based on which a breed has been selected.
In the slougui
standard, certain points (coat, skin, neck, tail) deserve to be
emphasised to the extent that they are the foundations of its talents as
a hunter.
The slougui
is a domestic predator. Selection over a thousand years or more has
modelled it, generation after generation, for optimal adaptation to its
terrain -
steppe or desert - and to its different preys - hare, gazelle, jackal.
Its technique
is simple and effective - it hunts by sight. The slougui sees its prey,
pursues it, catches it and kills it. The aim of selection in breeding
has been solely towards specialisation based on this sequence, the
sobriety of
which is reflected in its morphology. The same terrain and the same specialisation
have produced another archetypal predator - the cheetah - often
described as a sighthound in a feline's skin.
-
The slougui's
skin is extremely fine, covered by hair that is as short as
possible, and revealing its skeletal and muscular structure with an
accuracy that permits no defect whatsoever. The fineness of skin and
shortness of hair are evidence of its need for a shape that is
lightweight and aerodynamic while at the same time eliminating heat.
In the most purebred of subjects, the sternal face of the thorax is
almost completely hairless .
-
The skeleton is slender but robust,
with particularly long bone radii enabling even greater
extension/release via the suppleness of the spinal column. Two types
of photos illustrate the amplitude of movement in a slougui's
stride:
-
The slougui
collected together, with spine rounded and hind limbs engaged
well under the body to gain maximum purchase.
-
The slougui
flying forward, fully extended above the ground. Both these positions
are also classic in the cheetah's movement.
-
The neck must be long and supple, for several reasons.
For spotting its prey among the grass and bushes this periscope-neck
is vital. However, this is not always enough and one sometimes sees
the slougui up and pivoting on its hind legs to widen its field of
view when its prey has escaped from it.
Next, during the chase, the pendulum movement of head and neck
contribute towards the momentum.
Lastly, for capturing its prey while on the chase or after having
knocked it off balance with a flying kick, the usefulness of a long
and supple neck is only too obvious.
-
The length of its muzzle can also help it to "harpoon" its fleeing
prey,
but is above all explained by the need for cooling and humidifying
the air as it passes through the sinuses.
-
The tail:
during a pursuit both speed and endurance are obviously necessary,
although the need for manoeuvrability in following the prey in all
its feints to dodge away is no less important. The slougui needs to
change direction in a fraction of a second, if possible without
losing speed, and any change of direction requires a counterweight
in order to keep its balance. As in the cheetah,
its feline alter-ego, the tail plays the role of balance arm. In
chases filmed in slow motion, the tail's windmill movement is
characteristic. That is why the owners of a slougui whose tail has
been amputated after an accident can see how much the dog is
handicapped, for several yards at each tight bend. In Morocco,
hunters use a systematic test - they pass the tail between the
thighs and then up the outside of the leg towards the pin bone.
The extremity of the tail must reach the pin bone on the side to
which it is raised, or even the pin bone on the opposite side.
However, length alone is not enough. A balance arm is more effective with a
weight at its extremity: the end of the tail needs to bend back over
itself and form a ring, which the Moroccan hunters call "sfenja".
Similary, the hunter's stick has a bulge at the end which helps to
project it with greater force and accuracy. A legend illustrates
this feature which is not sufficiently detailed by the standard -
it is said that in order to test the persistence of this ring,
hunters inserted it into the tube of a flute. They waited forty
years and, as soon as it was removed from the tube, the ring
instantly sprang back into shape. This has become a proverb to
describe someone whose character it is impossible to change.
The slougui
is definitely not lacking in character. He even has plenty to spare, a
cat-dog character. The word "independent" is often used as an
undesirable cliché. And yet the slougui is more aloof than independent.
He loves his master, but that is not reason enough to obey ridiculous
orders that have nothing nothing to do with hunting ("come here", "sit
down", "give your paw"). On the other hand, at the slightest "tssst", or
"heyy heyy" - onomatopoeic sounds that can be translated as "over there,
over there" - indicating an animal to be hunted, every slougui is at the starting blocks.
In other words, he is not disobedient, but merely selective.
Apart from that,
there is a wide diversity of temperaments in the slougui. He has been
selected solely for his aptitude for the hunt, which has enabled the
development of varied personalities. One finds slouguis that are
guard-dogs, house-dogs, retrievers, a few pointers, dominant pack-leaders…
and many melancholics who seem dissatisfied with their canine condition.
Virtually all slouguis have an innate taste for luxury and comfort, even
though one most often comes across them in conditions that put their
rusticity and hardiness to the test.
This specialised hunter
with its versatile character is spread across the whole Arabic/Muslim
area. Its cradle remains Morocco, but it has been photographed hunting
in the 1960s as far away as the high plateaux of Afghanistan alongside
its cousin, the Tazi. The relationship between the Slougui (Arabian
greyhound),
the Tazi (Afghan hound) and the Saluki (Persian greyhound) can be seen
in linguistic terms - the term "slougui" is just a transformation into
the Moroccan dialect of the Arabic etymology "Salouki", repeated the
same as for the Persian greyhound. Tazi means "Arab" in the Persian
language, used in part of Afghanistan. So there is food for
thought for everyone…
Nowadays the Slougui's area
of distribution has become dramatically reduced. Rendered useless by the
increasing rarity of game, debased by anarchical crossbreeding, indirect
victim of drought and the rural exodus, it is on the point of
disappearing and all because of man: a French law in 1844 banning
hunting with sighthounds was extended to the colonies and protectorates
of North Africa. Kept on even after the independence of such countries,
it imposes, on the slougui, a status of vermin or pest susceptible to
being destroyed by a forest ranger or to incurring heavy fines for its
master. The resulting fall in numbers of slouguis has led, in Morocco,
to the import of Spanish sighthounds (Galgos). These are in the process
of absorbing the last few slouguis, by cross-matings.
A
second chance
is given to the slougui as a companion animal or pet in Europe, although
here it runs the risk of turning into a museum piece, an aesthetic
object pursuing trophies in dog shows, like so many other hunting /
guarding / sled breeds cut off from the very functions that created and
maintained them in the past.
Enlightened
amateurs let them compete in lure-coursing events but nothing can truly
replace real hunting under normal conditions. This activity needs to be
restored in Europe and the Maghreb, as a test bench for the slougui,
under rules to avoid any cynegetic abuse.
The increasing rarity of the slougui
in Morocco, the resulting inbreeding, the crossbreeding with galgos
point towards an uncertain future in this cradle of the breed. Its
selection in Europe using morphological criteria based more on
appearance than functionality together with a balanced and (over)
plentiful diet is leading to an increase in stature - somewhat welcome -
but also to an overly heavy bone structure and overly fleshy muscle
structure, sometimes a thick skin, a tail often too short, or lacking a
ring at the end. However, this is distancing the slougui from its true
purpose - the chase, based on endurance and speed. Judging requirements,
(entirely justified) in terms of ear carriage,
silhouette, head shape, etc… should also encompass criteria considered
as secondary in dog showing although essential in the choice (judgement)
of Moroccan hunters - skin, coat, neck,
tail above all, tissues in general; and, in particular, the
"dictatorship of the measuring stick" must cease since it automatically
eliminates certain subjects that may be "too big" or "too small" even
though they would be excellent hunters and highly appreciated in their
country of origin. A male measuring "only" 66 cm can be an excellent
stud dog, the same as for a "giant" of 75cm and over, if in other
respects they are harmonious, well-proportioned, in conformity with the
empirical criteria of the hunters who use them.
As
for inbreeding,
this must be the exception even if it means mating a bitch with a male
that has done little winning but is genetically distant, and exchanges
of stud dogs and matings need to be encouraged between the different
regions of the Maghreb as well as between the Maghreb and Europe.
|
