Experiences with the mysterious Ouled Naïl

Morgan’s “Flute of Sand”, is a first-person non-fiction account of his life among the Ouled Nail in Algeria’s Bou Saada Oasis, originally published in 1956. If you are not familiar with the Ouled Nail, they were a nomadic matriarchal tribe ruled by female dancers, famous the world over for hundreds of years due to their dance skills. Many of them had a number of husbands - or bona fide male harems - which they supported via their dancing (sometimes clothed, sometimes naked with blindfolded musicians) as well as with prostitution… something they were proud of and not even remotely ashamed about.

The Ouled Nail were the living embodiment of strong-willed and empowered women, confident and comfortable with both their performance skills and sexuality. This account of Morgan’s life among them as he traveled through North Africa is beyond fascinating. The descriptive passages describing their performances, the intrigue among the women themselves, their relationships to audiences, clients and lovers; and the minutely detailed takes on their every day lives as well as what they wore are breathtaking. Though authentic photos of these amazing women are few and far between, just take a glance at the Ouled Nail dancers pictured on the book’s cover to see the influence their unique look has had upon ATS dancers!