Amusnaw

Amusnaw is a Kabyle term in traditional Kabyle society that designates the repository of oral knowledge of a village or a tribe. The word comes from the root of the verb ssen. The imusnawen constitute a chain that transmit traditional knowledge between generations: not only oral literature, like asefru or sayings and aphorisms, but also history, the genealogy of the most prestigious families, customary law etc. Becoming an amusnaw occurred by election and a two state apprenticeship: first by embodiment of the role and building skills in their environment through verbal commerce and contest, and next by training and assessment from a master poet.