Dom koczowników saharyjskich w świetle opozycji dom / świat
The house/home of Saharan nomads in the light of the house/home – world opposition

Summary/Abstract: The article deals with the concept house/home in the Tuareg language, especially with the relation between house/home and world. The methodological basis for the research is Jerzy Bartmiński’s linguistic worldview conception, and the analysis is based on systemic, questionnaire, and textual data. The concept house/home in Tuareg is expressed with the words ehen or aghiwan. Ehen is home as family, especially a married couple with their children. Aghiwan is broader: an encampment composed of several ehen. The key to understanding Tuareg culture is the relationship between people and the desert. The physical aspects of ehen ‘tent’ are stressed: above all, it is to function as a safe shelter, hence it has a specific structure and is used in a specific manner. The tent isolates a portion of space for people to live in but is also identified with the world. The ehen is the domain of women, who construct tents, wheras men are associated with the outside world (aghiwan). The house/home – world opposition among the Tuareg is dynamic, which stems from their lifestyle. The real opposite to house/home is the dangerous dessert. human – world is a male relationhsip, human – house/home is a female one.

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