Page 139 - THE SLOUGHI REVIEW - ISSUE 13

T H E S L O U G H I R E V I E W 1 3 9

General Daumas names five tribes that reside in the area of present-day Algeria and
Tunisia, all five of which live nomadically and continue to do so today. He calls their
Sloughis the best sighthounds. These Sloughis are of sturdy build and stand on strong
paws. Let us take this as an indication that the Sloughi originally came from a nomadic or

semi-nomadic or transhumant culture.

So if we look at the social environment of the Sloughi in terms of both sedentary and
nomadic lifestyles, we find that both models exist in North Africa. Unlike the Azawakh,
which comes primarily from a nomadic society, we have the Sloughi with clear roots in
the nomadic habitat, but with a transition to sedentary culture. This means, however, that
the characteristics of the herding dog Sloughi, which will be more prominent in the

nomad, will be given more space in the sedentary culture.

Thus, one can rather observe a shift in the important characteristics of the Sloughi,
depending on whether a nomadic or a sedentary life situation prevails. However, both
traits, herd protection and hunting, are present in the Sloughi.

The hunting dog Sloughi is trained by older, experienced Sloughis, as we learned from
Raouf Ochi and Ben Ali Belgacem, but also from Joseph Mangelsdorf. In the case of the
Azawakh, we even got to know a more original form of living with the nomads through
Henri Lhote. The Azawakh can move freely around the tents and herds, but always
remains in the vicinity of the tents and the herds belonging to them. However, this is also
the case with the sedentary Berbers, who also move freely in the terrain when hunting
with the Sloughi. But the Sloughi stays within the hunters' radius and does not move

more than a few hundred metres away from them.

Young Zulu with their dogs near Nkandla, South Africa. Gallant, in
The Story of the African Dog p.34