Methodology

Scope and Intent

Amawal is a structured reference archive for Tamazight languages and Amazigh cultural knowledge. It documents vocabulary, verb conjugation, regional variation, symbolic systems, and geographic distribution across North Africa.

This project does not claim totality. It does not represent all Amazigh experiences, communities, or perspectives. It is a partial record, openly acknowledged as such, focused on what can be documented with reasonable confidence from available sources.

The archive prioritizes Tachelhit (Southern Morocco) as an initial foundation, with infrastructure designed to accommodate other Tamazight varieties as documentation permits.

Research Methodology

All content derives from secondary sources: published dictionaries, academic literature, ethnographic studies, and publicly available linguistic documentation. No extractive fieldwork has been conducted. No voices have been fictionalized. No traditions have been invented.

The methodology emphasizes:

• Regional differentiation — Meanings and usage are attributed to specific regions rather than collapsed into generic pan-Amazigh claims
• Preservation of contradiction — Where sources disagree or communities offer multiple interpretations, these are recorded separately rather than synthesized
• Source attribution — Entries cite their sources; confidence levels indicate data quality
• Layered interpretation — For symbols and cultural content, documented academic findings, oral community interpretations, and contemporary readings are kept distinct

This approach accepts incompleteness over false precision.

Use of AI

AI tools are used in the development of this archive for structuring data, organizing reference material, and accelerating synthesis of documented sources. AI does not replace sources — it processes them.

Human judgment governs all decisions regarding inclusion, framing, interpretation, and presentation. No content is generated without source basis. Where AI-generated audio is included (for pronunciation), it is explicitly labeled as such.

Ethical Framework

This project operates under the following constraints:

• The archive does not claim ownership of cultural knowledge
• It does not speak for Amazigh communities
• It does not commercialize sacred or restricted knowledge
• It prioritizes context over simplification
• It refuses mystification — symbols and practices are documented, not romanticized

Where knowledge is sensitive, contested, or carries restrictions within communities, this is noted. Absence of documentation on certain topics may be deliberate.

Living Archive

This archive is iterative. It will be revised, corrected, and expanded as sources improve and errors are identified. Knowledge documented here is provisional — a current best effort, not a final word.

Gaps are acknowledged. Entries may be incomplete, regional coverage uneven, and certain topics underrepresented. This reflects the state of available documentation, not a judgment on what matters.