The Guérangués, a people of the Guera, reside in the south-central region of Chad. In one of the languages of this magnificent mountainous area, *Guera* means “house,” “shelter,” or “refuge.” Indeed, this land, symbolic of Chadian spiritual uniqueness, derives its name from a mountain known as Mount Guera. It is a curious correlation between mountain and home, especially since these highlands have always served as shelters for this mountain-dwelling people, who settled in the heights to protect themselves from natural dangers and the raids of Muslim empires. Although officially referred to as *Hadjaraï* in Arabic—a designation later adopted by the French colonial administration and subsequently accepted by later generations of the region—this term does not carry the same principles and values as the authentic, ancestral name “Guérangué.” Our ancestors collectively identified themselves as Guérangués. Therefore, it is essential to prioritize the term *Guérangué* instead of *Hadjaraï/Hadjaray*.

This designation intimately connects the sons and daughters of the Guera to their mountains, rooted in ancient values dating back to distant times. In Guera, the mountains symbolize the sacred, a haven for our original spirituality, known as the Margay. The invisible and the visible are integral to Margay spirituality. The cosmology of this spirituality, which sustained the Guérangués, is founded on the concepts of energy, vibration, connection, and interdependence between living beings and their environment.

For Central American populations, the word Margay refers to a nocturnal feline the size of a cat and very agile. Although symbolized by numerous representations including the Mitchala or panther in French, our spirituality explores a very vast field of our universe. 

• Oumar Djimet Gody is a teacher-researcher and founder of the MATANAT association (Makh Taa Nang Tchen-He (Cultural, tourist and environmental heritage of Kenga country)). He is the guest of Ô’Positif, a widely followed Chadian television show where he talks about Margaï worship

 

I invite you to discover the *Margaï* of our people, the Bidiyo, as explained by my father, Professor Khalil Alio, in his work titled *Lexique Bidiya*, created in collaboration with Professor Herrmann Jungraithmayr. We, the Bidiyo, are part of a network of communities that connects the various social groups making up the Guérangué.

 

“The Margay cult among my people is called Bad’o. It was widely practiced long before the introduction of Islam in the Guera region. The names of villages, clans, and Margay generally refer either to the environment or to a significant event, whether ancient or recent. Villages are often named after the mountains near which they were built. It also appears that the names of these mountains correspond to the foundation names of the Bidiyo ethnic group or a particular clan.

This foundation is symbolized by a sacred hearth called Margaï, made up of three round stones representing the father, mother, and child. These stones are considered sacred, believed to have been cast down by lightning.

They are gathered by the *chief of the land*, who is responsible for placing them on the mountain after christening the foundation with a name that will henceforth designate the clan and the mountain. Thus, the name of the mountain becomes synonymous with that of the clan and, to some extent, the village. Clans can also bear names derived from sacred trees, medicinal plants, or other natural elements like sand and water. However, no Bidiyo clan is named after animals, except for birds. Only the spiritual leader or the keeper of the Margaï can bestow a name upon it; hence, it is often impossible to know all the names or their exact meanings.

The Margay or Margaï can be either male or female. It selects its “horse,” meaning the person through whom it reveals itself, delivering its prophecies and demands. As observed among other Hadjaraï groups, the Bidiyo also have a hierarchy among the Margaï: at the top is the Tédmé ethnic Margaï, which encompasses the entire Bidiyo people; followed by the clan-specific Margaï, and finally the family or individual Margaï.”

Publication /Frankfurt am Main: Klostermann, 1989 P. 15-16 – lexique bidiya (Frankfurter wissenschaftliche Reihe.