When I was a child, my aunt gifted me a Saharan Amazigh amulet, the Southern Cross (Tanaɣilt in Tamazight). Years later, I wondered whether the pendant was connected to the constellation. 

Long before European sailors interpreted it as a Christian cross, the constellation of the Southern Cross (Izeray in Tamazight) was already visibly shining above the desert. The amulet, echoing the constellation, is said to guide caravans toward Agadez, the southern gateway of the Sahara. 

Amazigh cultures have few written traces, relying largely on oral transmission. Trusting in the connection between the two, I believe the stories attached to the amulet allow me to envision the constellation and its brightest star, Acrux, within Amazigh understandings of the sky.

One tale tells of a nomadic father who gifted the jewel as a protection to his son, saying: “My son, I give you the four directions of the world, for no one knows where life will take you”. Another story talks of the Tamazight word TORA (love), corresponding to the symbols “+” and “O”, inspiring the pendant’s form. Some trace the amulet to the Phoenician goddess Tanit, while others connect it to the Egyptian Ankh. The amulet is a transmitter of wisdom, a symbol of love, prosperity, sexuality, fertility, protection and transcendence.

I see Acrux as its anchor. In the sky, it points south; on Earth, worn around the neck, it points toward the heart. It reminds us of the connection between the Earth, Sky, and ourselves. It amplifies a message about the next direction to take. It speaks to the ability to connect with our intuition, reveal what remains hidden and hear beyond what is shown.