ⵣ, aka yaz or aza, is the thirty-second (and penultimate) letter of the basic Neo-Tifinagh alphabet. It represents the sound /z/. One theory traces the origin of ⵣ to the ancient Phoenician letter 𐤆 (zayin).
ⵣ is also used as a symbol of Amazigh (ⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖ) identity and, most famously, appears on Berber flag. (Which, incidentally, looks very much like my alternative flag of Fuerteventura A). Sometimes ⵣ is interpreted as symbolising “free man”.
Rotate it 90° and you’ll get ♓, the symbol of Pisces. Some historical forms of Chinese character 木 “tree” and Cyrillic letter Ж look very much like ⵣ. Coincidence? I think yaz.
And what about Guanches, you may ask. ⵣ is another of Canarian souvenir-shop staples, together with “Guanche sun” and spiral. The inscription on the famous Zanata Stone unearthed in 1992 and dated to between the 5th century BC and the 7th century AD, contains three Tifinagh characters including ⵣ. However, according to Renata Springer Bunk and Irma Mora Aguiar, the experts in Libyco-Berber scripts from Universidad de La Laguna, this inscription is almost certainly a fake. ⵣ is a fairly recent innovation, dating from the last two centuries, and is a feature of Tuareg alphabets. This letter is not found among the (much older) Canarian alphabets, such as listed in Libyco-Berber Inscriptions Database (El Hierro, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote). Moreover, a part of ⵣ character of Zanata Stone appears to be made with a metal tool, something that Canarian aborigines did not have. Why this bogus Guanche character has got to symbolise indigenous Canarian culture is anyone’s guess.
More photos related to Guanches, letters and sea glass @ Shutterstock.
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