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Tribe Snapshots Tuareg |
| Location: |
Niger,
Nigeria,
Burkina
Faso, Senegal,
Mali |
| Population: |
n/a |
| Language: |
Temajeg |
| Neighboring
Peoples: |
Hausa, Fulani,
Tebu, Berber |
| Types
of Art: |
Much Tuareg art is in the form of jewelry, leather
and metal saddle decorations, and finely crafted
swords. |
| History: |
Tuareg is a term used to identify numerous diverse
groups of people who share a common language and
a common history. Tuareg camel caravans played
the primary role in trans-Saharan trade until
the mid-20th century when European trains and
trucks took over. Goods that once were brought
north to the edge of the Sahara are now taken
to the coast by train and then shipped to Europe
and beyond. Tuareg history begins in northern
Africa where their presence was recorded by Herodotus.
Many groups have slowly moved southward over the
last 2,000 years in response to pressures from
the north and the promise of a more prosperous
land in the south. Today, many Tuareg live in
sedentary communities in the cities bordering
the Sahara that once were the great centers of
trade for western Africa. Although most Tuareg
now practice some degree of Islam, they are not
considered Arabic. |
| Economy: |
For thousands of years, Tuareg economy revolved
around trans-Saharan trade. There are basically
five trade routes which extend across the Sahara
from the northern Mediterranean coast of Africa
to the great cities on the southern edge of the
Sahara. Tuareg merchants were responsible for
bringing goods from these cities to the north.
From there they were distributed throughout the
world. Because of the nature of transport and
the limited space available in caravans, Tuareg
usually traded in luxury items, things which took
up little space and on which a large profit could
be made. Tuareg were also responsible for bringing
enslaved people north from west Africa to be sold
to Europeans and Middle Easterners. Many Tuareg
settled into the communities with which they traded,
serving as local merchants and representatives
for their friends and family who continued to
trade. |
| Political
Systems: |
Historically, Tuareg society was divided between
those who tended the land and those who did not.
At one time, tilling the land was considered the
work of the lower classes, while the upper classes
reaped the benefits of trading. Usually groups
of sedentary Tuareg would pay allegience to a
locally appointed headman, who in turn would report
to the noble who considered the village his domain.
As time has passed, however, these sedentary farmers
have been able to accumulate wealth while the
trans-Saharan trade routes diminished in importance.
They were also given political status by colonial
and postcolonial administrations. |
| Religion: |
Most, if not all, Tuareg are followers of Islam.
Among many Tuareg this practice is nominal, and
while daily prayers are made to Allah, strict
adherance to other religious requirements is rare.
Most of the feasts are observed and celebrated
with relish, but the fasting that is required
during Ramadan is often excused because Tuareg
travel so much. Like most followers of Islam in
northern Africa, Tuareg believe in the continuous
presence of various spirits (djinns). Divination
is accomplished through means of the Koran. Most
men wear protective amulets which contain verses
from the Koran. Men also begin wearing a veil
at age 25 which conceals their entire face excluding
their eyes. This veil is never removed, even in
front of family members. Women are not veiled.
Tuareg belong to the Maliki sect of Islam, resulting
from the teachings of the great prophet, El Maghili,
who came among them in the early 16th century.
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