Tuareg Amulet

Tuareg Amulet (bag)
Nomadia Sahara
36" x 9"

SL24.36
Please contact for pricing

The Tuareg, who once controlled the caravan routes across the Sahara are a semi-nomadic people of North African Berber origin. Grouped into independent federations, they number approximately 1.5 million and live principally in southern Algeria, southwestern Libya, Mali and Niger.

Although nominally Muslim in faith, Taureg women do not wear the veil because a tribesman explained ‘Our women are beautiful. We would like to see their faces’. Men, in fact, wear a veil of indigo blue called the ‘Alasho’. The men’s facial covering originates from a belief that it wards off evil spirits. Taking on the veil is associated with passage to manhood.

Also significant to both sexes is the wearing of amulets containing sacred objects. Necklaces, earrings, rings, bracelets and beads have great value for their women.