Tuareg!!!

PopulationThe total population of the Tuareg

group is 5.2 million!Niger: 1.7 millionMali: 1.4 millionAlgeria: 1 million Burkina Faso: 600 thousandLibya: 557 thousand

What Do They Look Like?

The Clothing

Men wear veils, which are usually coloured blue or black.

Also the men wear facial covering. This is from and ancient belief that it wards off any evil spirits.

Where They Are

Settlement

A Traditional Tuareg Tent

History of the Tribe

The Tuareg are said to have descended from ancient Saharan people. Early travellers' accounts often referred to them as the "Blue Men" of the Sahara Desert.

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.

The Tuareg in 1907

Religion

The Tuareg initially resisted Islam and earned a reputation among North African Arabs for being lax about Islamic practices. 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.

Important rituals among Tuareg are rites of passage—name days, weddings, and memorial/funeral feasts—as well as Islamic holidays. In addition, there is male circumcision and the initial men's face-veil wrapping that takes place around the age of 18 years and that is central to the male gender role.

Although most Tuareg now practice some degree of Islam, they are not considered

Arabic.

Food

Tuareg’s most essential food in the Tuareg's diet is milk. The main food that they eat twice a day is a porridge, along with large quantities of fresh milk. They also make bread, and cheese from goat milk, and they eat whatever wild fruits and vegetables they can collect seasonally. Tuareg herders rarely eat meat, except for festive occasions, holidays, and when they have guests.

Extra Information

Language: Temajeg

Art: Much Tuareg art is in the form of jewellery, leather and metal saddle decorations, and finely crafted swords.

Neighbouring People: Hausa, Fulani Tebu, Berber