The Tuareg People Of North Africa

The Tuareg peoples of North Africa are part of the Berber tribal group that live a pastoral nomadic life in the Sahara Dessert

. They have their own Tuareg language that is made up of a number of dialects including the major dialects of Tamajaq and Tawallammat. As of 2012 there are an estimated 1.2 million speakers within the Saharan parts of Niger and Mali as well as southeastern Algeria, southwestern Libya and northern Burkina Faso.

Tuareg Religious Practices

Traditional Tuareg religious practices in Northern Africa were centred around Animism. With the spread of first Christianity and then Islam these beliefs were adopted and sometimes even mixed with their original animistic beliefs. Most members of theTuareg tribes are viewed as having more moderate Islamic beliefs in this day and age.

The Tuareg Name

The actual Tuareg word is derived from a place called Targa. This is the Berber name for one of Libya's provinces called Fezzan. This is because the original Tuareg tribes originated from this area of North Africa. The name was first used by the English, French and German during the European colonisation of North Africa and the name is still in common usage today. The name that the Tuareg use to refer to themselves is Imuhagh, with males being referred to as Amajagh and females as Tamajaq.

Tuareg Clothing

Commonly known as the blue people because of the indigo blue pigment used in the colouring of their clothing, the Tuareg as a peoples are different from many North African tribes in that woman generally do not wear a face veil, but men do. It is believed that the males wearing facial covering originates from the need for protection from the harsh desert sands, although it is also said to ward off and keep out evil spirits. The taking of the veil is also seen as a rite of passage associated with a boys ascension to maturity. This veil is used in public and conceals everything on the face except for the eyes and the top of the nose.

Tuareg Food

The staple diet of the Tuareg tribesman is made up of a millet porridge, a flatbread called Taguella that is eaten with a heavy sauce and Eghajira, a thick beverage made from millet, dates, sugar and goats cheese. Common dairy foods include cheese and yogurt mad from goat's and camel's milk. They also drink a strong tea called gunpowder tea that is served with mint and sugar in tiny glasses.

by: Brian Thomas

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