Small Objects of Remarkable Craftsmanship Among the many objects belonging to Tuareg material culture, smoking pipes are particularly fascinating for the amount of craftsmanship concentrated into a remarkably small object. Often only about 10-13 cm (3.94-5.12 in) long, these compact pipes combine practical design with a refined decorative language. Dark hardwood, bone,...
What is an Assrou n’ Swoul? The Assrou n’ Swoul (also spelled Asrou n Swoul) is a distinctive traditional Tuareg veil weight and ornament, often described as “the key thrown over the shoulder.” Made by Tuareg metalworkers in a remarkable variety of forms, these key-shaped objects combine practical...
The Ida Ou Nadif tribe (also known as Ida Ougnidif or Ida ou Gnidif) is a Berber (Amazigh) community located in southern Morocco, in the Souss-Massa region, Chtouka-Aït Baha province. The name derives from the Amazigh prefix Id aw (“sons of”) and the anthroponym Ugnidif, thus meaning “the sons of Ugnidif.” According...
The Tachelhit Tribes are very numerous. There is no single “official” list of all the Tachelhit (Chleuh) tribes, because there are more than 200, organized into tribal confederations spread across Souss, the southwestern High Atlas, and the Anti-Atlas. All of them speak Tashelhit, the most widely spoken Amazigh language in...
The Khomissar is a distinctive amulet found in Tuareg material culture, characterised by the highly stylised representation of a hand. It belongs to the wider group of hand-shaped protective symbols commonly associated with the Hand of Fatima, or khamsa, widespread across North Africa and the Sahara. Traditionally regarded as a protective...
The most terrifying fairy tales take place in the forest. If you are a Senufo child from Korhogo, in the north of the Ivory Coast, the forest is the dark, dangerous place full of mystery, where one day you will be pushed by force...
The Ait Atta (Tamazight: ⴰⵢⵜ ⵄⴻⵟⵟⴰ) are a major Berber tribal confederation from southeastern Morocco. Traditionally, they are divided into “five fifths” (khams khmas), said to descend from the forty sons of their common ancestor, Dadda Atta. In the Tamazight language, “Aït” means “people of.” These five groups are the...
The Tcherot are talismans, worn by the Tuareg in the Sahara and by other Berber people in the extreme south of Morocco, Western Sahara and Mauritania. They are supposed to bring luck and blessings (baraka) and drive away evil. The effectiveness of the talismans lies in the belief in their intrinsic...
The Mbuti Pygmies live in the Ituri Forest which lies in the Northeast corner of Democratic Republic of the Congo. Survivors of an ancient race that was once dispersed over the African continent, the Mbuti now dwell in scattered bands, which are relatively small in size, ranging from 15 to...
Una delle più interessanti produzioni tessili dell’Africa per quanto riguarda l’uso del segno è, senza dubbio, quella dei Kuba. I Kuba, costituiscono una grande confederazione tribale che risiede in Congo, nella regione del fiume Kasai, i cui principali gruppi etnici sono i bushoong, gli shoowa, gli ngongo e gli ngeende. I...