Extra Fine Old Tuareg Bella-Ikelan Amulet – Niger

Silver grams 11,6 (0.41 oz.); cm. 7,2 long x cm. 5,3 width (2.83″ x 2.09″).

Bella live Niger and Mali but are of Sudanese origin in Africa. The Bella tribe was formerly held in slavery by the Tuareg.

For more information and similar examples: “Silberschmuck aus der Sahara – Tuareg und Mauren”, Katalog zur Ausstellung der Galerie Exler& Co. Vom 27. November-23. Dezember 1982.

The Tuareg people have in the past had a highly socially stratified society, with specific social roles (warriors, religious leaders) or professions (blacksmiths, farmers, merchants) assigned to specific castes. Tuareg higher caste traditions value a nomadic life, warfare, study, animal husbandry, and trade. Consequently, Higher caste communities travel, at least seasonally, if able. The tiny aristocratic caste of warrior elite which once sat atop a pyramid of Tuareg society was decimated during the wars of the colonial period, and this, along with economic necessity, post-colonial border restrictions, and modern education, have broken down many traditional caste barriers.

While post-independence states have sought to outlaw slavery, results have been mixed. Traditional caste relationships have continued in many places, including the institution of slavery. In some areas, the descendants of those slaves known as the Bella-Ikelan are still slaves in all but name. In Niger, where the practice of slavery was outlawed in 2003, a study found that almost 8% of the population were still enslaved two years later.

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