THE HOLDER OF MUSIC In traditional Touareg society, women are the musicians. They play the Imzad (a traditional single-stringed bowed instrument) and the tendé drum, made from a mortar. In this photo, women are making Read more…
Tag: Touareg
Ahoudan, My Touareg Father
AHOUDAN, MY TOUAREG FATHER: Ahoudan is someone that if you continue to follow me, you will learn to know him well. Ahoudan knew my parents before my birth, and helped raise me when I was growing up in Niger. He was my parent’s guide when they worked as photojournalists for National Geographic and other magazines. Read more…
Why School?
In this photo, the chief of Tangarwashane, Mohammed, fetches water for his son. Like most other Touareg fathers I know, he would do most anything for his children. And while he is the village chief, he shares in daily village tasks with the other village men, such as caring for the community borehole built by @ammanimman, tending to their community garden, caring for the livestock, etc. His function as chief is to help guide the community through his experience and wisdom, and to make final decisions when a consensus cannot be reached. Read more…
The Artist
THE ARTIST: Aghali , aged four, belongs to a reknown family of Inadan, the Touareg artisan cast. The man, the Inadan, makes tools, crafts intricate jewelry from metal, makes camel saddles, sharpens stone… the list goes on. The women artisans, the Tchinadan, are leatherwork specialists. They craft bags, pouches, and various decorations from beautifully dyed leather. The artisan tradition is inherited from father to son, mother to daughter, and Inadans almost always exclusively marry amongst themselves. Read more…
Immediate and Exclusive Breastfeeding
IMMEDIATE AND EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING: (second in the breastfeeding series) This Touareg woman from the village of Kijigari is nursing one of her twins, as her other baby rests on her back.
I would like to return to yesterday’s post about how natural (or not) breastfeeding is. Read more…
Spoon Feeding
SPOON FEEDING: (Seventh in the Mother’s Day Series) Raichatou’s mom, known to me as Ana (“mother” in Touareg) spoon feeds curdled milk — a common food among nomads in Niger– to her youngest son. Read more…