Pride is a great sin in Christianity. But the Tuareg do not know this postulate, as well as humility and humility. This people has known neither borders nor prohibitions for 2,000 years. The Tuareg tribes, like many centuries ago, roam the desert. They have practically no property - a camel and a tent. However, the world of the nomad will collapse if one is taken away. This people is known for being the only one in the world whose tradition is to cover the face of men, not women.
Free people
Tuareg tribes call themselves "imoshags", which means "free people". For them, the only master is the desert. The proud tribe did not submit to any invader. Even the colonialists from Europe, who subjugated almost all of Africa, could not pacify the small nomadic people. They couldn't even reach an agreement with him. Europeans were afraid of representatives of this people. Tuareg tribes appeared "out of nowhere", suddenly attacked travelers, killed and robbed them. Under their control were all the trade routes leading through the desert.
Attitude towards gold
Once Tuareg tribes drove caravans with expensivegoods - s alt and gold. Traders only trusted them with such value, since only a madman dared to attack a nomad. The Tuareg were famous for their militancy and agility, as well as for their weapons. There was another reason why merchants trusted them. The fact is that these people did not touch gold. According to the beliefs of the Tuareg, it only brings disease and evil, so the imoshagi made all the jewelry (and still do) only from silver.
Blue people
Representatives of this people have dyed their clothes blue for centuries. To do this, they drove dye, ground into powder, into the fabric with the help of stones. Therefore, the Tuareg began to be called "blue people". By the way, the representatives of this people are not so few. According to the latest census, there are more than two million of them.
It is believed that the Tuareg are the descendants of the Zenaga Berbers (a Caucasoid race that partially mixed with the Arab and African population of Africa). Many representatives of the people we are interested in are fair-skinned, blue-eyed, tall, with slightly wavy hair. These are features that are typical of the inhabitants of the Mediterranean.
Class division
Today, Tuareg society is divided into estates. The highest nomads today include warriors and marabout priests. To the lower ones - Bella artisans, servants, as well as half-breeds who have lost the right to the name "imoshag" and are called "daga". Among the Tuareg, even 1.5 centuries ago, one could meet both impgad goat herders and camel breeders.akhkhagarov. These "professions" only seem peaceful. In fact, the goatherds and camel herders were desperate thugs, as well as the most respected members of society. Blacksmiths-Ineden occupied a lower level. The tribesmen considered them almost sorcerers. Also at a lower level were ordinary farmers. The most contemptible estate of this people is the black slaves-iklans. Both lower and higher nomads pushed them around.
Each tribe had an amgar - a leader. The union of tribes was tejehe - a federation led by an amenukal (supreme ruler). Today, the Tuareg unite only in extreme cases. They try not to depend on anyone.
Desert living conditions
Only nomads and navigation devices know how to navigate the endless sands. The dunes change their outlines at an unprecedented speed, and there is simply nothing for the eye to catch on to.
For a long time, the Tuareg tribes, whose history goes back 2 thousand years, have been forced to survive in the desert. This people calls the desert "Assahara". For him, this is a living being, an integral mechanism with which one must be able to get along and agree. The Sahara Desert is actually only 1/5th sand. Everything else is amazingly shaped depressions and hills, stone plateaus, rare oases and dry riverbeds. In the Sahara, the air warms up to 60 degrees in summer, and at night it can cool to zero. Sometimes at dawn even frosts occur - the temperature drops to -20 degrees, and at this time the dunes are covered with ice.crust.
Only camels and nomads, hardened by the desert, can exist in such a climate. Only they are able to survive the monstrous Samums that arise suddenly and are comparable in strength to ocean tsunamis. Only they can spot the horned viper and not step on it. This is very important, because its poison instantly kills a person. Only the Tuareg survive practically without water under the scorching sun, contrary to all the laws of biology. They relieve thirst by sucking on a stone.
Housing
As in the old days, the camel skin roof and wooden frame every 3 months turn into a fortress, which appears every time in a new place. Only the nomad himself knows where he will pitch his tent next time. The main thing is that the well is nearby, and the desert is around. And nearby are scorpions, snakes and a sandy wind that sweeps everything in its path.
Holy place of the Tuareg
Under the Sahara, it is believed that there is a whole fresh ocean, the water reserves of which are estimated at 1 billion liters. However, it rarely comes to the surface. And making wells in the sand is not an easy task, even with the use of modern technology. Hundreds of centuries ago, the Tuareg had to rely only on the mercy of fate. They cherished like the apple of their eye every well, which for them is a holy place. And in our time, all the wells are carefully covered and very well maintained. Anyone who intentionally or unknowingly treated them without due respect, the nomads executed on the spot. Nowadays, their morals are not much softer - like many years ago, the Tuareglive according to their ancient customs and laws. Not only for us, but also for representatives of the Arab world, the traditions followed by the Tuareg tribes are surprising.
Language and writing
Tuareg roamed a lot in Africa, but they kept the purity of blood. Until now, among them not to meet a black face. For centuries, the Tuareg language has remained unchanged. This people speaks Berber, but in such a way that other peoples of Arab Africa hardly understand this language. And the Tuareg tribes have their own writing - tifinang. Their culture, however, presupposes the teaching of writing only to women. By the way, these people treat them with great respect.
Attitude towards women
The weaker sex, contrary to all the laws of Islam, is assigned an atypical role by the Tuareg tribe. Women are the main ones in the family. The Tuareg are descended from the maternal line. Despite the fact that they are devout Muslims, they do not have polygamy. The Tuareg house belongs to the woman by whose name it is called. However, a man is obliged to support him, like other members of the household.
A woman chooses her husband herself, and if he did not suit her for some reason, then she can initiate a divorce. The ex-husband in this case unquestioningly leaves the house. By the way, women and men among nomads are easy friends, not afraid of gossip.
Division of labor
The Tuareg does not have a division of labor based on gender. A woman, for example, can take a sword if the situation requires it. Even democratic countries do not know such equalityEurope, what can we say about the Arab states located in the neighborhood. However, the laws of the desert in the cities no longer apply, since the influence of Islam is strong here. But this did not diminish the respect for the woman.
Tuareg Burqa
As we have already said, wearing the veil by men is a custom that only the Tuareg tribe has. Photos of men in it look unusual, don't they? You might think that they want to protect their beauty from temptresses. However, it is not. The fact is that the Tuareg are afraid of evil spirits. They believe that through the eyes, ears or nose, evil spirits can get into a person, so they cover these places. The veil worn by the Tuareg is called "tagelma". It is worn by a young man on the day he reaches his 18th birthday. It is from this age that he becomes a real warrior. Showing up without a bandage in public is considered the height of indecency among these people. This is equivalent to appearing naked. The Tuareg do not remove the bandage even at home, while sleeping or eating.
Tuareg Militancy
This people is very militant. More precisely, this applies to those who consider themselves true imoshag. They live in the desert and pick up a machine gun before they pick up a spoon. There are not very many Tuareg warriors (about 10-20 thousand). However, they can, if not smash, then well scare even the best modern army.
This is how the Tuareg tribes live. Their customs remain unchanged, causing surprise and interest among representatives of moderncivilization.
