The major parts of the Tuareg Tribe Clothing are the tagelmust turban worn by the men, tasuwart which is the women’s veil, takatkat – shirt worn by both women and men, bukar – men’s black cotton turban, akarbey or the men’s pants, afer – women’s pagne, ighateman or shoes, and ibuzagan which are leather shoes
Origins and Regions of the Tuareg People
The people of the Tuareg tribe are a large ethnic group of Berber origin inhabiting most of the Sahara. Their regions extend into southern Algeria, southwestern Libya, Niger, Mali, northern Nigeria, and Burkina Faso.
The Tuareg, Twareg, or Touareg are mostly nomadic pastoralists and have an important impact in the spread of Islam across North Africa
Because of the Tuareg Tribe Clothing which is traditionally colored with indigo dye, the Tuareg people are called “blue people”. The dye contained in the cultural cloth would normally stain their skin with a blueish tint.
Most times, it is only their tagelmust veils that have that indigo dye, and fewer times, their other clothing contains the dye.
Description of the Tuareg Tribe Clothing
The tagelmust veil or éghéwed in Arabic is a turban combined with a veil in indigo-blue color. These veils also known as cheche are believed to serve as a facial covering for the men to protect and ward them off from evil spirits. The veil conceals all of their face except the eyes and the top of the nose.
Women in Tuareg societies do not wear the same veils as men.
Asides from the traditional belief, the veils are quite functional because they help protect their faces from the dusty sands of the harsh desert.
On reaching maturity, men begin wearing the veils as it is associated with rites constituting the passage into manhood.
Sacred objects are sparsed within the amulets that the men wear and sometimes, verses from the Qur’an are inscribed on these amulets.
Below are the images of the Tuareg Tribe Clothing, cultures, amulets, and traditional markers.