Behind
the ancient way of life for the Tuareg tribe of the Sahara is a culture
so progressive it would even make some in liberal western cultures
blush. Women are allowed to have multiple sexual partners outside of
marriage, keep all their property on divorce and are so revered by their
sons-in-laws that the young men wouldn't dare eat in the same room.
What is even more surprising is that even though the tribe has embraced Islam they have firmly held onto some of the customs that would not be acceptable to the wider Muslim world. It is the men, and not the women, who cover their faces, for example.
The
Tuareg women, seen here arriving at the Tuareg Political Party speech
in 2006, may not obviously be part of political life, but their opinion
is highly valued by the men, who will likely discuss issues with their
mother or wife.
Source: UK Daily Mail/ Henrietta Butler's new book
What is even more surprising is that even though the tribe has embraced Islam they have firmly held onto some of the customs that would not be acceptable to the wider Muslim world. It is the men, and not the women, who cover their faces, for example.
Photographer
Henrietta Butler, who has been fascinated by the Tuareg since she first
followed them through the desert in 2001, once asked why this was. The
explanation was simple.
'The women are beautiful. We would like to see their faces.'
But this is
certainly not the only place the Tuareg, related to the Berbers of North
Africa, differ from the Muslim world of the Middle East, and even other
parts of their own continent.
Before a woman marries, she is free to take as many lovers as she wants.
'They turn a blind eye,' explained Butler. 'The young girls have the same great freedoms as the boys.'
Any visitor
who goes to a camp would be vastly underestimating the power of the
women in the tent if they believe their sole duty is to make the food
and look after children.
In fact, she
owns the home and the animals. And the animals are an invaluable
resource to the Tuareg in the middle of the Sahara.
Journalist
Peter Gwin recalled an elderly nomad once telling him: 'Animals are
everything to a Tuareg. We drink their milk, we eat their meat, we use
their skin, we trade them. When the animals die, the Tuareg dies.'
Many
marriages end in divorce among the Tuareg. And when it happens, it is
the wife who keeps both the animals and the tent. And it is she who
normally decides that she’s had enough.
It is the men who cover up their faces, while the women are happy to show off their faces - although they often cover their hair
|
It is unlikely there will be any quibbling over who gets what. Pre-nuptial agreements are the norm.
In practice, this often means a man is forced to return home to his mother, possibly with just his camel and nothing else.
His wife, meanwhile, will keep possession of everything she brought to the marriage and that includes the children.
The mother's
camp, Butler explains, is the root of the community, the home everyone
returns to - and this arrangement ensures it stays that way.
And there is
no shame in divorce. Families will often throw their daughters a
divorce party, to let other men know they are available once more.
But this is not a matriarchal society, where the women are in charge.
Butler
explains it is still the men 'who sit and talk politics'. But even
here, the women can be deferred to. They are often consulted for their
views by their sons or husbands, and are quietly pulling the strings
behind the scenes.
However,
Tuareg society is matri-lineal, which means the families trace their
lines through the women, rather than the men, right the way back to
their first queen.
So, Butler explained: 'Traditionally, the man would belong to the woman's group, rather than the other way around.'
The
preference for the women's line goes as far as man leaving his
possessions to his sister's son as it 'is considered a stronger link to
your family than to your own son'.
In other
words, it can be guaranteed that your sister's child belongs to your
sister, rather than a man's son, who cannot be absolutely guaranteed to
share his genes.
But there is
one tradition which is certainly far more unusual: it is highly rude
for a man to eat in front of a woman who he cannot have sexual relations
with, or any of his elders.
In front of his mother-in-law it is especially shameful.
'I didn't
realise this until the I was having dinner with a Tuareg woman, who had
brought her son-in-law as her travelling companion,' Butler recalled.
'We were all
sitting down to dinner, and the man has his back turned. She said the
poor man was completely horrified because he has to eat with his
mother-in-law.'
But it is
unlikely he would have ever complained about it, or felt sorry from
himself. The very idea is horrendous to the Tuareg.
'You would shame yourself. The Tuareg will go to great lengths to maintain personal dignity. They will suffer,' said Butler.
'If they are not offered water, they won't ask for it - even if they are thirsty.'
Perhaps for
this reason, the Tuareg welcome is legendary. They never forget to offer
water, and travellers who appear on the horizon will always be 'treated
like a king'.
Like Us on Facebook!
0 comments:
Post a Comment