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By: Austin Nelson

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Estimated about 1.2 million people

Usually 30-100 people per tribe

Tuareg people are matrilineal

They call themselves the  Kel Tamashek or Kel Tamajek

These names mean "Speakers of Tamashek"

They also call themselves Imouhar, Imuhagh, Imazaghan, and Imashaghen

These names mean "The free people"

Question:
Is the population growing or shrinking? Why is it difficult to find accurate numbers for some tribes? What do the numbers tell you about the tribe?

The population of the Tuareg seems to be hard to find. It is hard to find accurate numbers because of the isolation of tribes from the modern world. The population of the Tuareg is pretty high considering that they are a tribe. The population of the Tuareg also tells us about the amount of people still tied to the traditions and cultural heritage of the Tuareg.

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They are found today in West Africa

Burkina Faso

Niger

Nigeria

Senegal

Mali

Libya

The Tuareg are nomadic people

The Tuareg are the descendants of Saharan people

Question:
How does geography influence the way this tribe lives? Is it a positive or a negative to the society? Why.
Geography influences the way people and or tribes live. If people live in a certain area it influences everyday life. Some useful adaptations come from living in a certain area. A positive effect on society is the layout and organized setting of society. This means many people know where other people live and will make it easier to access people. A negative is that if you live in a place where issues are forming then you would have to move away.

(Image Below: http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/west-africa-map.htm)

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Their language is called Temajeg

Various dialects in Niger

Tifinagh is the language used in poetry and saharan rock art

Tuareg also speak Songhay, Hausa, French and they can speak and read Arabic

Question:
What is the official language of the country in which the tribe lives? Explain why there would or why there would not be an official language.

Since the Tuareg live in different areas and countries in the Sahara, many languages are spoken. This can be hard to communicate  with other Tuareg who live in other areas. Mainly the tribes speak Temejeg but use many other languages in reading and writing.

(Image: http://africanrockart.org/rock-art-gallery/chad/)

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Music and Poetry are very important to the Tuareg

The Tuareg are an Islamic tribe

Believe all spirits are evil

Some Tuareg do fortune telling from

Lizards

Cowrie shells

The Koran

Mirrors

Swords are often passed down from generation to generation

The Tuareg are famous for their combat skills and art

Question:
What are the purposes of these traditions in tribal society? How do these traditions influence the lifestyles of your tribe?

The traditions and culture of the Tuareg can help preserve the historical and morals of the older Tuareg people. Some traditions can help tie people to the past which can be good in many ways. It can help preserve many cultural aspects of the Tuareg that could have been forgotten as time has went on.

(Image with camels: https://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/North-West/Timbuktu/blog-610326.html)

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(Image: https://africa.si.edu/exhibits/tuareg/inadan.html

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Weddings

Weddings are everlasting

Seven days

Camel Races and Music

Groom’s family enter bride’s village on decorated camels and Donkeys

Older female relatives of the bride build the bride a special tent

Tuareg men wear blue masks at age of 18

This shows that they are ready to marry and that they are adults

Question:
What is the purpose of this rite of passage? How does it contribute to the culture? Are there religious elements? How does it affect the tribe?

Weddings and Masks show that the men and or woman are adults.This is a very important to the dating relationships of the Tuareg. Some people recognize the men as adults after they wear the mask. If they don't wear it then they know that the men are under 18 and not adults.

(Image: http://kwekudee-tripdownmemorylane.blogspot.com/2014/02/tuareg-people-africas-blue-people-of.html)

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Environmental Issues

Climate Change

Climate change is causing desertification in areas where the Tuareg live

Uranium Mining

Uranium Mining uses up clean water and pollutes the groundwater and lands

Social Issues

The Tuareg have had many issues with countries

Land usage

Countries want to rule over the land in the country but the Tuareg live in areas

Some conflicts have led to rebellions

Separatist Rebellion in Libya

Question:
How does this issue impact the lives of the tribe? Be specific.

Many issues affect the lives of the Tuareg. One major issue is Climate Change. A big effect of Climate Change is it's desertification. This can cause land that the Tuareg use to become dry and force them to adapt. Another issue are social issues. This includes relationships with the government and other tribes.

(Image: http://travelhdwallpapers.com/tag/sahara-desert/page/2/)

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Guide, Africa. "Tuareg People." Tuareg People. AfricaGuide, n.d. Web.
16 Nov. 2016.

The Tuareg." For African Art. African Art, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 16.

"Tuareg." Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of World Cultures. Ed.
Timothy L. Gall and Susan Bevan Gall. 2nd ed. Vol. 6. Detroit:                    UXL, 2012. 211-218. Student Resources in Context. Web. 16
Nov. 2016.

"Tuareg - Tribes of Africa:." Tuareg Tribe | African Tribes and Peoples.
Gateway Africa, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.