Art of Being Tuareg: at UCLA's Fowler Museum

Saturday, 04 November 2006 20:12

Los Angeles, CA - The Tuareg, a semi-nomadic people of Niger, Mali, and Algeria, have fascinated travelers and scholars throughout history.  The “art” of being Tuareg—their elegant dress and exquisite ornamentation, their refined song, speech, and dance—has been the subject of rhapsodic descriptions that suggest a Tuareg “mystique.”   Who the Tuareg are today and how the Tuareg and their mystique have been invented through time by themselves and by others are considered in the first major U.S. exhibition on Tuareg art and culture, Art of Being Tuareg: Sahara Nomads in a Modern World, on display through February 25, 2007 at UCLA’s Fowler Museum.

Art of Being Tuareg examines the history of “The Blue People of the Sahara,” so-called for their indigo turbans that at times stain their skin and define their identity as they ride on majestic camels.  It explores their beautiful silver jewelry, clothing, distinctive leatherwork, and other highly decorated items crafted by Tuareg smiths, while at the same time addressing the complexities of history, gender, desert living, and the ever-changing global market.

“With Americans’ increased awareness of the Islamic world, the sale of Tuareg jewelry in exclusive boutiques, recent tours in the U.S. by Tuareg music and dance groups, and even a car named after the people, this exhibition meets a growing interest in the Tuareg and their rich culture,” says curator Thomas K. Seligman.

The exhibition unfolds in reverse chronological order, beginning with photographic portraits of several Tuareg and first-person accounts of what it means to be a Tuareg in a modern world.  Next visitors enter a “boutique” that affirms the popularity of Tuareg artistry today, found in Hermès catalogues—which have featured Tuareg leatherwork, scarves with Tuareg motifs, silver belt buckles, and jewelry designs made on commission—as well as in art fairs and shops in cities across the U.S. and Europe.

Visitors then encounter the workshop of the Oumba and Ouhoulou family of Agadez and Niamey, Niger, a group of productive and well-respected inadan (artists or smiths).  A range of objects produced by the family over a thirty-year period—including exquisite silver and gold amulets, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and beautifully decorated and richly colored leatherwork—reveal the influences of modernization and a shifting clientele that has expanded beyond the Tuareg to include Africans from other regions, Europeans, and Asians.

Following this close look at one inadan family, visitors enter a small gallery devoted to objects dating from the mid-20^th century.  Here a selection of intricately carved tent poles, finely wrought silver jewelry, swords and sheaths, and Koranic boards and cases display the Tuareg’s renowned aesthetics and skill.

History of the Tuareg

Early Arab and Berber travelers' accounts contain the first written descriptions of the Tuareg.  North African traders crossed the Sahara following well-established caravan routes, which had also facilitated the introduction of Islam into the region beginning in the 7^th century. Hundreds of years later, in the 19^th century, European explorers often employed the Tuareg as desert guides.  Today Algeria, Niger, and Mali are home to the largest concentration of Tuareg—estimated at close to one million people— a loose confederation of groups of pastoral nomads, settled agriculturalists, and, today, city dwellers.

Several social groupings exist within Tuareg culture, including that of artists or smiths, known as inadan, whose art and lives are the focus of this exhibition.  There are many accounts of the origins of the inadan, but it is likely that they are, in part, descendants of Jews who were forced out of southern Morocco in the 14^th and 15^th centuries and followed trans-Saharan trade routes to the region of the Tuareg.  Even today, some inadan claim Lord Dauda (David) as their patron saint, though many are practicing Muslims.  Inadan have a complex and ambiguous relationship to the larger group and are often not considered “true” Tuareg, as their social origins are from outside the culture.  Yet they fill an essential role, as they make all weapons, tools, leather objects, jewelry, and camel saddles.

Visiting the Fowler

The Fowler Museum, part of UCLA’s School of the Arts and Architecture, is located in the north part of the UCLA campus.  Admission is free.  Visit www.fowler.ucla.edu