Tuareg Women Create A Leather Cooperative
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Purchasing leather
Tuareg women are famous for their beautiful and intricate leatherwork. They typically make the large long cushions that are used for pillows, bags of all sizes from small pouches for coins and tobacco to very large and ornate camel saddlebags.
Last year Hadija Allasan, Elhadji’s step-mother, visited the United States to demonstrate leatherwork at the Tuareg exhibition at the Cantor Arts Center on the Stanford University campus. She had a vision to create a women’s leatherworking business on the model Elhadji uses for the jewelry. We got started on the project right after I arrived in Niamey on January 5, 2008. The first hurdle was to find good leather skins that were not tanned with urine, and therefore did not have the characteristic smell that western women find offensive. We found a shop near the Artisan’s Village where we bought ten good skins and then went to another shop to select colors to have them dyed. The skins were ready the following day. One of the women went shopping for some turquoise leather which is often used in the traditional designs.
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Cutting leather for a pillow
Five to seven women worked together for about eight hours each day, including the weekends, to make samples for me to take back. It is literally backbreaking work as they sat on a mat in the sand all day with nothing to support their backs. What a difference beach chairs would make to their comfort! They made three small pillows, tassels to be used as key rings and modified a purse that Hadija had made to add gussets to the sides so that it would hold more things than the flat style she had originally made.
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Garfa & Kola sewing pillows
Hadija is to be in charge of the project. Since she does not read or write Elhadji will help her to determine a fair sum to pay the women for their work, the cost of leather and other items so that we can set prices accordingly. Elhadji loaned her the money to buy the leather and to pay the women. That money will be repaid from the sale of the pieces.
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Stitching leather
A separate bank account will be set up for them to keep track of the profits. If the things sell well there is a possibility that the business can be as profitable per piece as the silver jewelry because the cost of the materials is less. However, it takes considerably longer to make a leather piece than the typical jewelry item so they will have to be paid more for each item. The women are hopeful that they can contribute financially to the support of their families.
