Elhadji’S United States Trip Cancelled
Elhadji Koumama was scheduled to be in the United States from May 12 to June 16 to participate in several trunk shows, demonstrations and the Marin Art Festival. He applied for his visa on April 3 for what was to be his eighth trip. The government still has not acted on his visa application. Despite repeated requests to the consul in the embassy in Niamey for information on the status of it we have not been able to find out where it is in the process, why it has not been issued or whether it will be issued. Therefore, we have had to cancel the trip. If the visa is eventually issued we may schedule a trip in the fall.
The European Union issued a one month visa to Elhadji. He is now in Germany to sell jewelry there. We hope that the trip will be successful and will replace some of the sales here that the family counts on to keep the talented artisans employed so that they can support their families. With the downturn in the economy and the civil unrest in Niger it has been a very difficult year.
Elhadji has shipped the jewelry that was made for the exhibitions to me via DHL. At last report it was in transit through England and should arrive during the first week of June. The new jewelry will be posted on the website soon thereafter. He tells me that there are some terrific new designs, including pendants set with stones and a collection of square pendants that are inset with brightly colored leather with matching leather cords.
Jewelry can be purchased on this website. If anything bought here is not just exactly what the customer wants it can be returned for credit or exchanged. Also, for those of you in the San Francisco Bay Area, you may contact Ann Elston at 415-332-5598 or 415-882-4200 to make arrangements to see the entire collection.
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Report on the Koumama Family
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Abdul Koumama, age 9
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Smalie Koumama, age 12
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Amina Koumama, age 14
Amina, Elhadji and Kola’s oldest daughter, has been studying very hard all year for the high school entry examination that she will take in June. She and her classmates took a practice exam in April. She was thrilled to learn that she earned the highest grade in her class.
Smailie, their oldest son, continues to be first in his class after the latest round of examinations. Abdul, son number two, moved up from seventh to fourth in his class.
A new baby boy will be joining the family very soon. At least that is what Elhadji and Kola have been told the ultrasound shows. One of the few positive things about the family being in Niamey is that Kola has access to better medical care in a private clinic than she could get at the public hospital in Agadez. Elhadji has bought the mouton (sheep) for the naming ceremony. We expect to have news of the birth in the July newsletter.
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Inquiring Minds Want to Know:
Why are Tuaregs called the Blue Men of the Desert?
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Atefok in everyday tagelmust
Tuaregs traditionally wore clothes colored with a blue dye made from the indigo plant. The dye easily rubs off on the skin, thus the name “Blue Men.” Today the indigo fabric is most commonly used for headgear. The best indigo cloth is made in Kano, Nigeria, by Hausa dyers and is quite expensive. It is a wonderful deep blue with a lovely sheen when it is new. Less expensive chemically dyed fabric is deep reddish purple. The quality of the fabric is a status symbol.
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Atefok in indigo tagelmust
Both Tuareg men and women wear lengths of the indigo fabric. Generally the piece is about five meters long and a meter wide although it can be as short as three and as long as ten meters. The women wrap the fabric loosely around their heads without tying or otherwise securing it. I know from experience that it takes exceptional posture to keep the fabric in place.
The men wear the tagelmust, a combination of turban and veil. There are many ways of wrapping the fabric. Sometimes two lengths of fabric, one indigo and the other white cotton, are wound together. The way the tagelmust is tied may signify age, social status, regional differences or just personal style. One constant, though, is that when worn in a formal setting the tip of the nose will be covered. There are even competitions at festivals for the most beautiful tagelmust.
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Hadija in indigo head-dress
Indigo fabric is now reserved for special occasions such as marriages and festivals. Tuareg men wear cotton tagelmusts in many different colors such as bright pink, lemon yellow and chartreuse for everyday. Historically the men covered their entire faces except for the eyes and the upper part of the nose. That custom has been relaxed somewhat. Now it is common to see a Tuareg man with his tagelmust wrapped around his head with his face showing or even draped loosely over his shoulders. Sadly, with the current civil unrest many Tuareg men are afraid to wear the tagelmust at all.
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Tuareg Bride in Indigo Head dress
One day I went to visit my friend Owinawoo, an older Tuareg nomad whose camp was not far from Agadez. He asked me to take pictures of him. When he looked at the digital images on the camera he was horrified to see that the tip of his nose was exposed. He insisted that I erase those pictures and take new ones of him with the tagelmust covering all but the slit for his eyes.
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