The Tuareg or "Blue Men of the Desert" have long been known as warriors, traders and travellers of the Sahara Desert - as a people of grace and nobility as well as fighters of fierce reputation.
As a nomadic people, living in camps and settlements in and around the edges of the Sahara desert, they are notably among North Africa’s Berber people. The name Berber was a term given by outsiders to those who known as the original inhabitants of northern Africa before Islam came. They call themselves also Imazighen, the "free or noble people", as do many other North African Berbers. Today, their culture and language is still distinct and very much part of their lives.
Tuareg is a term given to this Berber people by the Arabs, as they initially resisted Islam. The name Tuareg means "abandoned by God". Individually the tribes are recognised by area of origin or language: Kel Tamasheq (meaning the people who speak Tamasheq), Kel Tamashek, Kel Ajjer, Kel Tamahaq and there are other dialects and names they call themselves. Rather than use the term Tuareg, Christians in this group have asked that they be called the Kel Tamashek, Kel Tamahaq, Kel Ajjer or Kel Tamahaq. For the purposes of this profile we will refer to the overall people group as the Kel T.
Although there are traits of the Tuareg culture that evidence earlier contact with Christians before the rise of Islam, the Tuareg have long been known as Muslims. Their belief system incorporates a lot of pre-Islamic beliefs and superstitions: the awareness of the spiritual world, and fear of evil spirits is strong. With the efforts of Kel T Christians to reach out to their own people in recent years, new breakthroughs are occuring and some are finding new life in Christ.
The Tuaareg inhabit the Sahara desert and the Sahel area south of the Sahara. As nomads they are spread out over a vast area. They may live isolated often within shouting distance from one another, or as extended families. Because of the rebellion against the government, many have fled to neighboring countries the past few years.
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Identity/Location
 People Name: Tuareg
Primary Language: Tamajaq
Ethnologue Code: TTQ, THZ, THV
Other Names: Imjeghen, Blue men of the desert.
Dialects: 4, each with sub-dialects
Population
Total People: approx. 1.25 million (Algeria 76,000; Mali 100,000; Libya 18,000; Niger 700,000; refugees in Mauritania and Burkina Faso).
Urban Percent: 10%
Language/Literacy Information
Adult literacy: 8%
Primary language: Tamasheq (95% speakers)
Second language: Hausa (80% speakers)
Third language: French (10% speakers)
Economics
Occupations: Pastoralists, guards, domestic servants, blacksmiths
Income sources: Cheese, livestock, transport of salt, dates
Products/Crafts: Cheese, baskets, mats, leatherwork, knives, iron objects, jewelry
Trade partners: Neighbouring peoples, Algeria, Mali, Nigeria. There is a mutual economic dependency of nomads and farmers, and a rivalry over administration of production means.
Modernisation/Utilities: Many people were forced to give up their nomadic lifestyle and moved to the towns. Some villiages, also in remote areas, have one TV set with a solar panel (although maintainance is a problem).
Living Conditions/Community Development Status
Food: Milk, millet, macaroni, rice, tomatoes, onions
Shelter: Tents made from palmleaf mats or goatskins; in the towns sometimes 'banco' (mud-brick) houses.
Clothing: The men wear a blue or black veil, covering their mouth (6 metres or more, sometimes with indigo pounded in), loose cotton trousers, a sleeveless shirt underneath an indigo gandurah. Young men may wear western clothes. The women have a blue, black or colourful skirt with a blouse, they will wear a scarf or a black or blue veil.
Health care: There are hospitals in the towns and sometimes dispensaries in bigger villiages. Although medical care is very cheap, it is still too expensive for many, especially if medicines need to be bought. Many also make use of traditional medicine (Folk Islam).
Water: Villiages have wells. The water from the wells is usually clean. In the towns there are certain people that own a tap and sell water by the bucket.
Other: Wood is burned for cooking. Little oil lamps are used at night.
Society
Family structures: In this matrilineal society, the family of the wife is important, and the women have more freedom than the women of neighbouring tribes. The smallest social unit is the encampment: relatives, brothers, parents etc. There is no polygamie, but divorce is very common. It is a feudal society with nobles, vassals, clergy, artisans and, in the past, slaves.
Neighbour relations: Relationships are determined by the skin color of the other people. Tuareg look down upon people with a darker skin. They trade with the Hausa, and share the desert with the Tubu, Fulani and Kanuri.
Rule/Authority/Selection: The social organisation is well adapted to a nomad life of guardian and protector herds. It is also a war organisation, a solidarity in which each role is strictly determined and a definite authority structure. The nobles used to be the ones in authority. Today they have to submit to the national and local government, which created tension as they are usually from othe people groups. The head of the confederation of tribes is the Amnokal, or drum chief, who is chosen according to certain hereditary laws.
Judicial system/Trial punishment: In Niger they would fall under the Nigerien law, but do not easily submit to that. Niger's independent judicial system comprises four judicial bodies - the Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court, the High Court of Justice, and the Court of State Security.
Crisis/Conflicts - History/Status: In the past the Tuareg were not easily subdued. The French conquest for pacification began before 1900, but the Tuareg were not subdued until 1922, when Niger became a French colony. There have been clashes between the Tuareg and the government, like in 1990, when hundreds of Tuareg were killed after attacking a police post, accusing the government of failing to keep promises made. Since then there has been a rebellion against the government and constant fight between the rebel forces and being a nomad group, it is hard for them to recognise national borders.
Celebrations/Recreation: Islamic feasts. The arrival of the large caravan, the Azalai, is the cause of great rejoicing. At Ingall many nomads meets for the 'cure sale'.
Art Forms: Leather work, ironwork, camel saddles and music.
Media (Radio/TV/Newspapers/Films/Videos/Recordings): Several hours a week there are radio programs in the Tuareg language. No newspapers, films, TV, videos. There are a few music tapes in Tamasheq.
Children/Youth
Education/Type of Schooling: In 1993 about 15% of the children in Niger attended school, even though six years of attendance is compulsory. The numbers for the Tuareg will be much lower.
Labour/Tasks: Young girls, often not older than five or six, help their mother with the cooking, fetching water, taking care of younger children. Boys might be required to help with the animals.
Problems (Morality/Family/Insurrections/Etc.): The infant mortality rate was 111 per 1000 in 1986. Life expectancy is 43 years male, 46 female.
Other: The Tuareg are monogamous, but divorce is very common. (A woman of 20 might have had three divorces already.) Consequently there is a lot of moving aroung, the family unit changing all the time.
Religion
100% Folk Islam
Religious practices/ceremonies: The main Islamic holidays. Ceremonies like name giving, burial etc.
Redemptive Analogies/Bridges: The Islamic feat of the Id al Kebir (Tafaski) when many families sacrifice a sheep.
Spiritual Climate/Openness: Islam is very much mixed with many practices from before Islam, or influenced by their animist neighbours.
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Prayer Points
For the few dozen believers who have been courageous enough to take a stand for the Lord Jesus. They have faced persecution, ostracism from their families, and difficultly in finding jobs and wives.
About the greatest need of the rural communities, which relate to rebuilding a balance between their nomadic way of life with their need to conserve a fragile ecology.
For those still in refugee camps and also for those uprooted from their traditional lifestyles, living in urban situations, learning new means of employment, and coping with broken families.
For Bible translators, working on several books of the Bible for translation into several dialects used by Tuaregs in different countries. Also, pray for the raising up of an indigenous self propagating church.
For the health and protection of the missionaries working under difficult conditions. The people are generally hospitable, however, bandits have destroyed mission property and threatened their lives.
Learn how to get involved in reaching these people...
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