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| Mark and Kimberlee Wyrick, with SIM in Niger, drawn to love the Tamasheq people. |
The Air Tuareg (Tuareg means "the forsaken of God," a name given them by the Arabs, though the Tuareg refer to themselves simply as Tamasheq, or "the free men.") belong to a larger group of nomadic Tuareg who live in an area that stretches from the Sahara to Sudan. The 170,000 Tamasheq (Air Tuareg) live in northwestern Niger, primarily in the Air region. The Tuareg are divided into several main political groups or tribal units. Their distinguishing characteristics include the unity of their language, their alphabet (which uses tifinagh characters), and their complex social organization.
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| Niger in Yellow |
The Tuareg wear clothing that is loose and lightweight. In direct contrast to Arab custom, all of the men wear veils called tidjelmousts; the women do not wear veils. The most preferred tidjelmousts are dyed indigo, though many men wear black.
Marriage always requires the payment of a bride price, which consists of camels, money, or other livestock. A household is made up of the nuclear family and their house slaves. Couples generally live near the groom's parents.
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| a Tamajaq young man - does He know Jesus died for him, and offers him the same love, acceptance and forgiveness as He offers us? |
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| God so loved the world - and sometimes, looking into these faces, we can get a glimpse of understanding His love for us all. |
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| a Tamajaq girl - will she learn of Jesus who loves her so? |
Although little is known about the Tahoua, it is thought that they are part of a Tuareg tribe that once lived in the town of Tahoua, southern Niger. Today, the Tamasheq-speaking Tahoua live in Niger, while the Tamajeq-speaking Tahoua live in Mali.
Although the origin and early history of the Tuareg are cloudy, these tribal nomads appear to have traveled down from North Africa in a series of migrations as early as the seventh century. By the end of the 1300's, Tuareg tribes had established themselves as far south as the Nigerian border.
By the 1400's, Air had become an important center in the caravan trade. It was often fought over and conquered by various local rulers. In 1515, the Air Tuareg were conquered by the Songhai, and a century of prosperity followed. However, shortly before 1700, the Air region was again conquered—this time by the Hausa.
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| one style of mosque |
Though the Tuareg are virtually all Sunni Muslim, they have a reputation among other Muslims for being lukewarm in their faith. They practice a passive form of Islam, infused with local superstitions and magic. Most do not even celebrate the most important Muslim fast of Ramadan.
It is very common for the Tuareg to wear protective charms. Many also believe in jinnis, which are—according to Muslim legend—spirits capable of assuming human or animal form and exercising supernatural influence over people.
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| nomadic family leader |
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| This camel carries the house of the nomadic Tamajaq people. |
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| household goods lashed to riding saddle |
A household can pack its goods on the backs of two camels, while one or two donkeys carry their odds and ends.
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| traveling kitchen |
The Tuareg have a highly complex social structure. The main division is between the Ihaggaren (upper class nobility) and the Imrad (lower class servants). There are also whole tribes of Marabouts, or "holy people," who are led by their own chiefs. In the past, each of the noble tribes and their servants formed a political unit under a chief whose authority was symbolized by a drum. The "drum chief" held supreme political and judicial authority in the group.
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| typical style of village housing and storage sheds |
The Tuareg have a rigid caste system, but unlike their Arab neighbours, they balance the responsibilities of men and women. Tuareg women, the guardians of language, are often asked to decide questions of law or literature. Tuareg children inherit their mother's property and social status, even into marriage.
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| another mosque style |
Catastrophic droughts in 1972 and 1982-1985 drove thousands of Tuareg from Mali and Niger into Algeria and Libya. Some of the unemployed Tuareg men left for Libya, where they received military training and weapons. In the early 1990's, they returned to their homes, demanding their independence. Since that time, there has been continuous guerrilla warfare in some regions of Mali and Niger. Some Tuareg have been forced into refugee camps in neighboring countries.
In 1987, Niger and Mali invited the Tuareg to return home. However, once they arrived, the governments failed to honor prior promises and kept them in detention camps. In 1990, there was a general Tuareg revolt; but it was brutally suppressed. When the revolt spread to Timbuktu, thousands were killed and hundreds of thousands fled to Algeria and Mauritania.
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| Village that God so loves . . . |
Although most of the Air Tuareg live in nomadic camps, there are a number of permanent villages as well. The village houses are usually rectangular in shape and are built with flat roofs and stone walls. The nomads live in portable, rectangular tents with walls made of tanned hides.
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| yet another style of mosque - there are no church buildings to show in this country. There are only a handful of Christians at this time. |
There are very few known Air Tuareg believers in Niger. Eight missions agencies are now targeting these people, but they have very few resources in the Tayrt (Tamasheq) language. Prayer is the key to reaching the Air Tuareg with the Gospel.
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| cattle being tended near a village |
The Air Tuareg are primarily nomadic shepherds, who move their livestock from one grazing ground to another with the changing of seasons. Many are also farmers. Their staple crops are grain, dates, and sorghum. They also grow a little wheat and some vegetables. Milk products are an important part of their diet.
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| Sidestreet in a village |
Both the Tuareg and the Negro classes speak the Tuareg language, which forms part of the Berber language group. The Tuareg men are usually bi- or trilingual. French is the major trade language used.
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| street vendor in town |
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| Only the lower classes do manual labor |
Those in the lowest class do the manual and domestic labor. This class is made up of ethnically mixed peoples who live in a cooperative relationship with their masters. Many were originally slaves, either taken during war or bought at Indonesian slave markets. There are three slave groups in the lower class: the iklan, the inaden, and the harratin. The iklan take care of herding, cooking, and other domestic chores. The inaden work as artisans and blacksmiths. The harratin are Negroid tenant farmers who work as share-croppers.
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| another typical village streetscene |
The entire Sahara region is very hot in the summer, reaching temperatures of 130° F. Violent winds are also very common and add to the discomfort of the climate. Sandstorms do much more damage than rain and are much more feared. Traveling is extremely hard under such conditions and most people spend the day in the shade of rocks and trees, sleeping and drinking water. Rain in the Sahara is irregular, and in some places it has not rained in six years.
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| dwelling out in the bush |
The Tuareg nomads live in small, lightweight, leather tents or grass huts. A tent is usually about 10 feet long and 10 to 15 feet wide.
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| Barren expanse of desert; but for water, potentially fertile. Who will water these lands with the gospel? Who will water them with tears? Will you, today? |
Tuareg means "the forsaken of God," a name given them by the Arabs, though the Tuareg refer to themselves simply as Tamasheq, or "the free men." Their nomadic tradition gives them independence to respect neither political nor religious authority. While the Tuareg are nominally Muslim, many came to the desert to avoid submitting to Arab conquerors and converting to Islam. They use music to cast out evil spirits, and amulets to protect themselves from lonely spirits haunting the desert. Many Tuareg, especially those who have left nomadic life for the city, admit that they too are a lonely people.
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| Mark and Kimberlee Wyrick, with SIM in Niger, drawn to love the Tamasheq people. |
THE PEOPLE
- People name: Air Tuareg
- Country: Niger
- Their language: Tayrt (Tamasheq)
- Population:
- Largest religion:
- Christians: <1%
- Church members: 17
- Scriptures in their own language: New Testament
- Christian broadcasts in their own language: None
- Mission agencies working among this people: 8
THEIR COUNTRY
- Country: Niger
- Population:
- Major peoples in size order:
- Major religions:
- Number of denominations: 14
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Dayspring
Fellowship 
