Fine Tuareg Cross - Iférouane - Niger
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:392215 |
Fine Tuareg Cross - Iférouane - Niger
White metal, glass beads. Grams 50, 2 (1.77 oz). The Iférouane cross is cm. 11, 0 x 6, 9 (4.33” x 2.72”); the necklace is cm. 46, 5 long (18.31").The Tuareg live in one of the most inhospitable areas of the planet: the central part of the Sahara Desert. Their whole existence, difficult and precarious, is dominated by an overriding concern to protect and defend themselves from hostile supernatural forces that inhabi...t the surrounding environment – the ” Jinn ” (evil spirits, from the terrible Ghul to the Ifrit, no less cruel in tending traps to travelers) – and gain the protection of beneficial genies.The same typical turban – thelitham – that completely covers the face of the Tuareg except the eyes, has theprimary function of protecting the “gates of the soul” (mouth and nostrils)from the Jinn. But the main instruments of protection are the amulets andtalismans. Every Tuareg, man or woman, old or young child , has an amulet or atalisman: leather ( the gri-gri ) or silver (the khomissar , the tcherot , theherz), often contain magic formulas, powders of animal and / or vegetable orverses from the Koran. Very often one stands out among these talismans: theupper part is a ring and the lower part is a lozenge-shaped with small tips:this is the Tuareg Cross.What is the history of theTuareg Cross? What is its origin? What is its significance? It’s impossible togive definitive and unambiguous answers: we are in Africa, where everything isalways true and possible. According to the “official collection” of theCooperative of Artisans of Agades, the Tuareg Crosses are 21 , each of whichindicates a location of origin. The only exception is the Karaga Cross which isinspired by the typical Tuareg bed. Thereare only 4 certainties:· the word ” Cross” is a term attributed by Europeansand is totally unrelated to the Tuareg language;· the Cross must be strictly in silver or silver alloy.Silver is the metal of Allah, as opposed to gold , which is considered ademonic metal. Mohammed has formally disapproved all metals except silver.Rings , seals, amulets made of gold, copper or iron are prohibited in theMuslim tradition;· the archetype, the first, the true, the progenitor ofall Tuareg Crosses is the Cross of Agades, but also those of Iférouane , Tahoua, Zinder and In Gall are considered “anciennes”, that means truly, real, authentic, original. All other crosses derived from thesefive;· Tuareg crosses were passed down from father to sonwith the words, “I give you the four corners of the world, because one cannotknow where one will die”.About the meaning of theTuareg Crosses there are several theories:· they derived from the Egyptian Ankh symbol from whichwould be derived the carteginese symbol of the Goddess Tanit and, finally, theTuareg Crosses;· they are a sex symbol: especially in Agades , Zinderand In Gall crosses is evident the presence of two elements, which can belinked to a stylized depiction of the two sex symbols: the tip, male symbol, and the ring, the symbol of women;· they are talismans that protect from the evil eye: inthe form of several types of crosses and in the decoration of almost all typesappears the presence of triangular elements that constitute the representationmore stylized of apotropaic eye;· they derived from the Southern Cross : there is anundeniable resemblance between the position of the four stars of the SouthernCross (three of the first magnitude and a forth) and the bottom part of thediamond-shaped Agades Cross.1018
White metal, glass beads. Grams 50, 2 (1.77 oz). The Iférouane cross is cm. 11, 0 x 6, 9 (4.33” x 2.72”); the necklace is cm. 46, 5 long (18.31").The Tuareg live in one of the most inhospitable areas of the planet: the central part of the Sahara Desert. Their whole existence, difficult and precarious, is dominated by an overriding concern to protect and defend themselves from hostile supernatural forces that inhabi...t the surrounding environment – the ” Jinn ” (evil spirits, from the terrible Ghul to the Ifrit, no less cruel in tending traps to travelers) – and gain the protection of beneficial genies.The same typical turban – thelitham – that completely covers the face of the Tuareg except the eyes, has theprimary function of protecting the “gates of the soul” (mouth and nostrils)from the Jinn. But the main instruments of protection are the amulets andtalismans. Every Tuareg, man or woman, old or young child , has an amulet or atalisman: leather ( the gri-gri ) or silver (the khomissar , the tcherot , theherz), often contain magic formulas, powders of animal and / or vegetable orverses from the Koran. Very often one stands out among these talismans: theupper part is a ring and the lower part is a lozenge-shaped with small tips:this is the Tuareg Cross.What is the history of theTuareg Cross? What is its origin? What is its significance? It’s impossible togive definitive and unambiguous answers: we are in Africa, where everything isalways true and possible. According to the “official collection” of theCooperative of Artisans of Agades, the Tuareg Crosses are 21 , each of whichindicates a location of origin. The only exception is the Karaga Cross which isinspired by the typical Tuareg bed. Thereare only 4 certainties:· the word ” Cross” is a term attributed by Europeansand is totally unrelated to the Tuareg language;· the Cross must be strictly in silver or silver alloy.Silver is the metal of Allah, as opposed to gold , which is considered ademonic metal. Mohammed has formally disapproved all metals except silver.Rings , seals, amulets made of gold, copper or iron are prohibited in theMuslim tradition;· the archetype, the first, the true, the progenitor ofall Tuareg Crosses is the Cross of Agades, but also those of Iférouane , Tahoua, Zinder and In Gall are considered “anciennes”, that means truly, real, authentic, original. All other crosses derived from thesefive;· Tuareg crosses were passed down from father to sonwith the words, “I give you the four corners of the world, because one cannotknow where one will die”.About the meaning of theTuareg Crosses there are several theories:· they derived from the Egyptian Ankh symbol from whichwould be derived the carteginese symbol of the Goddess Tanit and, finally, theTuareg Crosses;· they are a sex symbol: especially in Agades , Zinderand In Gall crosses is evident the presence of two elements, which can belinked to a stylized depiction of the two sex symbols: the tip, male symbol, and the ring, the symbol of women;· they are talismans that protect from the evil eye: inthe form of several types of crosses and in the decoration of almost all typesappears the presence of triangular elements that constitute the representationmore stylized of apotropaic eye;· they derived from the Southern Cross : there is anundeniable resemblance between the position of the four stars of the SouthernCross (three of the first magnitude and a forth) and the bottom part of thediamond-shaped Agades Cross.1018
