ART OF BEING TUAREG: Sahara Nomads in a Modern World/TUAREG JEWELRY: Traditional Patterns and Symbols

摘要

Who are the mysterious "Blue People" of the Sahara, who roam Niger and surrounding countries, swathe their men in indigo veils that dye their skin, and produce exquisite engraved silver jewelry? Two recent books, Art of Being Tuareg and Tuareg Jewelry, attempt to throw more light on these attractive but little-known nomads-with varying degrees of success. The former is much weightier, more scholarly, and more attractive. It was published in conjunction with the exhibition of the same name at the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History, and the iris and B, Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts at Stanford University, ft was also heavily subsidized, allowing the authors to benefit from more academic input, professional photography, and access to major museum collections. Both the editors and the other six contributors have done extensive fieldwork in the area; one is even a Tuareg inad (metalsmith).