In Northwestern Africa, there exists a prominent Berber ethnic group known popularly as the Tuareg People. The Tuaregs are a semi-nomadic people group that make up significant portions of the populations of Niger, Mali, Libya, Algeria, and Burkina Faso. Smaller Tuareg communities also exist in Northern Nigeria, where they are commonly referred to as the "Buzu". Although little is known about the early history of the Tuareg people, they are believed to have migrated southward in the 4th century from their homeland in North Africa to the fertile oases of the Sahel. They were led along their journey by Tin Hinan, a Berber queen who is said to have come from the Tafilalt oasis of modern-day Morocco.
She is believed to have established a small kingdom in the Hoggar mountains of modern-day southern Algeria and is considered the matriarch of the Tuareg people. Later on, the Tuareg people were organized into several subdivisions and clans which were widely scattered throughout the Sahel, however, only seven of these clans are considered the major ethnic confederations. The Tuareg people have historically played a very important role in the trans-Saharan trade by organizing caravans that transported valuable goods such as salt, gold, and ivory from cities on the southern edge of the Sahara to the northern Mediterranean coast of Africa. The Tuaregs also grew rich from breeding and selling livestock to other surrounding ethnic groups. In the late 19th century, French colonization led to the end of many of the Tuaregs' trade activities and resulted in tight restrictions on nomadic migrations. After the independence of several African countries from European powers in the 1960s, traditional Tuareg territory was partitioned between Niger, Mali, Algeria, Libya, and Burkina Faso. This division of Tuareg territory has led to several failed rebellions and uprisings in the Sahel, with the sole purpose of achieving Tuareg independence. The Tuareg people speak one of several closely related Berber languages and dialects depending on their confederation and clan. Tamasheq is one of the three main Tuareg dialects and is mainly spoken in the West African nation of Mali, particularly in the cities of Timbuktu, Mopti, and Gao.
The Tuaregs have historically been influential in the spread of Islam throughout Northwestern Africa and have produced many well-known Islamic scholars and teachers. One prominent Tuareg Islamic scholar was Jibril bin Umar, who was a teacher and mentor to Usman Dan Fodio, the founder of the Sokoto caliphate. Tuareg culture is largely matrilineal, with family lines being traced through women rather than men. Unlike their Berber and Arab neighbors, Tuareg women do not wear veils, while men do. Tuareg men start wearing veils when they reach the age of maturity and almost never take it off, unless in the presence of close family members and relatives. Tuareg men are sometimes referred to as "the blue men of the Sahara" because the indigo pigment in their robes, turbans, and veils usually stains their skin dark blue.
The Tuareg people are well-known globally for desert blues, which is a unique music style that combines elements from electric blues and rock music with Tuareg folk music, traditional West African music, and North African music. Desert blues initially arose as a form of Tuareg expression amidst the difficult geopolitical situation in postcolonial Africa but has since continued to serve as a medium to voice the current struggles of the Tuareg people. Prominent Tuareg musicians include Bombino, who is a prominent Nigerien Tuareg singer, songwriter, and guitarist, Modou Moctar, who has been described by critics as the "Jimi Hendrix of the Sahara", and Tinariwen, who are an internationally acclaimed music group known for pioneering desert blues. Taguella, which is the staple dish of the Tuareg people, is a flat bread that is cooked on a charcoal fire and eaten with a meat sauce. Atay tea is also popular among the Tuareg people and consists mainly of gunpowder green tea and mint leaves, with large amounts of sugar added.
