The most famous symbol of what people of North Africa is the Tagelmust, an indigo blue-colored veil that gives them the name 'People of the Veil'?
"veil, while men do. Male veiling was also common among the Berber Sanhaja tribes. The North African male veil, which covers the mouth and sometimes part of the nose, is called ""litham"" is Arabic and ""tagelmust"" by the Tuareg. Tuareg boys start wearing the veil at the onset of puberty and veiling is regarded as a mark of manhood. It is considered improper for a man to appear unveiled in front of elders, especially those from his wife's family. Ancient African rock engravings depicting human faces with eyes but no mouth or nose suggest that the origins of litham are"
"a symbol of national identity during celebrations and festivals. However, before Armenia became a Christian nation, turbans were a common part of the daily apparel, just as in other Middle Eastern countries. On the Swahili Coast, turbans were frequently worn by the ruling Omani Sultans of Zanzibar and their retinue. Tuareg Berbers, and some northern Berbers, Sahrawi, Songhai, Wodaabe, Fulani, and Hausa peoples of North and West Africa wear varieties of turbans. Tuareg Berbers often veil the face to block dust. This Tuareg-Berber turban is known as a tagelmust, and is often blue. The Bedouin tribes in North Africa sometimes"
"veil usually conceals their face, excluding their eyes and the top of the nose. The Tuareg are sometimes called the ""Blue People"" because the indigo pigment in the cloth of their traditional robes and turbans stained their skin dark blue. The traditional indigo turban is still preferred for celebrations, and generally Tuareg wear clothing and turbans in a variety of colors. Taguella is a flat bread made from wheat flour and cooked on under charcoal fire, the flat disk-shaped bread is buried under the hot sand. The bread is broken into small pieces and eaten with a meat sauce. Millet"
"of the geography and the cross crossing network of traditional African trade routes, have influenced each other's cultures to varying degrees. Today half of Nigeria’s Fula people cannot be distinguished from Hausa people in many northern states of Nigeria, due to inter-marriage and cultural assimilation. In Agadez and Saharan areas of central Niger, the Tuareg and Hausa groups are indistinguishable from each other in their traditional clothing; both wear the tagelmust and indigo Babban Riga/Gandora. But the two groups differ in language, lifestyle and preferred beasts of burden (the Tuareg use camels, while Hausa ride horses). Other Hausa have mixed"
"Tuareg people The Tuareg people (; also spelt Twareg or Touareg; endonym: ""Kel Tamasheq"", ""Kel Tagelmust"") are a large Berber ethnic confederation. They principally inhabit the Sahara in a vast area stretching from far southwestern Libya to southern Algeria, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso. Traditionally nomadic pastoralists, small groups of Tuareg are also found in northern Nigeria. The Tuareg speak the Tuareg languages (also known as ""Tamasheq""), which belong to the Berber branch of the Afroasiatic family. The Tuaregs have been called the ""blue people"" for the indigo-dye coloured clothes they traditionally wear and which stains their skin. A semi-nomadic"
"possessions and the house of the dead person, before the Muslim style burial. The Baga people are known for their rich history in arts, particularly with wood and metal. These include the mask called ""Nimba"", an icon for the goddess of fertility and the largest known masks ever produced in Africa. They also carved ""Elek"" symbols as guardian symbols and for coding their ""Simo"" society secret lineage into it. Various utilitarian arts included similar encoding of spiritual themes. Another mask called ""Bansonyi"" the Baga used to make was a painted pole (some were 20 feet long), colorfully decorated, ending in"
"known as Bamana) and the Dogon. Smaller ethnic groups consist of the Marka, and the Bozo fisherman of the Niger River. Ancient civilizations flourished in areas like Djene and Timbuktu, where a great variety of ancient bronze and terra-cotta figures have been unearthed. Djenné-Djenno is famous for its figurines which depict humans and animals including snakes and horses. They are made of terracotta, a material that has been used in West Africa for some ten thousand years. The Bambara people () adapted many artistic traditions and began to create display pieces. Before money was the main drive of creation of"
"popular symbols: Korhogo Senufo People Korhogo cloth Korhogo cloth is an African textile made by the Senufo people of Korhogo, Ivory Coast. Often described as being in the shadows of bogolafini (mud cloth) and kente, korhogo comes in neutral and earthy tones like browns, blacks and creams. Korhogo is made by hand painting designs on hand woven and hand spun cotton fabric. The paintings are done using a specially fermented mud-based and natural vegetal pigment that darkens over time, and designs are usually drawn on using a stencil. They are decorated with symbols of humans, natural elements like the sun,"
"of mourning periods. Thought to represent benevolent forest spirits, the masks represent people or animals, or a combination of the two. Many lack eye slits; the masks are shown rather than worn, and many are painted with white kaolin earth, which the Kwele associate with light and clarity. In the beete ritual which they perform, there is a gorilla masked person (gabon) as the opposition to the Ekuk mask. Kwele people The Kwele people are a tribal group of eastern Gabon, Republic of the Congo, and Cameroons in West Africa. They fled the coastal area of West Africa during the"
"symbolic knowledge. African masks are also used in the Mas or Masquerade of the Caribbean Carnival. Djolé (also known as Jolé or Yolé) is a mask-dance from Temine people in Sierra Leone. Males wear the mask, although it does depict a female. Many African masks represent animals. Some African tribes believe that the animal masks can help them communicate with the spirits who live in forests or open savannas. People of Burkina Faso known as the Bwa and Nuna call to the spirit to stop destruction. The Dogon of Mali have complex religions that also have animal masks. Their three"
"the practice of wearing the litham, claiming that it is forbidden for men to imitate women's dress, but they never managed to suppress its use. Among the Tuareg, men wear the litham, also called ""tagulmust"", while women go unveiled. Tuareg boys start wearing the litham at the onset of puberty and the veil is regarded as a mark of manhood. It is considered improper for a man to appear unveiled in front of elders, especially those from his wife's family. The Tuareg litham is made of several pieces of Sudanese cloth which are sewn together to yield a strip about"
"is widespread in Africa as the symbol for the king. Many African kings are depicted sitting upon leopard skin or resting their feet on the skin of the leopard. Some drape themselves in leopard skin and you can see this all the way back to ancient Nubia. The clan is a matter of genealogy and it is through the clan that the Basimba (Big Lion) people trace their ancestry. A totem on the other hand, is just a symbol to represent the Clan. Although the two are intimately associated with one another, they are in fact different. In the west,"
"Christianity and Islam, over half of the people of Togo follow native animistic practices and beliefs. Ewe statuary is characterized by its famous statuettes which illustrate the worship of the ibeji. Sculptures and hunting trophies were used rather than the more ubiquitous African masks. The wood-carvers of Kloto are famous for their ""chains of marriage"": two characters are connected by rings drawn from only one piece of wood. The dyed fabric batiks of the artisanal center of Kloto represent stylized and colored scenes of ancient everyday life. The loincloths used in the ceremonies of the weavers of Assahoun are famous."
"are also typical. The men are easily recognizable because of their elaborate dress which is a large flowing gown known as ""Babban riga"" and a robe called a Doguwar riga (see Senegalese kaftan). These large flowing gowns usually feature elaborate embroidery designs around the neck and chest area. (See accompanying image to the right). Men also wear colourful embroidered caps known as ""hula."" Depending on their location and occupation, they may wear the turban around this to veil the face. The women can be identified by wrappers called ""zani,"" made with colourful cloth known as ""atampa or Ankara"", (a descendant"
"has been selling its Dutch wax print fabric to Nigerians since the late 1800s, when the fabric was sold along the company's oceanic trading route to Indonesia. Since then, Nigerian and African patterns, color schemes, and motifs have been incorporated into Vlisco's designs to become a staple of the brand. Nigeria has over 250 ethnic groups and as a result, a wide variety of traditional clothing styles. In the Yoruba tradition, women wear an ""iro"" (wrapper), ""buba"" (loose shirt) and ""gele"" (head-wrap). The men wear ""buba"" (long shirt), ""sokoto"" (baggy trousers), ""agbada"" (flowing robe with wide sleeves) and ""fila"" (a"
"leader. The Alasho veil has traditionally been manufactured in Kano, and was sold to Tuareg and Songhay clients and traders. Alasho Alasho is an indigenous Hausa long turban, worn across the head and neck. It is near identical in length, colour and dimensions to that of the Tuareg tagelmust, but is wrapped differently to the Tuareg method, leaving the sides of the head and some of the lower neck free. A similar style turban is worn by Songhai men, known as 'fatalaa' in Zarma. Once common throughout Hausa society as common male clothing, today it only survives when used for"
"labor in pestilential conditions, was decimated. Indigo plantations also thrived in the Virgin Islands. However, France and Germany outlawed imported indigo in the 16th century to protect the local woad dye industry. Indigo was the foundation of centuries-old textile traditions throughout West Africa. From the Tuareg nomads of the Sahara to Cameroon, clothes dyed with indigo signified wealth. Women dyed the cloth in most areas, with the Yoruba of Nigeria and the Mandinka of Mali particularly well known for their expertise. Among the Hausa male dyers, working at communal dye pits was the basis of the wealth of the ancient"
"recognition. He uses his own white hair to make his own paintbrushes and signs his painting using his own blood on the right side corner. He developed his own styles without professional training or guidance from professionals. The Itneg people are known for their intricate woven fabrics. The ""binakol"" is a blanket which features designs that incorporate optical illusions.Other parts of Highlands in the Cordillera Region or in local term "" KaIgorotan"" displays their art in tattoing, weaving bags like the ""sangi"" a traditional backpack and carving woods. Woven fabrics of the Ga'dang people usually have bright red tones. Their"
"and the people often use of beads, which symbolize royalty and freedom. The Urhobo people and Isoko people are major ethnic groups in Nigeria's Delta State, migrants from the Edo nation, according to oral history. Combined, they make up the fifth largest ethnic group in Nigeria. They have very similar languages, cultures, and traditional clothing. Many wear Georgian wrappers and lace shirts, accessorized with cowboy hats, walking sticks, and beads on the hands and neck. The Yoruba People occupy South Western and North-Central Nigeria, living in such states as Lagos, Oyo, Ekiti, Kwara, Kogi, Ondo, Ogun, and Osun. They are"
"Nigerian-born population: In terms of religion the Nigerian community is split, with the majority of Nigerians practicing Christianity (70%) and many others following Islam (23%) and other religions (7%). Historically, Nigerian fashion incorporated many different types of fabrics. Cotton has been used for over 500 years for fabric-making in Nigeria. Silk (called ""tsamiya"" in Hausa, ""sanyan"" in Yoruba, ""akpa-obubu"" in Igbo, and ""sapar ubele"" in Edo) is also used. Perhaps the most popular fabric used in Nigerian fashion is Dutch wax print, produced in the Netherlands. The import market for this fabric is dominated by the Dutch company Vlisco, which"
"are most noted for their batik products. Girls are taught the technique at a young age. The dress code of the women has a cultural symbol, particularly signifying the warfare of their ancestors. The head dress is a representation of the Sun and the arrow. Their shoulders and back are covered with thick wools like shawls that represent shield. They cover their legs with leggings as leg guards. The clothes are made in white and red patterns, and decorated with silver ornaments. They practice animism, and make offerings to appease invisible spirits to prevent diseases, calamities and death, and to"
"is the best known African textile. These colorful woven patterns, which exist in numerous varieties, were originally made by the Ashanti and Ewe peoples of Ghana and Togo. Kente fabric also appears in a number of Western style fashions ranging from casual T-shirts to formal bow ties and cummerbunds. Kente strips are often sewn into liturgical and academic robes or worn as stoles. Since the Black Arts Movement, traditional African clothing has been popular amongst African Americans for both formal and informal occasions. Other manifestations of traditional African dress in common evidence in African-American culture are vibrant colors, mud cloth,"
"Niger, most prominently Lazert, on the northeastern edge of Niamey. Over time this has become a permanent neighborhood within the Nigerien capital. <br> Iwellemmedan people The Iwellemmedan (""Iwəlləmədǎn""), also spelled Iullemmeden, Aulliminden, Ouilliminden, Lullemmeden, and Iwellemmeden, are one of the seven major Tuareg tribal or clan confederations (called """"Drum groups""""). Their communities are historically nomadic and intermixed with other ethnic groups. The Iwellemmeden inhabit a wide area ranging from east and north central Mali, through the Azawagh valley, into northwestern Niger and south into northern Nigeria. While once a single confederation of dozens of Tuareg clans, subject peoples, and allied"
"the rituals. The Makonde are best known for their wood carvings, primarily made of blackwood (""Dalbergia melanoxylon"", or mpingo), and their observances of puberty rites. The Makonde traditionally carve household objects, figures and masks. After the 1930s, Makonde art has become part of the important contemporary art of Africa today. The most internationally acknowledged such artist was George Lilanga. Makonde people The Makonde are an ethnic group in southeast Tanzania and northern Mozambique. The Makonde developed their culture on the Mueda Plateau in Mozambique. At present they live throughout Tanzania and Mozambique and have a small presence in Kenya. The"
"Africa showed that the vulture trade is most prevalent in Nigeria. Within the Southeast region of Nigeria, there is a group called; Ogoni People. The Ogoni tolerate vultures due to them being a symbol of their ancestors. Due their respect for it, the Ogoni do not attempt to hurt or kill the bird. If one comes across a deceased vulture, they will bury it in similar fashion to the way they bury people. A 1992 study found Nigerian farmers use the Hooded vulture in traditional medicinal practices. A survey of the fetish markets in Nigeria showed that the numbers of"
"best platform through which families show love, sense of belonging, unity, communalism and harmonious living. No traditional ceremony among the Agba sons and daughters occupies a more prominent position than the Igede Agba – it is not intended at appeasing any deity (such as “Apang”), but meant to celebrate hard work, dignity of labour and magnanimity as well as elicit resilient spirit which spur farmers to putting in more effort in the next planting season. Igede traditional clothes are blue, black, and white stripes. Igede The Igede people are the third largest ethnic group in present-day Benue State of Nigeria."
"and forested regions of West Africa. Through this, the agbada was historically worn by chiefs of the Yoruba of Nigeria, Dagomba of Ghana, the Mandinka of the Gambia, the Susu of Guinea and the Temnes of Sierra Leone. Today, agbada has gained popularity as a fashionable form of attire among wide classes of people in West Africa, the African diaspora, and very recently, even among Bantu people in East, Southern and Central Africa. Although usually a form of men's clothing, women's traditional clothing in much of Sahelian West Africa is of similar construction, though usually worn differently. In some places"
"Veve A veve (also spelled vèvè or vevè) is a religious symbol commonly used in different branches of Vodun throughout the African diaspora such as Haitian Voudo. Veves should not be confused with the ""patipembas"" used in Palo or the ""pontos riscados"" used in Umbanda and Quimbanda since these are separate African religions. The veve acts as a ""beacon"" for the Loa, and will serve as a loa's representation during rituals. Their origin is unknown and conflicting. A few have thought that the veve was derived from the beliefs of the Indigenous Taíno people, but it is commonly believed to"
"the mask is a spirit. This whiteness is created using a chalk substance used for ritually marking the body in both West Africa and the African Diaspora. The chalky substance is also used in uli design, created and exhibited on the skin of Igbo women. Most maiden spirit mask are decorated with representations of hair combs, and other objects, modeled after late 19th-century ceremonial hairstyles. These hairstyles include elaborate coiffures and crests which intend to add beauty to the mask. This art style is featured in the book Purple Hibiscus written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Agbogho Mmuo Agbogho Mmuo, or"
"impulses. There are no particular outfits for all Fulani sub-groups; dressing and clothing accessories such as ornaments mostly depend on the particular region. The traditional dress of the Fulbe Wodaabe consists of long colourful flowing robes, modestly embroidered or otherwise decorated. In the Futa Jallon highlands of central Guinea, it is common to see men wearing a distinctive hat with colorful embroidery. In Nigeria, Cameroon and Niger, men wear a hat that tapers off at three angular tips, known as a ""noppiire"". Both men and women wear a characteristic white or black cotton fabric gown, adorned with intricate blue, red"
"they belong as well as for protection, as well as jewelry adornment. But these traditions are dying out in certain areas. Their art is often abstract. They are well known for their wooden stools with patterns carved onto the surface. The Nupe were described in detail by the ethnographer Siegfried Nadel, whose book, ""Black Byzantium"", remains an anthropological classic. Nupe people The Nupe, traditionally called the Tapa by the neighbouring Yoruba, are an ethnic group located primarily in the Middle Belt and northern Nigeria, and are the dominant group in Niger State, an important minority in Kwara State and present"
"Igbo, Ijaw, Itshekiri, and Urhobo amongst others. It also held sway over the Eastern Yoruba tribes of Ondo, Ekiti, Mahin/Ugbo, and Ijebu. It also established the first colony of Lagos hundreds of years before the British took over in 1851. The state developed an advanced artistic culture, especially in its famous artifacts of bronze, iron and ivory. These include bronze wall plaques and life-sized bronze heads depicting the Obas of Benin. The most well-known artifact is based on Queen Idia, now best known as the ""FESTAC Mask"" after its use in 1977 in the logo of the Nigeria-financed and hosted"
"of early designs from the famous tie-dye techniques the Hausa have for centuries been known for Tie-dye) accompanied by a matching blouse, head tie(kallabi) and shawl(Gyale). The Hausa were famous throughout the Middle Ages; they were often characterized by their Indigo blue dressing and emblems which earned them the nickname ""bluemen"". They traditionally rode on fine Saharan camels and horses. Hausa architecture (known as ""Tubali"" in the Hausa language) is a distinct sub-style among the various Sudano-Sahelian architectural styles found throughout the Sahel-geographic band stretching from Senegal and Mauritania in the West to Sudan in the east. Hausa buildings are"