niger sahara

If you head out from Timbuktu to Ingal in the republic of Niger. The Wodaabe people are nomads that wander around seeking pastures for their cattle. Without the cattle the Wadabis would not survive. The great gathering of the nomadic clans is held. The Wodaabe men dress up to impress any future bride. They dance for seven days. The girls parade in front of the men and choose a partner in full view for everyone to see. Each girls walks the line until contact is made and announced in the traditional way. The man is hers for the night. If they decide to marry then they get the bridal bed. Millet porridge is a meal for breakfast.

The Cure Salée is a nomadic yearly event in the niger Sahara, with dancing. At Ingal is a town where the festival takes place. The festival is a sports and cultural event, where they race their camels and buy and sell. It is a chance to catch up on their shopping for the nomads. They buy sugar and new turbans and sandals. They sell salt in the markets from Bilma. The mass dance takes place at the late afternoon.

Tabalot is an oasis in the Air Mountains with a well that is fifty feet deep that pulls up water for the irrigation canals. The fields are rich and there are date palm trees. The night before the camel trains go to Bilma to get salt there is a big celebration. The camels are loaded up with supplies and straw. Evertything needed for the journey is carried by the camels except the food, which walk along(goats or sheep). It is 350 miles to Bilma. Going through the Air MOuntains, there are rock paintings that show the sahara as a green and fertile place.

The camel is perfectly suited for the desert. They can last two weeks without water and carry enormous loads. Without them a lot of trade would never have happened. The temperature is around 56 degrees Centigrade. The evening meal is usually bread, dates , and cheese and sometimes a meat stew. Bread is cooked on the coals of the fire and is like a round damper. Tea is made over the fire in a teapot and poured three times. If you don't respect your environment you will die.

Niger Sahara Resources

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