Ebony and Silver Timia Earrings

$85.00

Artist: Koumama Family

Region / Country: Africa / Niger

Beautifully handcrafted and hand engraved earrings made of fine (99%) silver and ebony. The layers of ebony and silver are held together by a tiny dowel. The earrings represent the oasis of Timia, a lovely village in the Air Mountains which produces luscious citrus fruits, dates, pomegranates, etc. The earrings are about 2 inches long from the top of the silver hooks to the bottom of the crosses. (SKU: TJ-3003)

Artist: Koumama Family

Region: Africa

Country: Niger

The Koumama family is Tuareg which traditionally has been semi-nomadic. Some call Tuaregs the "Blue People" due to the indigo used to dye men's deep blue tagelmusts (turbans). Most Tuaregs live in northern Niger with some living in Mali and Algeria. Today the ancient Tuareg classes, Nobles (camel herders), Vassals (goat herders), Inadan (blacksmiths) and slaves (now outlawed) still exist. However, following the famines of the 1970s and 1980s and civil unrest, many have been forced to abandon their herds and take on labor and lifestyles they might traditionally have rejected.