Women of This Islamic Tribe Can Have Multiple Partners

The Tuareg tribe that travels through the Sahara desert has a curious culture.

A Tuareg woman with a painted face. (Photo: Reuters) 

The nomadic Tuareg tribe that travels in the Sahara is an Islamic tribe where a woman is allowed to have many lovers, and men cover their faces behind veils.

Daily Mail has done a story that captures the enigmatic tribe, much of which has converted to Islam, and is concentrated in the northwestern region of Niger.

A Tuareg man stands in the Libyan desert during the 19th Ghat Festival of Culture and Tourism, in Ghat. In the annual event, Tuareg tribes from the region and tourists meet to celebrate Tuareg traditional culture, folklore and heritage. (Photo: Reuters) 

The story puts forth some fascinating aspects of the tribe.

1. Women do not cover their faces with veils, for they believe their “beautiful” faces mustn’t be hidden behind them. Men on the other hand wrap their faces with scarves.

2. Women can take lovers from a young age. A man can go to a young woman’s tent and spend the night there discreetly, while the families pretend to not notice. But the man has to leave the tent before dawn.

3. The female is the head of the family and the tribe is matrilineal. After a divorce, the woman gets to keep most of the belongings; the husband can only keep bare essentials like his camel. After the divorce, the man goes on to live at his mother’s tent. The Daily Mail story also mentions that a tuareg man cannot eat in front of his mother-in-law, as it is considered rude.

4. A man leaves his possessions to his sister’s son, as the sister’s son is considered a stronger link to the family than the man’s son.

5. The Tuareg love music, although women don’t dance because it’s considered undignified.

The thing about stereotypes is that they are so strong – that an aberration becomes a strong story. Read the entire story here.