Peul (Fulani, Fulbe, Fula) herder and nobleman with traditional wide-brimmed fibre-and-leather conical hat, headed to the weekly market outside Djenné's Great Mosque, Niger River inland delta, central Mali, West Africa.
This Peul herdsman is likely from the class of “free nobles” (mostly nomadic herders, religious and political leaders, some tradesmen and sedentary cultivators) at the top of a highly stratified caste-based Peul society.
Ethnographers distinguish this class from lower-tiered occupational groups or “castes” (griot story tellers and song-praisers, artisans, blacksmiths, potters, woodworkers, dress makers) and descendants of slaves (labourers, brick makers, house builders).
Digital film scan, Asahi Pentax Spotmatic (SMC Pentax Zoom 45~125mm f/4), shot directly under the noonday sun, circa 1976. explore#23
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© All rights to these photos and descriptions are reserved. Any use of this work requires my prior written permission.
Peul noblewoman (Fulani, Fulbe, Fula) with tattooed lips and gold earrings from a semi-nomadic pastoral settlement in the Hombori region of central Mali, part of the semi-arid Sahel zone that stretches across northern Africa just south of an encroaching Sahara. High resolution Noritsu Koki slide scan, Asahi Pentax SP Spotmatic, (SMC Pentax Zoom 45~125mm f/4), circa 1976.
Peul women of this region often tattoo their lips, gums and the area around the mouth before marriage, a painful aesthetic practice and rite of passage signifying marital status.
The extravagant gold earrings or "kwottenai kanye" symbolize the wealth and prestige of a husband or family based largely on the ownership of cattle among the semi-nomadic pastoral Peul of this region.
The earrings are also an aesthetic symbol of cultural pride and identity, usually passed on as a gift from a husband to his wife or an heirloom to a daughter on the death of her mother.
The large earrings are made by local smiths or artisans concentrated mostly in the Mopti region of central Mali. They are crafted from a 14-karat bar of gold that is first chiseled and heated over a fire, then hammered into thin blades and twisted into a four-lobe shape.
This proud and elegant Peul woman is likely from the class of “free nobles” (mostly nomadic herders, religious and political leaders, some tradesmen and sedentary cultivators) at the top of a highly stratified caste-based Peul society.
Ethnographers distinguish this class from lower-tiered occupational groups or hereditary “castes” (griot story tellers and song-praisers, artisans, blacksmiths, potters, woodworkers, dress makers) and descendants of slaves (labourers, brick makers, house builders).
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Peul (Fulani, Fulbe, Fula) herdsmen with traditional wide-brimmed fibre-and-leather conical hats meet at the weekly market in front of Djenné's Great Mosque. A colourful multiethnic gathering of herders and traders converges at the mosque from the surrounding regions and fertile flood plains of the Niger River inland delta in central Mali. Digital film scan, Asahi Pentax Spotmatic, shot directly under the noonday sun, circa 1976.
The Great Mosque of Djenné towers over the market in a seemingly apocalyptic backdrop on this day. The mosque is considered the world’s largest adobe building and one of the greatest achievements of Sudano-Sahelian architecture, unique to the semi-arid Sahel zone that stretches across northern Africa just south of an encroaching Sahara.
These Peul herdsmen are likely from the class of “free nobles” (mostly nomadic herders, religious and political leaders, some tradesmen and sedentary cultivators) at the top of a highly stratified caste-based Peul society.
Ethnographers distinguish this class from lower-tiered occupational groups or “castes” (griot story tellers and song-praisers, artisans, blacksmiths, potters, woodworkers, dress makers) and descendants of slaves (labourers, brick makers, house builders).
~~~
Postrscript - The enchanting Arabian Nights imagery emanating out of this ancient marketplace at the time if this photo shoot (1976) is reminiscent of a seemingly bygone Sahelian era devoid of smartphones, credit cards and packaged safari tours.
Nowadays, nascent tourism is on hold and easy access to markets, pastures and farmlands is hampered as ethnic strife and inter-communal violence continue to erupt under a fragile or failed Malian state with a troubled history of military coups.
The current military junta relies on mercenaries from the private Russian-backed Wagner Group for its security needs, coinciding with the recent French withdrawal of troops from the region. By providing protection to the Malian military regime, the Moscow-centered paramilitary group has increased its power and access to Mali's scarce natural resources.
In 2018, Human Rights Watch reported that the Mopti region of central Mali has become an epicentre of inter-rethnic conflict, fuelled by a steady escalation of violence by armed Islamist groups largely allied with Al Qaeda’s advance from the north since 2015.
Recruitment to the militant Islamist movement from Peul pastoral herding communities has inflamed tensions within sedentary agrarian communities (Bambara, Dogon, Tellem, Bozo and others) who rely on access to agricultural lands for their livelihood.
Predominantly Muslim but opposing ethnic self-defence militias on both sides have been formed for the protection of their own respective communities. This has contributed to a continuous cycle of violent attacks and reprisals touching villages and hamlets, pastures and farmlands, and some marketplaces.
While communal tensions are profoundly connected to a larger ethnopolitical conflict unfolding in northern Mali, chronic insecurities around the ancient town of Djenné and in the broader central regions of Mali are exacerbated by longstanding indigenous concerns over a struggle for scarce natural resources - agricultural land for settled farmers versus water and grazing land for semi-nomadic Peul herdsmen.
Efforts at mediation in the area around Djenné and the grand mosque include a Humanitarian Agreement specifically among Bambara and Bozo farmers, Dogan "hunters" protecting farmers' interests and Peul herders, all committed to guaranteeing the freedom of movement of people, goods and livestock in the "Circle of Djenné" situated in the Mopti region of central Mali.
© All rights to these photos and descriptions are reserved. Any use of this work requires my prior written permission. explore#19
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Peul herders, Bambara and Dogan farmers, itinerant traders and a colourful multiethnic host of other buyers and sellers converge at this vibrant weekly market every Monday in front of Djenné's ancient grand mosque.
They come from the surrounding regions and fertile flood plains of the Niger inland river delta in the Mopti region of central Mali, part of the semi-arid Sahel zone that stretches across northern Africa just south of the Sahara.
The iconic calabash bowls on prominent display are used to carry goods, store grains or prepare fresh fermented cow’s milk traditionally popular among Mali's pastoral Peul communities.
Access to the mosque's interior and rooftop was forbidden to non-Muslims in 1996 after an intrusive display of disrespect by a Vogue magazine fashion shoot inside the grand mosque.
Digital film scan, Asahi Pentax Spotmatic (SMC Pentax Zoom 45~125mm f/4), mosque rooftop pov, circa 1976.
~~~
Postrscript - The enchanting Arabian Nights imagery emanating out of this ancient marketplace at the time if this photo shoot (1976) is reminiscent of a seemingly bygone Sahelian era devoid of smartphones, credit cards, and packaged safari tours.
Nowadays, nascent tourism is on hold and easy access to markets, pastures, and farmlands is hampered as ethnic strife and inter-communal violence continue to erupt under a fragile Malian state.
In 2018, Human Rights Watch reported that the Mopti region of central Mali has become an epicentre of interethnic conflict, fuelled by a steady escalation of violence by armed Islamist groups largely allied with Al Qaeda’s advance from the north since 2015.
Recruitment to the militant Islamist movement from Peul pastoral herding communities has inflamed tensions within sedentary agrarian communities (Bambara, Dogon, Tellem, Bozo and others) who rely on access to agricultural lands for their livelihood.
Predominantly Muslim but opposing ethnic self-defence militias on both sides were formed for the protection of their own respective communities. This has contributed to a continuous cycle of violent attacks and reprisals touching villages and hamlets, pastures and farmlands, and some marketplaces.
While communal tensions are profoundly connected to a larger ethnopolitical conflict unfolding in northern Mali, chronic insecurities around the ancient town of Djenné and the broader central regions of Mali are exacerbated by longstanding indigenous concerns over the struggle for access to scarce natural resources - agricultural land for settled farmers versus water and grazing land for semi-nomadic Peul herdsmen.
Efforts at mediation in the area around Djenné and the grand mosque include a Humanitarian Agreement specifically among Bambara and Bozo farmers, Dogan "hunters" protecting farmers' interests, and Peul herders - all committed to guaranteeing the freedom of movement of people, goods and livestock in the "Circle of Djenné" situated in the Mopti region of central Mali.
© All rights to these photos and descriptions are reserved. expl#84
Social Documentary | Documentary Portraiture | Lonely Planet | National Geographic
Tags: Djenne mosque Niger river Peul Fulani Africa Afrique Mali Sahel tribe tradition indigenous ethnic african adobe delta Sudano-Sahelian herder market Fulbe Fula DavidSchweitzer DocumentaryPhotography StreetPhotography HumanInterest VisualAnthropology PhotoJournalism people faces noblemen herdsmen herders monochrome film analog Dogan Songhay Tuareg rooftop multiethnic traders farmers explore
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Peul (Fulani, Fulbe, Fula) noblewoman with tattooed lips and gold earrings - semi-nomadic pastoral settlement in the Hombori region of central Mali. High resolution Noritsu Koki film scan, Asahi Pentax SP Spotmatic, (SMC Pentax Zoom 45~125mm f/4), circa 1976.
Peul women of this region often tattoo their lips, gums and the area around the mouth before marriage, a painful aesthetic practice and rite of passage signifying marital status.
The extravagant gold earrings or "kwottenai kanye" symbolize the wealth and prestige of a husband or family based largely on the ownership of cattle among the semi-nomadic pastoral Peul of this region. They are also an aesthetic symbol of cultural pride and identity, usually passed on as a gift from a husband to his wife or an heirloom to a daughter on the death of her mother.
The large earrings are made by local smiths or artisans concentrated mostly in the Mopti region of central Mali. They are crafted from a 14-karat bar of gold that is first chiseled and heated over a fire, then hammered into thin blades and twisted into a four-lobe shape.
This proud and elegant Peul woman is likely from the class of “free nobles” (mostly herders, religious and political leaders, some cultivators) at the top of a highly stratified Peul society. Ethnographers distinguish this class from lower-tiered occupational groups or “castes” (griot story tellers and song-praisers, artisans, blacksmiths, potters, woodworkers ) and former slaves (labourers, brick makers, house builders).
© All rights to these photos and descriptions are reserved. Any use of this work requires my prior written permission. expl#83
Documentary Portraiture | National Geographic | BodyArt
Flickr Gallery: The Power of Documentary Portraiture
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