Antique Nomadic Tuareg Tribal Ethnic Silver Cross Amulet Pendant - Niger, Africa

Description

This is a rare antique Tuareg cross pendant which was made by the Tuareg metalsmiths from silver created by the process of smelting old silver coins. This silver amulet is very old and has slight wear and thin metal from tribal use
as these pendants were worn a
mong the
Tuareg
as symbols
of their origin to other tribes
.
This specimen measures 1.87 inches long by 1.14 inches wide. The Tuareg people of Niger are well known for their talented metalsmiths. The Tuareg are a large group of semi-nomadic people who share a common language and ancestry and who are related to the Berbers of Northern Africa. There are twenty three different Tuareg cross designs with each style being associated with a different region or Tuareg clan group. All of these cross designs exhibit in their own fashion both the female symbol and the male symbol. This Tuareg cross is very collectible and would be perfect for adding to your African jewelry or trade bead collection or for making a beautiful necklace and continuing the tradition of wearing the Tuareg cross. I combine shipping on multiple orders so please check out my eBay store Mountainamma's Marketplace where I have thousands of items to browse through from Africa and beyond. For buyers of multiple items please message me before buying for help combining shipping fees.
The Tuareg are a Berber people with a traditionally nomadic pastoralist lifestyle. They are the principal inhabitants of the Saharan interior of North Africa. Most Tuareg live in the Saharan parts of Niger and Mali but, being nomadic, there is constant movement across national borders, and small groups of Tuareg are also found in southeastern Algeria, southwestern Libya and northern Burkina Faso, and a small community in northern Nigeria.
The tribal peoples of Africa love to decorate their bodies with a variety of body paint, scarification, animal fat, red ocher or mud and occasionally with tattoos as seen with the Ethiopian Coptic Christians. The men and women of Africa adorn themselves with elaborate beads and jewelry which are not only worn as adornment but which also symbolize achievements and status, age and marital status, reflect beliefs and values, have ritual and ceremonial meaning and which offer protection against evil and disease.