Origin: Tuareg (Algeria, Niger)

Local name:
MŻo/A/4049: tahiast (Tamashek language from Ahaggar) or ahyas (Tamashek language from Aïr)
MŻo/A/4050: amchaghab, amajer tiziaten (Hassaniyya language)

Dating:
MŻo/A/4049: 20th century
MŻo/A/4050: mid-20th century

Dimensions:
MŻo/A/4049: height 52.0 cm, width 39.0 cm, depth 58.0 cm
MŻo/A/4050: length 69.5 cm, width 9.0 cm, depth 7.0 cm

Material:
MŻo/A/4049: goat skin, acacia wood
MŻo/A/4050: acacia wood

Techniques:
MŻo/A/4049: mixed
MŻo/A/4050: woodcarving

Acquired by:
MŻo/A/4049: Adam Rybiński, antique shop, France, 2015
MŻo/A/4050: Adam Rybiński, antique shop, Piolence, France, 2014

Description:
The Tuareg people use several types of saddles for camel riding (tahiast, terik, delobi). Their ornamentation is very diverse [Nicolaisen 1963: 81-84; Gabus 1958], depending on the region and the functions assigned to them. Tahiast saddles are very popular among the Tuareg. They are made mainly by blacksmiths from Adrar-n-Foras (which region is considered the homeland of this type of saddle), as well as in Agadez in Ayr, where the wooden frame is often covered with hairy ox hide [Nicolaisen 1963: 82]. The wooden construction of this type of saddle has been described in the literature [Gabus 1949, vol. XII; 1957: 176].

All the types of riding saddles mentioned above are fastened in front of the camel's hump and rest on two to four saddle cloths (depending on their quality and the animal's nutritional status). It is believed that two saddle cloths are sufficient for a fat camel, while four are needed for a very lean one. Riding saddles are attached to the camel with a single girth called ahayif ( in Ahaggar) or azaw (in Aïr). The rider sits in the saddle cross-legged, with his feet resting on the animal's neck. To accelerate his mount, he presses one foot on its neck in rhythm with the camel's characteristic rocking motion [Nicolaisen 1963: 84].

In the saddles with high pommel typical of the Tuaregs: "the front pommel is made of a trapezoidal board, cut out in an arc at the top (turha wood,  Calotropis procera), similarly to the rear pommel, rounded at the top, covered with rawhide sewn at the back. There is no proper cushion. Instead, there is a board-like, oval seat covered with rawhide connected to two so-called benches" [Łapott 1999: 433]. The above description concerns a saddle called elaki (or errasenelaki in Ahaggar), acquired in 1977 near Gao (Mali), located in the National Museum in Szczecin - however, it fully corresponds to the object in the possession of the Municipal Museum in Żory [Łapott 1999: 433-434; Rybiński 2015: 46].

The presented objects were made for the domestic market, for use by nomads, owners of camels. Due to their dimensions, Tuareg saddles are not of interest to tourists, which is why they are not an element of the souvenir market.

Bibliography:

Gabus Jean, 1949, Bibliothéques et Musée de la Ville de Neuchâtel, pp. 55-67.

Gabus Jean, 1957, Sahara 57, Musée d’Ethnographie, Neuchâtel.

Gabus Jean, 1958, Au Sahara. Arts et symboles, Neuchâtel: A la Baconnière.

Nicolaisen Johannes, 1963, Ecology and Culture of the Pastoral Tuareg with Particular Reference to the Tuareg of Ahaggar and Ayr, Copenhagen: The National Museum of Copenhagen.

Łapott Jacek, 1999, Tuaredzy i ich kultura w zbiorach Muzeum Narodowego w Szczecinie, „Materiały Zachodniopomorskie” v. 44, pp. 387-438.

Rybiński Adam, 2015, Błękitne miraże. Kolekcja tuareska Adama Rybińskiego, Warszawa: Państwowe Muzeum Etnograficzne.

Rybiński Adam, information provided during interviews (2020-2022).

Edited by Lucjan Buchalik

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The purchase is co-financed by the Ministry of Culture, National Heritage and Sport as part of the National Institute of Museums and Collections' own program "Expansion of museum collections".