Bowl: MŻo/A/4059
Ladle: MŻo/A/4066
Butter container: MŻo/A/4067
Butter container: MŻo/A/4068
Hammer: MŻo/A/4070
Tray: MŻo/A/4074

Local name:
MŻo/A/4059: torosart (Tamashek language)
MŻo/A/4066: ammola (Tamashek language)
MŻo/A/4067: tahattint (Tamashek language)
MŻo/A/4068: tahattint (Tamashek language)
MŻo/A/4070: afedis (Tamashek language)
MŻo/A/4074: teseyt, fanji (Tamashek language)

Dating:
MŻo/A/4059: beginning of the 20th century
MŻo/A/4066: mid 20th century
MŻo/A/4067: mid 20th century
MŻo/A/4068: mid 20th century
MŻo/A/4070: 2^nd half of 20^th century
MŻo/A/4074: 2^nd half of 20th century

 Dimensions:
MŻo/A/4059: height 15.0 cm, diameter 23.3 cm
MŻo/A/4066: length 38.5 cm, diameter 9.2 cm, depth 2.0 cm
MŻo/A/4067: height 46.0 cm, diameter 20.0 cm
MŻo/A/4068: height 28.0 cm, diameter 15.5 cm
MŻo/A/4070: length 21.1 cm, width 10.6 cm, depth 3.0 cm
MŻo/A/4074: diameter 29.3 cm, depth 1.0 cm

Materials:
MŻo/A/4059: wood
MŻo/A/4066: wood
MŻo/A/4067: ceramics, leather
MŻo/A/4068: goat leather, wood
MŻo/A/4070: metal
MŻo/A/4074: grass, plant fibres

Techniques:
MŻo/A/4059: woodcarving
MŻo/A/4066: woodcarving
MŻo/A/4067: pottery, tanning
MŻo/A/4068: woodcarving, tanning
MŻo/A/4070: blacksmithing
MŻo/A/4074: basketry

Acquired by:
MŻo/A/4059: Adam Rybiński, antique shop, Hautefond, France, 2019
MŻo/A/4066: Adam Rybiński, camp, near Gao, Mali, 2008
MŻo/A/4067: Adam Rybiński, camp, near Douentza, Mali, 2008
MŻo/A/4068: Adam Rybiński, eBay, Paris, France, 2015
MŻo/A/4070: Adam Rybiński, shop, Iferouan, Niger, 2003
MŻo/A/4074: Adam Rybiński, market, Tamanrasset, Algeria, 1974

Description:

The presented objects are related to meal preparing, which is the domain of women, and tea preparing, which is the domain of men.

Meals are served in beautifully decorated wooden bowls (MŻo/A/4059) – if a bowl breaks, which often happens (because of the movement and wanderings of its owners), it is repaired using wavy wire. An aesthetically made repair adds charm to the vessel. Unlike the farmers, with whom the Tuaregs are neighbours to the south, they do not use bowls made of gourd, because they are very fragile and would be destroyed during transport.

The prepared meal placed in the bowl is covered with a decorative tray (MŻo/A/4074) to protect it from insects, sand and dust. The trays are made by women from common grasses using a spiral technique, finished on the outside with dyed plant fibers and are part of the basic equipment of the tent – ​​most often used by women when preparing meals, from grinding flour to serving ready-made bread. They are also used to cover various types of vessels to prevent insects from getting to them, and also to light a fire.

Milk and dairy products containers (MŻo/A/4067-4068) – the most popular product is butter, treated as a luxury addition to dishes. Goat milk is most often used to produce butter, due to the commonness of goats. In normal grazing conditions, during the lactation period of about six months, a goat produces about one litre of milk per day. Goats are milked in the morning and evening, and this is mainly the job of women [Göttler 1989: 93]. The presented containers of this type are made mainly of leather, and only some of their elements (e.g. cork) are made of wood, and are usually devoid of ornaments.

With the appearance of tea on the Tuareg menu, sugar also appeared in their kitchens – usually sold by tea merchants in the form of large lumps, which are broken up with characteristic hammers (MŻo/A/4070). These hammers are made of white metal and have a simple shape, although some people point out its “baroque” elements, characteristic of all sugar hammers in Western Sahara. During the brewing (or rather boiling) of tea, the master of the ceremony cuts off appropriate pieces of sugar and boils them together with tea leaves. The Tuaregs also use these hammers to chip off lumps of salt from salt blocks mined in the Sahara. Tea is drunk not only after every meal, but also during it; it is an indispensable luxury at every social gathering [Göttler 1989: 208]. The custom of brewing tea also spread among farmers neighbouring the Tuaregs. They do not use hammers for sugar, instead using loose sugar, bought in small plastic bags. They call their infusion "Tuareg tea".

The most inconspicuous of the presented objects seems to be the well-known ladle (MŻo/A/4066), which has no original decoration. Just like in our country, it is used to mix and pour meals prepared most often from cereal grains. In some areas, grains are ground in millstones, and the flour is poured onto trays covered with leather, currently reinforced from the bottom with factory fabric. There are also areas where millstones are not known, and grains are cracked by women using a mortar and pestle, e.g. in the area of ​​Gorom-Gorom in northern Burkina Faso.

Bibliography:

Göttler Gerhard, 1989, Die Tuareg. Kulturelle Einheit und regionale Vielfalt eines Hirtenvolkes, Köln: DuMont.

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

Sidiki Aysata, information obtained during the SIOA fair in Ouagadougou in 2024.

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".