Mauritania/Sahara,

Antique Tuareg hand carved Tazawat wood milk bowl,

Most probably late 19^th C/early 20^th C.

Condition: used, very good/normal wear appropriate for age and use. Nice dark brown patina and various heavy wear from being used a lifetime or more including tribal repairs which includes multiple metal handmade metal brass bars used to repair cracks

Measures:  31,5  cm diameter

                       16 cm high

The Tuareg tribal people inhabit the Saharan regions of  North Africa including southern Algeria, western Libya, eastern Mali, and northern Niger. The Tuareg are semi-nomadic pastoralists, meaning that they travel with their grazing herds of camels, sheep and or goats across large areas of semi-arid or desert land, often crossing country borders on a seasonal basis but most also have a home base where they grow food crops which include millet, barley, wheat, maize, onions, tomatoes, and dates. The word Tuareg is an Arabic term which means abandoned by God and is also spelled Twareg or Touareg. The Tuareg people refer to themselves as Imohag which translates to mean 'freemen'. The true origin of the Tuareg - were they came from or when they arrived in the Sahara region is a mystery but some believe them to be descendants of the Berber natives of North Africa. Tuareg culture is largely matrilineal and Tuareg women have high status and freedom within the tribe and participate in family and tribal decisions. The Tuareg people seldom eat the meat of their herd animals expect during coming of age ceremonies or other celebratory times and a staple food for them is dairy products made from cow, goat, and camel milk called Akh, as well as a cheese called Ta Komart and Tona a thick yogurt.

Tazawat milk bowls like this one are highly prized possessions of the Tuareg women and are passed down from one generation to the next, repaired and repaired again. Not only used but also collected by the women as status and decorative objects to be displayed in their tents or huts. These Tazawat rounded bottom bowls were used for milking, storing and carrying milk, for souring milk and holding and making the various milk products which were the Tuareg main source of food. 

These authentic tribally used antique Tazawat bowls almost always exhibit heavy wear and multiple repairs, cracks and worn edges such as this one.

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