My latest acquisition ~ a large Tuareg Amulet for the door of my treatment room
My collection of amulets, talismans and magical jewelry grows, there are certain cultures that attract me strongly and then I follow the path to discover the reason. Sometimes called a cross by Europeans, it is not, it is an amulet of protection for nomads living in the Sahara Desert, an inhospitable place filled with supernatural forces - Jinn, evil spirits, Ghul, setting traps for desert travelers. There are 21 Amulets, each design identifies a location of origin, this one a Tahoua. Every man, woman and child has an amulet, sometimes with magic formulas, made of leather or silver, the metal of Allah. Tuareg crosses were passed down from father to son with the words, “I give you the four corners of the world, because one cannot know where one will die”.
The origin and meanings are unclear, derived from the Ankh, symbol of the Goddess Tanit, male and female sexual symbols, triangular designs protecting from the evil eye, the position of the 4 stars of the Southern Cross? The best explanation… “in Africa everything is always true and possible.”