Travel Photographs by Rosemary Sheel

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Somewhere in the sahara desert of Mali. We stopped to visit a Touareg family. Their tent is made of white cotton and is woven by the Dogon tribe. In times past the Touareg used hide for their tents. Now they use woven palm fronds or the Dogon cotton.A scene in the small market town of Abalak, Niger. These men did not know what to think of me when I crouched down to take their picture.Portrait of a Touareg. We saw him and another men digging for water to drink themselves and also for their camels.The dunes of the Tenere. A Touareg man runs down the dune toward us.Touareg men ride their camels at a wedding. It is the custom for the men to show off their camels and their clothes. They were in their best clothing and they were handsome as well as a bit frightening.One man has dug a hole about 4 feet deep to find water for himself and his camel. Without man the camel could not survive in the desert. Man must dig for the water and give it to the camel when the water is found so far beneath the surface. They were digging in a dry river bed.A portrait of a modern Touareg. He drives a 4x4 for a tourist company when he can get a job.Touareg women ride donkeys when they move camp. Only men ride camels.A young Touareg girl dressed in her best for a wedding celebration. Her face is tattooed with a paint, perhaps kohl or indigo. It is not permanent.A young Touareg man relaxing in Abalak market.A Touareg chief sits near his tent. He smokes a flute shaped silver pipe. He is handsome and haughty. The Touareg are the lords of the desert, even to this day.A man leading a camel caravan carrying slabs of salt from Taodenni. The Touareg men will be away from their home for more than 6 months as they travel through out the desert and the sahel selling their salt.The wedding tent for the Touareg groom. He was waiting in the tent. His friends kept him company. The wedding lasts at least 3 days and is similar to a Berber wedding in Morocco.One of the groom's friends dressed in his best waits outside the tent.Portrait of a Touareg warrior dressed in his best. He is a guest at a family wedding in the Tenere desert of Niger.Touareg men arrive at the wedding celebration.The men of the Touareg tribe ride their camels in a circle while the women beat the drums in time to the camels steps.Touareg man waits with his camels.
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A young Touareg girl dressed in her best for a wedding celebration. Her face is tattooed with a paint, perhaps kohl or indigo. It is not permanent.



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