Happenings

The Horniman Museum's latest exhibition is devoted to the belief systems and culture of the Tuareg peoples. These nomads call themselves Kel Tagelmust (People of the Veil) and are dispersed over territory in Algeria, Liberia, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso. The exhibition deals mainly with the two fundamental principles in the Tuareg system of values: firstly "asshak" (honor, dignity) and secondly "tekarakit" (integrity, reserve). These are expressed not only by behavior but also through clothing and ornaments. The objects on view come from two collecting expeditions, one undertaken by anthropologist Jeremy Keenan in the Algerian Hoggar in the late 1960s, and the other in 2005 by Ursel Widemann (who also curated the exhibition) in the Agadez area of Niger.