Tuareg Tcherot, Leather with Metal Inside, 4x4.5 inches
SKU: AFM-404
Sale price
$25.00
Shipping calculated at checkout
Only 1 in stock
Description
- Tuareg Vintage or possibly antique Tcherot talisman/amulet of leather over metal 4x4.5 inches.
- Amulets repel danger, talismans attract good things. The Tuareg believe that Tcherots do both and are worn for this purpose by both men (in their veils) and women (as necklaces).
- Tcherot is the name used in Mali, other names are more common among other groups. Tuareg once roamed and raided across great swaths of the Sahara, but now are reluctantly more settled due to political and climate conditions.
- I bought this amulet in Morocco in the early 1970s, no doubt because I couldn't afford the silver ones on my $10/day travel budget at the time. It did keep me safe during some wild adventures in the desert and in Ceuta.
- These pendants' power is believed to emanate from either the metal they are made of, the verses or spells they contain, or both.
- Today these ornaments are made in fine silver, older ones have mixed metal decorations over leather. I don't know the full story of this one. There is metal inside the leather. It appears white through one small opening. It could be silver, white metal, or iron.
- The brass rod at the top, from which the amulet/talisman swings, is finely etched with geometric designs on all four sides and also sports subtle green verdigris due to oxidation. The quality of the bar would lead me to believe that this piece might have had more decoration, possibly in brass or mixed metals. But there's no evidence that decorations were ripped off the leather, nor any clues what may be inside.
- I decided not to find out. Now it's up to you. The price reflects what's visible, not what may, or may not, be inside.