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The men of the Wodaabe tribe are deeply fascinated by beauty. An unattractive man might allow his wife to engage with someone more beautiful to conceive charming offspring.
In the Fulfulde language, Wodaabe means 'The Tribe of Taboo,' but contrary to their name, they lead a very liberal, joyful life, greatly admiring beauty. They love dancing, makeup, and men often rely on these traits to stand out and attract the attention of women.
Women often seek ways to lighten their skin by tattooing blue ink from lips to skin. They typically wear 4-5 large silver rings on their ears and decorate their faces with unique patterns on the forehead and both cheeks to ward off evil spirits. Men in the tribe often enhance their facial features with gold dust, bold eye makeup using kohl (an Arab-style mascara), and dark lip color. The purpose of black lip coloring is to make teeth appear whiter. To achieve such a face, men in the tribe usually spend considerable time daily on makeup, with the quickest time being an hour. During important occasions, beauty routines can extend all day.
Every year, when the rainy season ends, the Wodaabe people hold their biggest festival of the year – the Toureg festival. During this time, people gather at specific locations to trade, make friends, find lovers, and participate in the beauty contest for men called Geerewol – the most anticipated event of the year, judged by three unmarried girls considered the most beautiful in the region. In the contest, young men beautify themselves and participate in dances to vie for the title of Mr. Handsome. The ability to roll eyes and laugh is also highly valued as it is seen as one of the attractive standards.
Wodaabe is also a progressive tribe in marriage customs. A girl may have romantic relationships with two men simultaneously before marriage. Conversely, men can have multiple wives, and they do most of the work in their lives. The eldest wife is usually arranged by the young man's parents, chosen beforehand. From the second wife onwards, the man has the right to choose. At the wedding, the groom must present the bride's family with 3 head of cattle, and the groom cannot enter the bride's room until the ceremony is complete for the bride's side. During sexual intercourse, they are not allowed to remove their clothes. In public, men are not allowed to hold hands with their wives, call them by name, or engage in intimate conversation with them.
Despite their liberal lifestyle, members of this tribe highly respect their culture and traditions. They also value friendships dearly. When they have guests, they always treat them lavishly. Before parting ways, people usually share three cups of tea. The first cup symbolizes life, the second sweeter one represents love, and the third slightly fragrant cup signifies friendship.
The customary greeting ritual of the people here is quite lengthy, taking at least about 5 minutes. Wodaabe men often wear a leather pouch around their neck as a protective amulet, helping them ward off evil spirits, wild animals, and enhance their charm. Women have intricately carved calabash pipes, used to store food for the entire family. Their main food is dairy.
According to VnExpress
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Reference: Travel Guide Mytour
MytourMarch 6, 2015
