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Niger * Touareg sandal with Y-string
upper
The Touareg people - Arabic 'Tawarig' - are living in the Sahara
desert, spread out over Algeria, Libya and Niger and number about
300,000, subdivided in several tribes. Above sandal is called
'temba-temba' and is worn and made by the Hoggar-Touaregs. With
its extra wide shape it is typical for the sandy region. Two soles
are made of cleaned cow leather; the midsole is depilated while
the outsole has the hair partly left on it for a better grip in
the sand. The hide is beaten and rubbed in with peanut oil or
butter for softening. The insole is made of goat leather. The
soles are glued together with a mixture of millet and water and
handstitched with tendons and fine strips of colourful leather.
The green colour is popular in the Islamic region as it represents
the colour of the flag of the prophet Mohammed.
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