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Activity 2 - A
Secret Message Standards Topics:
Panel Summary: The team meets many different groups of people while working and taveling in Niger. Two of Niger’s peoples, the Fulani and Touareg, have traditional lead nomadic lifestyles. The life of these nomadic people has become increasingly difficult die the establishment of political boundaries across what was once open desert. The spoken language of the Touaregs in Tomacheck; the written form is known as Tifnar. Touareg men (rather than women) are veiled, opposite to other Islamic cultures. The team is friends with both Fulani and Touaregs who live in the desert near the dinosaur locality. One Touareg boy, Mohammed, spent many days with the team during the last field season. Material: Many distinct groups of people live in Africa with very different cultures. In Niger, more than seven languages are spoken. Review the information in the activity. If the students have trouble, instruct them first to fill in the consonants using capital letters, and leave the vowels for last. For added hints, you can list some of the following key words on the blackboard to help them translate the message: WELCOME, OUR, FRIENDS, FROM, AGADEZ, THEY, WISH, TO GO, TO , INGALL, THEY, CROSSED, THE, DESERT, TO, LOOK, FOR, GIANTS. You can write these words on the blackboard in a different order. Background Information The traditional lifestyle of the Touareg and Fulani is nomadic. This way of life is being threatened by expansion of the desert and political pressures. The end of French colonial rule in the 1960’s brought less, rather than more, independence for the Touaregs. The desert was partitioned. Nomadic peoples became boxed-in by borders that kept them from moving freely and accessing crucial water holes. The Mediterranean features of the Touaregs, such as light brown skin and straight hair, set them apart from other people in the region. The language of the Touaregs is called Tomacheck; its written form is Tifnar. In contrast to other Islamic cultures in which the women are veiled, in Touareg tradition it is the men who are veiled. Touareg veils are often dyed with indigo that rubs off onto their cheeks. This is the source of their longstanding nickname, the blue men. The men are rarely seen without a long-sheathed sword. Many Touaregs are skilled silversmiths and leather workers. The team members have the chance to get to know many of the people of Niger during their stay in Agadez. When the team relocates, new friendships will be formed. Last time they were in InGall, the team met up with Belli Ayo, a Fulani man who watched over the compound where the team had set up camp. He welcomed them home every evening with small steaming glasses of tea. On this expedition the team has the chance to see old friends and get to know new ones. Team member, Gabrielle Lyon, thinks that "reconnecting with the people we met in 1993 and 1997" is one of the best parts of the trip. She hopes she can remember some Hausa and Tomacheck! Activity Teacher’s Information One of the most important groups of nomadic people in the Sahara is the Touareg. Touaregs operated the main camel caravan routes across the Sahara for centuries. The Touaregs have a traditional proverb, "houses are the graves of the living." The spoken language of the Touaregs in called Tomacheck. Some French words have been incorporated into modern Tomacheck. For instance, Touaregs call dinosaurs geants, which is French for "giants." The message below is written in Tifnar, the written form of the language. Tifnar is written from left to right or from top to bottom depending on the whim of the writer. Like the English alphabet, the Tomacheck alphabet uses symbols to represent sounds. Unlike English however, more than one sound may be represented by a single symbol. For example, all vowel sounds are represented by a dot, and a circle with a dot in the center represents both S and C. Directions: 1. Use the alphabet key at the bottom of the page to decipher the message about the expedition team written in Tifnar by a Touareg. 2. After you decode it, see if you can make up a short message of your own using the Tomacheck alphabet. See if someone else can decipher your "secret message." Teacher’s Information Topics Covered/ Panel Summary/Materials/Directions Topics Covered:
Panel Summary The team met many different groups of people while working and traveling in Niger. Two of Niger’s peoples, the Fulani and the Touareg, have traditionally lead nomadic lifestyles. The life of these nomadic people has become increasingly difficult due to the establishment of political boundaries across what was once open desert. The spoken language of the Touaregs is Tomacheck; the written form is known as Tifnar. Touareg men (rather than women) are veiled, opposite to other Islamic cultures. The team became friends with both the Fulani and Touaregs, who lived in the desert neat the dinosaur locality, Materials Copy of background information Copy of A Secret
Message Activity Teacher’s Directions Many distinct groups of people live in Africa with very different cultures. In Niger, more than seven languages are spoken. Review the information in the activity. If the students have trouble, instruct them to fill in the consonants first using capital letters and leave the vowels for last. For added hints, you can list some of the following words on the blackboard to help them translate the message: WELCOME, OUR, FRIENDS, FROM, AGADEZ, THEY, WISH, TO, GO, TO, INGALL, THEY, CROSSED, THE, DESERT, TO, LOOK, FOR, GIANTS. You can write these words on the blackboard in a different order. Niger Glossary Bororo: "Cattle Fulani;" the name of this nomadic tribe comes from the bororo cattle they herd Fulani: traditionally nomadic people living throughout West African savanna areas; one of the largest groups in West Africa. Pastoral Fulani rely on cattle for wealth, and exist primarily on sheep. (also known as "Woodabe") Fulfulde: language of the Fulani people gerewol: Fulani ceremonial courtship dance Hausa: this word refers both to a language and a group of people. Currently, Hausa people are most commonly associated with Northern Nigeria, but Hausa people live throughout West Africa and historically dominated commercial activity. Hausa is the dominant language of commerce throughout the Central Sudan savanna nomads: people who traditionally move seasonally in order to feed and water their flocks of sheep, goats and/or camels Tomacheck: spoken language of the Touareg people Touareg (or Tuareg): traditionally nomadic people living in the Sahara. Touaregs operated the main camel caravan routes across the Sahara for centuries Niger Bibliography Diagram Group. Peoples of Africa: Peoples of West Africa (Facts on File, New York, 1997). This illustrated volume presents information on the history, language, way of life, social structure, culture, and religion of over a dozen important ethnic groups and puts them in the context of their environment- land, climate, vegetation, and wildlife. Kessler, Cristina. One Night: A Story from the Desert (Philomel Books, New York, 1995), This storybook tells the tale of Muhamad, a young Touareg boy, and how he must prove himself a man and take the goats to graze. Ndukwe, Pat I. Fulani (The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. New York, 1996). Parris, Ronald. Hausa (The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. New York, 1996). These two books from The Heritage Library of African Peoples series discuss the history, traditions, social life, customs, worldviews, religion, and political situations of the Fulani and Hausa. Reynolds, Jan. Sahara: Vanishing Cultures (Harcourt Brace and Company, New York, 1991). Dramatic photographs and a simple narrative invite readers to experience the daily life of the Touareg. Niger Links The Touareg http://wwwusers.imaginet.fr/~yusuf/index.html Living Africa http://library.thinkquest.org/16645/contents.html New Africa http://www.newafrica.com Art and Life in Africa http://www.uiowa.edu/~africart/ Focus on Niger http://www.txdirect.net/users/jmayer/fon.html Political Map of Niger http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/africa/Niger_sm97.gif Desert Glossary: arkhans: sand dunes with low, curved sides; crescent-shaped dunes formed by one-directional blowing of the wind. cram-cram: low sparse grass that marks the southern end of the "real desert" and the beginning of the Sahel desert: an area that receives less than 10 inches of rain a year desertification: process of becoming a desert, either by poor land management or by climate changes drought: long period of dry weather with little or no rainfall or snow erg (Arabic): huge areas of rolling sand dunes; devoid of vegetation, often hundreds of miles wide fennec: the world’s smallest fox; inhabits the Sahara. The fennec’s exceptionally large ears help disperse heat and give it acute hearing. hamada (Arabic): flat, wind-swept rocky desert surface; stony desert plain harmattan: cold, dry northeastern wind, which blows from October-February and brings dusty storms to the Sahara hooded vulture: this scavenger bird is often found near oases in the Southern Sahara longitudinal dunes: caused by strong wind blowing continuously in one direction and forming troughs in the sand which run parallel to the wind; also called "seif" ("sword" in Arabic) dunes nocturnal: active during the night oasis: small fertile green spot in the desert caused by groundwater coming to the surface petroglyphs: prehistoric rock carvings piste (French): track or unpaved road in the desert Sahara (Arabic): desert, or "empty grave" Sahel: dry, sparsely vegetated area on the southern edge of the Sahara, marked by scattered grasses and low, thorny trees star dunes: where winds blow from all directions surface; usually there is a spring or well in an oasis rain-shadow desert: a desert formed on the side of a mountain range, sheltered from winds that carry rain semi-arid zone: fairly dry area, with an average yearly rainfall between 10-12 inches wadi: steep sided valleys in desert areas that have been carved by water. These areas may experience occasional flooding Desert Bibliography Scoones, Simon. The Sahara and its People (Raintree Steck-Vaugh, Austin, 1994). This intermediate level book introduces students to desert development plans and their successes and failures. Contains numerous useful photographs, diagrams, and maps. Steele, Philip. Deserts (Carolrhoda Books, Inc., Minneapolis, 1996). This Geography Detective book describes the landscape of the desert and its flora and fauna. Complete with ideas for take-home activities. Wood, Jenny. Deserts: An Arid Wilderness (Gareth Stevens Children’s Books, Milwaukee, 1991). Deserts: An Arid Wilderness defines the desert environment and provides many photographs and activities. Desert Links Deserts: Geology and Resources http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/deserts/contents/ How does sand get into the desert? http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/apr99/924495477.Es.r.html On the Line - Deserts http://www.ontheline.org.uk/explore/nature/deserts/deserts.htm
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