3. Bracelet Production

A study of bibliographical references provides information on the bracelet manufacture and trade in Hombori. J. Marie (1975) transcribes a quotation, dated from 1905:

'on connaît l'existence, au nord de Hombori, des carrières de marbre de Dimamou produisant des bracelets vendus dans tout le Soudan'
Trans. 'We know of the existence, in North Hombori, of marble quarries at Dimamou with bracelets manufactured there being sold all over Sudan' (Archives de l'Institut des Sciences Humaines du Mali)

Concerning the body adornment worn by the French Sudanese, lieutenant L. Desplagnes wrote (1907, 374):

'(...) tous portent au bras au-dessus du coude un bracelet en marbre de Hombori ; cette parure inconnue des gens de l'Ouest a été adoptée par toutes les populations de la région Nord, Sorkos et Bosos, Gabibi, Markas, gens de Tombouctou et de Djenné et même par les Touaregs et les Maures'
Trans. '(...) everybody wears a bracelet made of Hombori marble above the elbow; this adornment, unknown among the Western people, was adopted by all the Northern populations, the Sorkos and Bosos, Gabibi, Markas, the people from Timbuktu and Djenné and even by the Tuareg and Moors'

P. Laforgue (1925, 163) explains:

'qu'au Soudan français, à Hombori, les indigènes continuent à fabriquer des bijoux en pierre (bracelets en marbre de Hombori) qui sont un article de commerce très étendu dans la boucle du Niger et La Haute-Volta. Les hommes portent ces bracelets au dessus du coude – on sait que cette coutume existe encore chez les Aït Atta du sud marocain et chez les Touaregs des confédérations sahariennes (Adzer et Hoggar) – . (...) Les habitants actuels de l'Aïr possèdent une classe d'artisans habiles à travailler les schistes, dont ils font des bracelets. Certains "Bellahs" touaregs pratiquent aussi cette industrie'
Trans. 'that in the French Sudan, in the Hombori, indigenous people still produce stone jewellery (the Hombori marble bracelets) which are items of extensive trade in the area of the Niger loop and in the High-Volta. People wear these bracelets above the elbow – we know this tradition still exists in the Aït Atta group in South Morocco and in the Saharan confederation Tuareg group (Adzer and Hoggar) – . (...) among the current Sahel there is a group of craftsmen skilled in the working of schists, who make bracelets. Some "Bellah" Tuareg also practice this industry'

According to Laforgue (1925, 140-1), they appeared to be sedentary vassals of the Tuareg, but for E. Bernus (2001) the term 'Bellah' relates to the social status of this group, being a Songhaï name designating former serfs grouped in autonomous tribes.

The oldest testimonies date from the end of the 19th century, with bracelet production in Hombori apparently the oldest. According to available data, the wearing of stone bracelets is as old as the prehistoric periods in the Sahel and Sahara (Petit-Maire and Riser 1983; Gaussen and Gaussen 1988). Similarly, in Hombori the presence of bracelets on Neolithic sites has been confirmed by fieldwork (Desplagnes 1907; Lhote 1950; Gallay 1966. However, proper archaeological research is still required to establish when the exploitation of Hombori stone began.

Previously, bracelets were made by the Songhaï slaves and the last craftsmen are their descendants. In the past there was not always enough work for slaves, so they made bracelets and earned a little money by selling them. During the 19th and the 20th centuries, when the trade was flourishing, the winter months (July to September) were devoted to work in the fields, with the rest of the year reserved for stone working. This latter was an exclusively male activity, with the knowledge being passed from father to son; after a long period of observation and copying, the father would indicate to his son that 'il pouvait travailler par lui-même' Trans. 'he can now work by himself' (Tontoni Maicouba).

This skill is now disappearing and production is almost non-existent today. It declined with decolonisation and the establishment of borders, which put an end to inter-ethnic exchanges. The increasing importance of the Muslim religion is replacing animist beliefs and the supernatural power attributed to stone. Moreover, it is difficult work for minimal benefits, which does not motivate young people to carry on with this activity.

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