The Tebu People

The Tebu People

The Tebu People, Indigenous to Niger and Libya in West and Northern Africa. Like the wadaoobe, they were ‘known for magical amulets and talismans’ and dwelled on the fringes of the Sahara desert. Among the Tebu and wadaoobe, a culture existed where one woman could be married to two men at the same time.

The Tebu participated in the trans-saharan trade, as caravan masters, but as those who waited on routes of merchants and royal gypsies to trade their items of magic like talismans that were reputed to be able drive away evil spirits that brought ill-luck or misfortunes.

These items were tradedlsalt which was used for preserving and adding zest to food but which was very scarce in west Africa, before the salt mines of tagharza was taken over by king Abubakari of Mali.

The culture of selling magical items is still common among the Tebu of Niger.