After two days spent among the thousands of nomads gathered for the Worso of the Behame’en, Peroji’s lineage, we learned of another festival only a 2 hour drive away. The Worso is a family gathering to which everyone brings their kids, houses and herds. They are celebrating many things like the “humtu” or end of the restricted bofido period of a young woman when she is allowed to go back to her husband after spending at least two years at home with her mother learning how to run a household after giving birth to her first child. The other major festival is the Gerewol.
Gerewol dancers
This is celebrating the Wodaabe standard of beauty. It is where marriages are made and traditions instilled. The Wodaabe have no established religion, no animism, no ancestor worship, no god as such, even though many practice a relaxed version of islam. They have a code of behavior known as Bodagantchi, or the Wodaabe path. The main parts of this are reserve, patience and respect for traditions.
We arrived to find a Gerewol dance just starting. This is done with a very prescribed costume and red paint on their faces. All elements are to enhance the Wodaabe ideal: long slender face and figure, tall, white eyes and teeth, long nose. The women who choose the winner in these categories are also winners as they have been picked by the elders as depicting the Wodaabe ideal. Marriage liaisons are made aside–the choice is merely saying: this one personifies Wodaabe ideals of beauty and charm.
Sukaabe charm
Gerewol dances are held at sunset and at night. The young men “Sukaabe” of one lineage dance for the young women “Surbaabe” of another. In this way, with at least two different lineages participating, bloodlines are mixed.
What seems to us like a large crowd, turns out to be a small fraction. All night the young continue to arrive.
They set up their little tent villages with blankets as insulation from the sun.
It is often difficult to see cultures losing what has held them together for centuries because of modern influence, but at this festival I saw no change except the presence of “white peoples” tents used by the young as shelter–but made into their own kind of village–with very colorful tents (I wish I knew where they get them–they are very cute) and blankets as insulation from the hot sun (It has been consistently over 100 degrees everyday).
All these new guests are fed by the host lineage–the Bikorney–by long lines of girls carrying bowls of millet and milk. My photographer friends Terri, Diane and Louise soon learned my obsession with “girls with bowls”. Look to see paintings of these soon.
Their chief, Dedji, I was delighted to see, was a stickler for tradition. No blasting boom boxes drowning out the beautiful Wodaabe voices here.
Part of the Gerewol tradition besides offering opportunities to arrange marriages is to instill the Wodaabe traditions in the young–to carry on the Wodaabe way into the future.
For both the young men…
and women…the elders here explain not only the program of the festival, but the expected behavior of the young participants. 
The dance is directed by a selection of elders, both men and women.
The crowd is well behaved and watches in fascination…
The excitement and intensity build…
Until the choice is made and the crowd rushes forward in excited jubilation.
After sunset and a quiet moment to eat and rest…
…the party starts again lighted by a bonfire…
We drift in and out of sleep under the stars surrounded by the rhythmic sounds of Wodaabe chanting through the night.
Looks amazing, Leslie. Thanks for sharing- safe travels and looking forward to hearing more about your trip.
Jen
It is nice to see the old ways are still alive. As you have said many times, cowboys and nomads have a lot in common. They try to maintain a way of living and a life style that has supported them for generations. They understand life is changing but by having tradition in their lives has given them a base that they can rely on. Keeping families together, values, purpose and history.