(no subject)

(the image is not mine)

boxes of that type are used by the tuareg for storing scented powder.

ibye would make one for atyam while she was carrying their child and came to be accepted, however reluctantly, into the group. he would combine silver and several different copper alloys (reddish or pink, orange, and yellow) and use a similar design: layered, grounded in a strict symmetry, simple and complex at once. the box would be a cube, and a recurring motif present on the lid and each of the four sides would be that of a square inserted into another square, positioned so that its angles divide the sides into equal halves. the handle in the lid's center would resemble a truncated step pyramid that becomes slightly curved toward the cut-off top. there would be a pattern of thin etched lines highlighted in a black patina, including four stylized leaves that face the angles of the innermost square. from a distance, it would look like a light black web thrown over the box. inside there was an egg-shaped object made from matching materials using the same overlay technique; it could be intended to rest on the surface of the powder, perhaps as a pounder/grinder or just for the sake of decoration. ibye would arrange the layers of metal depending on the shade of shiny gray they seem to be to him, and the way each contrasts with the dimmer whitish-gray of the silver, and would never quite realize how beautiful the final result is. but atyam would.

for all i know, in ibye's culture this could have been a traditional present to give to one's mate when she is expecting a child. the "egg" would stand for the new life concealed inside the mother's body, the wondrous mystery of it. the leaf-like shapes may represent life as such, seen as an abstract concept (or as the sum total of all the living creatures in the world and/or that which they have in common). the engravings would be thought to have a protective meaning for both the mother and the unborn baby. in its own way, so would the ultra-symmetrical design of the box - it was to ensure that, once the child is born, his or her life would be well-balanced and harmonious, and no harm would be done to them by external forces.

during those months ibye came about as close as he could to being happy, and this may well be the one time when he used his craft as a means to express positive emotions, rather than as an outlet for negative ones and/or a method of neutralizing them. i don't think he would be able to articulate the personal meaning the box/egg composition had for him - at least, not until he has had a few hours to think and to formulate it to himself first. he is much better at dealing with tangible objects than words, and his hands work faster than his head. but atyam would appreciate it; on a subliminal level, she would sense the deep feeling that had gone into his work, and connect it to a private meaning of her own. for ibye that would be more than enough.

it was a token of reconciliation on ibye's part, something that stood for the commitment they had made to each other and to leaving their differences (and destructive tendencies and hostility and chronic misunderstanding) behind, now that they were in danger because of their shared past, which both of them had grown to regret, and their child was due in a couple months' time. it was also his way of celebrating the fact that, for once, they had gone and done something constructive together.

i can see her holding the "egg" against a lamp (or whatever source of light there was inside the shelter they were forced to hide in at the time), slowly turning it this way and that to see the different layers shine with a characteristic wistful smile. her eyes look larger and darker than usual. ibye comes up from behind and just stands there for a while, watching her, then places his hands on her shoulders. she acknowledges his presence in some small way without turning round. she may say something in his language that evokes a fond memory, one of the few moments when they were not in the midst of some horrible deed, and not fighting and doing their best to snuff out that bright spark which had been ignited when she saw him for the first time. it could be one of the nights they had spent outdoors when the two of them ran the bootcamp's headquarters together. ibye would sit by the campfire carving a new staff or knife handle from a piece of wood, while atyam would hunt wild fowl in the demi-desert with a longbow or rifle. after she returned, they would roast and share the meat, drink some thick, sweet, heavily spiced beverage from the same metal flask, then have sex out in the open under the stars. she may repeat a phrase he had said on one of those nights, word for word. at that, ibye's smile, which had been in his eyes only, would spread to his lips, making him appear unusually warm all of a sudden, almost radiant. (when people who didn't know him saw him during moments like this one, they reacted roughly along the lines of "wait - what? that's a smile? what the hell is wrong with him?")

if anybody happened to be watching, they would have been struck by how thoughtful both ibye and atyam were - both would seem to be gazing inward, deep into their being, as if trying to find something vital there - and yet, how connected and in tune with each other, as if the two of them formed a single continuous whole. or perhaps i should have said "the three of them"; i don't think any of this would have been possible if the third one, the child who had not yet been born, had not been in the equation.

after atyam's death her sirehood bracelet and the powder box became taboo, in the most literal sense. ibye overreacted whenever anybody touched them or so much as came close to them. (as atyam was dying, she unclasped the bracelet from her wrist and gave it to ibye in a symbolic gesture that meant, more or less, "i wish i could undo what i'd done to you" or "here, i'm handing your life and/or destiny, or whatever has been left of it, back to you". she was struggling to put her feelings into words, and sensed that anything she did say would be insufficient and inadequate. it just wasn't a situation where one can simply say "i'm sorry" and be done. ibye understood; his remorse about what he had done to adhra went beyond audible words too. atyam was also bleeding from the mouth, breathing in to be able to speak was becoming increasingly hard, and she was running out of time; she had another ten or fifteen minutes at the most. as it was, she was still alive and conscious with injuries that would have killed an ordinary human instantly before they had a chance to understand what was going on. there was too much she wanted to tell ibye, and no space left in which to do so, in every sense of these words)

(no subject)

guest password: murkutis8

disclaimer: none of the images belong to me

these are objects that have traditionally been used by the tuareg, and are still in use today. most made me think of items that would be peculiar to ibye's culture.

these are actual rings, except for the one that is shaped like a cage with a sharp top, which is a pendant meant to be filled with fragrant rosewood or some other aromatic substance, and worn attached to one's hair or headdress more or less at the level of the temples or ears. the domed and conical rings are hollow inside and filled with sand, so whenever the wearer moves her hands, for example, while dancing, they will make a soft, pleasant rattling sound.

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the "rattle rings" can come in different shapes (cone, sharp triangular ridge, dome, double dome, dome with a flattened top) and are shown below from closer up. each of these has also been made hollow and filled with sand, which makes a soft rustling or whispering sound when the wearer moves her hands.

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the etched elongated objects are fragrance-holders, used in the same way as the cage-like pendant. i can easily see ibye making a pair for adhra. he may consider this both more attractive and more convenient than having to rub scent into her skin and/or clothing every time. atyam would wear them as well.
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these are traditional tuareg locks, thought to have talismanic protective properties. again, i can imagine ibye making one when needed. on the whole, he is the sort of person who would be skilled at diy, and would find it fulfiling or enjoyable too. among other things, it would be a valuable method of reducing stress in a productive way without harming anyone else, though learning to channel the internal tension into that (or sports or martial arts or rescue operations) alone would take a long time. (just had a random auditory image of seshaya telling him at some point while she was a prisoner of his: "is that what you usually do - fix objects and break people?")

the locks have a complex structure and are meant to be opened in several successive stages. they have the same sort of layered structure as the jewellery, powder boxes and other accessories, and are also decorated on the outside with etched geometrical designs, which, if i'm not mistaken, are thought to provide the owner with the same magical protection.

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the grooming/cosmetic kits could be something generic, used throughout the region by both men and women, though for somebody like ibye one would be a must.

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the fan-shaped metal objects are hair pins, which can sometimes double as fibulae (clothing fasteners). like the box pendants, they can be made of metal only, or a leather sheath may be drawn over a metal base and stamped on the surface with small metal inserts in unsophisticated shapes. i suppose this could be an older, simpler design, or perhaps it's used when there are not enough resources and/or opportunities for making an item of solid metal.

i'm not sure what the gender prescription for these would be among ibye's people, but it's possible that the same one could be used as a hair pin by a woman and a cloak or headscarf fastener by a man.

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the scabbards must have been intended for traditional arm/shoulder daggers. they have a typical shape, straight and rather wide, with a tip that is rounded and may be somewhat wider still. one has a stiff leather loop for the forearm. the leather inlays in turquoise-green seem to be characteristic for the tuareg, at least those who live in mali and niger. the exact same shade of light turquoise or phtalo green can be used for any other leather items (pouches, satchels, shoulder bags, mats, covers, saddles and saddle bags, pendants, flap doors for tents, etc.).

ibye's people may have the same type of shoulder dagger that goes with a similar silver-decorated sheath, though the leather inlays could be a color other than green (blue, for instance). they would probably be intended for the men. ibye may continue to wear one until the last, as would most other male members of his ethnic group; like their headscarves, this could be an item that has mostly stayed unchanged over the centuries (perhaps because of the cultural significance of both). women would wear a dagger for purposes of self-defense, too, but it would be clipped to the belt (the same used to be done in the middle ages by young women from the turkic peoples of central asia, or certain peoples of the northern caucasus).

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the large, elongated capsule-shaped object is a veil fastener that is worn by tuareg men on their turbans and serves as an amulet. inside it is hollow and, in the past, used to be filled with grains of sand from the desert or folded sheets of paper with verses from the quran, both of which were thought to provide magical protection for the wearer.

ibye would wear one to fasten his headscarf (probably at one side in a horizontal position or with a slight diagonal slant - either above the ear, where a tuareg man would have clipped it to his turban, or on the neck). he may also attach another one to the upper part of his hood, parallel to the forehead. he would make them himself and cover them with elaborate engravings.

there is this image of him having at least two of those enormous traditional overgarments that have hoods and wide sleeves, and make him look even larger and broader in the shoulders - a showerproof one made from double-layered canvas, and a woolen one in case he feels cold (his definition of cool temperatures being somewhat different from what one might expect). both would be a deep indigo or midnight-blue and would have a capsule talisman clipped to the top of the hood.

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the irregular quadrilateral pendants are similar to the box-shaped pectoral pendants and have the same meaning, but are worn wrapped around one's turban on an elastic band. some of ibye's people may have worn them on a headband or armband.

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the finger rings decorated with red or reddish-orange carnelian agate are exchanged between tuareg men and women as tokens of affection. they are identical in shape to amulet pendants of a specific kind (the "universal" ones that can be worn on a string as a necklace, woven into one's hair or tied to the headdress), though the latter are more massive and have a larger round aperture, and are thought to have the same protective properties.

i think ibye's people would also have similar sets of (larger) pendants and (smaller) rings in parallel shapes. it's possible that each of them would be believed to protect one against a separate variety of danger, damage or back luck, and the protection would not be complete unless one had both the pendant and the ring to match. those who have the full set would be seen as surrounded by an impenetrable magical wall that was bound to make sure they stayed out of harm's way.

if these amulets were made with onyx (black) or lapis lazuli (intense royal blue), i could see some being passed between atyam and ibye.

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this shawl/veil weight is shorter and broader than usual, has a large hoop at the top to draw the fabric through, and ends in two crooked leg-like stalks. it is a special, very rare variety that is supposed to represent the shape of the female body, and probably has a fertility-related meaning. indeed, if one stares at it long enough, it does start to look a little like a squat human figure.

the "shoulder key" worn by atyam when she first meets ibye would look exactly like this.
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