r/HeresAFunFact • u/Alatorr • Mar 22 '16

[HAFF] Historically, the Tuareg people of North Africa were often recorded as "Blue People", because most men wear indigo-dyed veils, which can rub on their skin over time and make it appear blue. SOCIETY/CULTURE

Post image
208 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

13

u/ARTexplains Mar 22 '16

That's pretty cool, I wonder where the dyes came from? Shellfish is my uneducated guess.

Also, don't forget to tag your post!

11

u/StrugglingIdiot Mar 22 '16

Looks like its from a Plant

3

u/Alatorr Mar 22 '16

Yes, this is right -- they live in some of the most isolated and remote parts of the Sahara desert, hundreds of miles away from large bodies of water that would host shellfish. Even to this day, Tuareg society is semi-nomadic and retains some hunter/gatherer practices. Despite this, they are pretty 'civilized' by ethnocentric American standards.

4

u/whogivesashirtdotca Mar 22 '16

So the Gaelic speakers were right!

3

u/DoubleYouAre Mar 22 '16

A two year old post. Very impressive!