Yaake performers
The first wife a Wodaabe man marries must be through an arranged marriage, or teegal. After that, he may choose up to three more wives. However, because physical beauty is so important to the Wodaabe, a husband, if not handsome, will allow his wife to sleep with a handsome man, so that she will bear a handsome child. In fact, to ensure a child's future beauty, a mother will mold the skin and bones of her infant by pressing the nose, or stretching the limbs so that it may look more attractive.
© Kieron Nelson 1999 "Vanishing Cultures Photography" All rights reserved
