Worn around the neck, passport bags or wallets are
intended to hold personal items as well as money.
They consist of a small
bag with several compartments that can be encased by another bag that
slides over it along the leather cords. Tuareg and Wodaabe men use Kohl
to accentuate their eyes in hopes of catching the eye of a coveted young
woman. Kohl, in its powder form, is obtained from the
grinding of hematite, a naturally occurring mineral. Once ground it is an
excellent pigment mixed with various other ingredients it is also used as an
eye disinfectant.
This was collected in situ and has been in our own personal collection for about 30 years.
37" from top to bottom. The actual leather bag body is 11 ½"x 5" in width x 1 ½" in depth.
