Response to Phoenix's question re: Men and Henna

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: Phoenix queried me by e-mail the other day about the source of my : remarks in the thread on male henna traditions. I only had time for a : quick answer then, so I thought I'd expand on my response here on the : forum. : Part of what little I know comes from experience right here in the US. : I studied ethnomusicology as a sideline when I was an undergrad at : UCLA many years ago. The student ensembles from the institute were : much in demand among the various ethnic communities in southern : California, because in those days, we were often the best or the only : source of trained musicians who could play the appropriate traditional : music, so we would sometimes find ourselves at all sorts of gatherings : where we had the opportunity to meet and talk to people from places : we'd only read about in books and picked up bits of culture they : didn't teach in the lecture halls. Also, our instructors came from all : over the world, and we learned lots of traditions from them, both in : the classroom and in other settings as well. : As far as formal booklearning goes, a good source of reliable : scholarship on men's use of henna is "Marriage Customs in Morocco" by : Edward Westermark. He goes into great detail on traditions among many : of the Moroccan tribes, including their use of henna as a cosmetic, a : magical protectant, and as a gift exchanged among betrothed couples. : It's the North African henna traditions that interest me the most, and : I hope to spend some time later this year digging for more material to : expand the booklet we wrote earlier this year. I'm especially curious : about the magical traditions, songs, folklore and language associated : with henna in that part of the world. : Those of you who have tried library searches for sources already know : how dificult it can be to find enough good material. I have the good : fortune to have a part-time teachng gig at a local university that has : library links all over the state and a good computer driven search : tool, so I have a rich hunting ground to work in. I suspect there are : other good books lurking in the social science sections like the : Westermark book that hadn't been checked out in thirty years. : For good pix, there's always good old National Geographic. The May '95 : issue has a shot of an Omani woman's hands, and there's a good photo : and some text on the painting of a Tuareg bridegroom in the February : '98 issue. : Part of what got me started was music, so let me add a couple of : interesting sidelights: The CD "Passion Sources," Peter Gabriel's : compilation of source material for his score for "The Last Temptation : of Christ" has a bit of Moroccan wedding music, and there's a more : contemporary henna song on one of the CD's in the "Global Celebration" : series. : Not much time to think about henna at the moment...I'm studying for my : Novell certs. But I'll pass along any interesting sources I turn up.

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