Wodaabe male performers at the jeerewol celebration, Chadawanka village, Niger

"In central Niger, between the great Sahara Desert and the Grasslands, lies an immense steppe in which the Wodaabe, commonly called Bororo, are virtually the only Fulbe group that has preserved the ancient nomadic tradition." [Beckwith/Van Offelen, 1983: Nomads of Niger. Harry N. Abrams]. "The jeerewol, or geerewol (gerewol), is the war dance. It is also called ngaanka in eastern Niger, which means 'the invitation' to competition and ritual 'choosing'. It is danced for a full week and it is the most serious of all Wodaabe dances. It is performed mainly by very beautiful young men who are judged by others. Jeerewol dancers, yeerotoobe (plural), do not eat on the days that they perform but they are served water so they can remain in the right positions. The three or four selected suboyoobe ('choosers') are pretty young women standing alone in the open space south of the big ceremonial jeerewol tree, silluki, facing the male performers." [Bovin M., 2001: Nomads Who Cultivate Beauty. Nordiska afrikainstitutet]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Westinghouse Film and traveled to Africa from October 26, 1970 to end of March 1971.