This is old, since I saw some incorrect information here, I'll just say this.
-The Olmecs weren't black, those Olmec heads do not represent blacks.
-Most of the Moors weren't black, but there were thousands of black Moors.
-Most of the ancient Egyptians weren't black, but there were black Egyptians.

First, I'm not African, I'm Black American, but I've been reading these forums fairly often and they tend to be hilarious, but also helpful at times, so I figured Nairaland might be the right place to get some information.

I've been reading more about West African history, primarily Akan, Gold Coast and the Sahel history. In reading about this I came across the ethnic group the Tuareg and they throw me for a loop. Their origins tend to be disputed somewhat. Everyone seems to agree that they originated primarily in North Africa, most seem to say Libya. The problem is people tend to dispute who they originally were. Yes, this is kind of a race thing, not because it's a big deal, but as a history fan I tend to like to know what the people I read about look like for imagining purposes. I read about the Mongols and I look up pics of people from their neck of the woods. Back to the Tuareg, some say they were originally black Africans, but others say they weren't or that many are black due to enslaving black Africans. What makes me think this may be true is that from what I can tell the caste system seems to work out by having non-black Tuareg as the nobility. I look up Tuareg chiefs and MNLA leaders and I get images of people like this... The last guy being Intallah Ag Attaher a Tuareg leader that died in 2014 I think.

So, basically, is this really how the Tuareg are set up, with these types of guys at the top rung and blacks lower on the totem pole? And if they are set up like that, why is that? And what do you guys know of their origins?