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Odette du Puigaudeau
Born 20 July 1894
Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Inférieur), France
Died 19 July 1991
Rabat, Morocco
Nationality French
Occupation ethnologist

Odette du Puigaudeau (born July 20, 1894 – died July 19, 1991) was a French ethnologist, traveler, and journalist. An ethnologist is someone who studies different cultures and people. Odette made three important trips to northern Africa with artist Marion Sénones (1886 – 1977). They traveled to the western Sahara desert to learn about the nomadic people living there.

About Her Life

Odette du Puigaudeau was born in 1894 in Saint-Nazaire, France. She was the only child of Ferdinand du Puigaudeau, a famous painter, and a mother who also painted portraits. From 1908, her family lived in a manor house called Kervaudu. Odette was taught at home by her parents.

In 1920, she moved to Paris to study oceanography at the Sorbonne. Oceanography is the study of the ocean. She hoped to work at a marine lab in Carthage, Tunisia, but it didn't work out. Instead, she took many different jobs. She worked as a designer, a stylist for a fashion designer named Jeanne Lanvin, and a journalist for newspapers and women's magazines.

Odette loved to travel. In 1929, she became one of the first women to live on a Breton tuna fishing boat. She wrote about her experiences in a book called Grandeur des îles (Splendor of the Isles). She also tried to join a science trip to Greenland. However, the ship's commander, Jean-Baptiste Charcot, would not allow women on board.

Desert Adventures

In 1933 and 1934, Odette planned a special trip to the Sahara desert, specifically to Mauritania. She went with her companion, Marion Sénones, who was a painter and helped illustrate Odette's books. They traveled by lobster boat from France and arrived a month later in Nouadhibou, Mauritania. At that time, Mauritania was a French colony.

Odette wrote about their journey in her book, Pieds nus travers la Mauritanie (Barefoot across Mauritania). Marion Sénones drew the pictures for the book. Odette explained how they traveled 4,500 kilometers (almost 2,800 miles) across the land. They even dressed like Moorish men to research the nomadic people of the region. This book won a big award from the French Academy in 1936. It helped Odette become well-known as an ethnologist.

Odette returned to the Western Sahara two more times. Her second trip was from 1936 to 1938. She went again in 1950 and 1951. On her second trip, she traveled 6,500 kilometers (4,000 miles) across southern Morocco, Mauritania, and French Sudan (which is now Mali).

For each of her trips, Odette received help and money from several French organizations. These included the National Museum of Natural History. For their last trip, they also got support from a French government department. The main goals of these trips were to share information about the cultures and history of the people in the colonized region. Odette wrote scientific papers and popular articles about Mauritania. She also worked on a big study about the arts and customs of the Moors, which was published after she passed away.

Besides her scientific goals, Odette also wanted to have rich personal experiences. She and Marion loved living like the nomadic Moors, often traveling on camels.

Helping Others

In August 1940, Odette started the French Women's Service in Paris. This group helped organize trips for women to study prehistory and ethnography.

When Odette arrived in Mauritania for her last trip in 1950, she saw that many local people were against French colonization. Colonization is when one country takes control of another area. Odette began to agree with the local people. Because of her new writings on this topic, she faced problems from both French and African colonial leaders. Mauritania became independent from France in 1960.

Later Years

In 1961, Odette moved to Rabat, Morocco, with Marion Sénones. There, she created cultural radio programs from 1961 to 1962. In 1963, she worked at the Ministry of Information. From 1970 to 1977, she managed a new Moroccan prehistory office at the archaeological museum of Rabat. Marion Sénones passed away in 1977.

Odette du Puigaudeau's old papers and notes were given to the Geographical Society in Paris. They are now kept at the National Library in France. However, films that Odette was said to have made during her travels have not been found.

Odette du Puigaudeau died on July 19, 1991, in Rabat, Morocco.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Odette du Puigaudeau para niños

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