Asapan ceremony near to Kerio

A group of men undergo the Asapan ceremony near to Kerio centre. This Asapan ceremony was much larger than has historically been the norm across Turkana, reflecting both its proximity to a larger population centre (Kerio) and a fundamental shift within the ceremony itself, which, in many contexts, has seen it change from a small-scale rite of passage undertaken in remote locations to a largescale political statement (indeed one of the initiates on this occasion was a local political aspirant). Having said all this, Asapan has always been politically consequential and in this respect, there is a sense of continuity to be apprehended here. Many of the initiates wear clothing and ornaments intended to reflect a close connection with urban settlements, perhaps most notably both reading glasses and sunglasses. All major elements of the ceremony are performed, but many objects that were more common in the past are not present, for example the atubwa wooden bowl, the apangach milk container and the akurum milk container.