posted on 2023-11-30, 18:56authored byJoseph Ekidor Nami
In the present day, akalach belts are worn by many women at celebratory events, most notably weddings, and sometimes at Asapan ceremonies. A year after having started making one, Ekaale Lowasa finsihes the process of sewing small plastic beads to a strip of plastic from a jerrycan, at last completing the object.
Funding
Endangered Material Knowledge Programme
History
Session
C010
Rights owner
Samuel Frederick Derbyshire
Cultural group
Turkana
Participants
Ekaale Lowasa
Country
Kenya
Place
Nakurio, Turkana
Item/object
Akalach belt
Social group setting
Craftsperson at work alone
Location
Home
Temporality
This object took a year to make, although if there was an urgent need for one it could easily be completed within a month or two. The akalach is generally considered to have replaced older forms of decorative belt, which were comprised of skin and ostrich eggshell beads. It performs a similar role to these older belts in many contexts.