Eturi, Lodungo and Nawoi bring forth five goat skins and one sheep skin in preparation for the abwo, they bring forth one goat skin and one sheep skin for the adwel. They then spread the skins out on the ground and apply water and ash to them. They then fold the skins up into bundles, tie them and leave them. Eturi begins work scraping the hairs off one of the skins.
Session
C013Rights owner
Samuel Frederick DerbyshireCultural group
TurkanaParticipants
Adwer Eturi , Mary Lodungo , Nawoi EsekonCountry
KenyaPlace
Adap, TurkanaItem/object
Abwo and adwelTechniques of production
Scraped, AppliedMaterials
Ekuron, Eleu a akine, Ash, Skin-goat skinSocial group setting
Craftspeople working togetherLocation
HomeTemporality
Work continues on the skins all day, from mid morning to dusk. In total the skins take around two weeks to make. These items of clothing were once worn ubiquitously throughout Turkana, the abwo playing a central role differentiating married from unmarried women. In an akinyonyo ceremony undertaken near to Nadoto (2019LG-02-E001-0001) Louren Engatuny is adorned with an abwo once her ngakoroumwa beads have been dispersed and an alagama metal torc placed around her neck. Historically, a married woman would have continued wearing an abwo in everyday life from this moment onwards. Some women from older generations still wear such skins, but very few. As with many other items of clothing and ornamentation, many argue that the abwo began to radically decline in popularity from around Ekaru Asur (The Fleeing Year, c. 1981).Date of creation
2021-07-22Unique ID
2019LG02-C013-0847
