The women cut and sew the skins into a variety of shapes using strips of sheep skin, at the end of the day the pieces are buried to keep them soft and supple.
Session
C013Rights owner
Samuel Frederick DerbyshireCultural group
TurkanaParticipants
Adwer Eturi , Mary Lodungo , Nawoi EsekonCountry
KenyaPlace
Adap, TurkanaItem/object
Abwo and adwelTechniques of production
Cut-cut, Sewn, workedMaterials
Eleu a akine, 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
2021-07-30Unique ID
2019LG02-C013-0879
