Imoni Lomosea comes to the homestead of Nakiru and stays for several hours mending her abwo skin with the help of Nakiru and Nakiru's two daughters.
Session
C009Rights owner
Samuel Frederick DerbyshireCultural group
TurkanaParticipants
Imoni Ngimojeng Lomosia, Margaret Nakiru LopwenyaCountry
KenyaPlace
Morusipo, TurkanaItem/object
skin (abwo)Techniques of production
SewnMaterials
Skin-goat skinMaterials alt
Eleu a akineiSocial group setting
Craftspeople working togetherLocation
HomeTemporality
The abwo was once worn ubiquitously by all married women across the Turkana region. Over the last few decades it has become increasingly less common. Instead, married women tend to wear synthetic fibre 'shuka' wraps (much like many men wear). Nevertheless, the abwo continues to be worn by some in the context of marriage ceremonies, where it continues to be a strong signal of a woman's marital status (and by extension her status in the broader community). In recent months (since May 2020) a prominent emuron (diviner/seer) began to recommend that women return to wearing abwo skins in order that the blessing of rain may return/remain in Turkana, and that they should do so especially when milking livestock. In response, many women have begun mending old skins and wearing them again.Date of creation
2020-06-13Unique ID
2019LG02-C009-0651
