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Imoni and Nakiru mending an abwo skin

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posted on 2023-11-30, 18:56 authored by Samuel DerbyshireSamuel Derbyshire
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.

Funding

Endangered Material Knowledge Programme

History

Session

C009

Rights owner

Samuel Frederick Derbyshire

Cultural group

Turkana

Participants

Imoni Ngimojeng Lomosia, Margaret Nakiru Lopwenya , Ayapan Loura

Country

Kenya

Place

Morusipo, Turkana

Item/object

skin (abwo)

Techniques of production

Sewn

Materials

Skin-goat skin

Materials alt

Eleu a akinei

Social group setting

Craftspeople working together

Location

Home

Temporality

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

2020-06-13

Unique ID

2019LG02-C009-0652

Usage metrics

    Endangered Material Knowledge Programme

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