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A Turkana girl's necklaces are well-oiled with animal fat and glisten in the sun. Occasionally,a girl will put on so many necklaces that her vertebrae stretch and her neck muscles gradually weaken. The partially shaven head is typical of Turkana women and girls.
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A Turkana woman,typically wearing many layers of bead necklaces and a series of hooped earrings with an pair of leaf-shaped earrrings at the front,sits in the entrance to her hut.
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A Turkana woman sitting in the doorway of her hut. Her heavy mporro braided necklace identifies her as a married woman. Typical of her tribe,she wears many layers of bead necklaces and a beaded headband.
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A Turkana man with a fine clay hairstyle,so typical of the southern Turkana. The black ostrich feather pompoms denote that the man belongs to the ng'imor (black) moiety of his tribe.
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A pretty young Turkana girl has already had the flesh below her lower lip pierced in readiness for a brass ornament after her marriage. The rims of her ears have also been pierced and the holes kept open with small wooden sticks.
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Two Turkana girls set off to fetch water from a nearby Waterhole. Their water containers are made of wood by the women of the tribe. Their 'V' shaped aprons are made of goatskin and have been edged with hundreds and hundreds of round discs fashioned out of ostrich eggshells.
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A Turkana girl with a large gourd-like container used as a receptacle for water or milk. In the absence of gourds,the Turkana carve their containers from soft wood,such as that from the common commiphora species,which thrives in semi-arid country.
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A young Turkana girl adorned with necklaces of a style the Southern Turkana prefer to wear.
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A Turkana woman,typically wearing many layers of bead necklaces and a series of hooped earrings with an pair of leaf-shaped earrrings at the front,sits in the entrance to her hut.
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Two Turkana men in traditional attire relax in the heat of the day under a shady tree. Every man will have a wooden stool,which doubles up as a pillow at night to protect his clay hairdo. Men will never sit on the ground; only women and children are permitted to do so.
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A proud Turkana father and his young daughter. Both their hairstyles are typical of tribal custom in the west of Turkanaland.
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A young Turkana girl with her head shaved except for a tuft,which is braided. This is the usual hairstyle for women and girls.
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Black ostrich feathers decorate the front part of this Turkana man's traditional clay hairdo. Small metal chains,with or without beads attached to the ends of them,are commonplace ear ornaments.
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In the semi-arid terrain of Turkanaland,women have to travel great distances to collect firewood. Like other Nilotic people,Turkana women balance heavy loads on their heads with graceful carriage and poise. The attire of this woman is typical of married women in the tribe.
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A Turkana woman wears all the finery of her tribe: brass lip plug,beaded collar decorated with bleached shells of the African land snail,leaf-like ear ornaments and metal earrings from which hang tiny rings of goat horn.
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A Turkana girl in all her finery. Among the Turkana,cicatrization is a common form of beautification. She wears a crucifix given to her by a missionary; they are popular ornaments despite not necessarily being associated with Christianity.
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An old Turkana woman,typically wearing many layers of bead necklaces and a series of hooped earrings with an pair of leaf-shaped earrings at the front.
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Childhood is brief in nomadic communities. From an early age,Turkana girls help their mothers with the household chores and look after their younger brothers and sisters during the day. The baby has wooden charms round her neck to ward off evil spirits.
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Song is an art form ingrained in Turkana culture. At the end of a dance session,the participants invariably enjoy the Song of the Bulls. Each young man will take centre-stage to extol the praises of his favourite ox. He will explain how it came into his possession,its distinguishing traits and with outstretched arms,imitate the shape of its horns.
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Turkana girls return home from a Waterhole with water containers made of wood. Their cloaks are goatskin embellished with glass beads.
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A young Turkana girl has had the rims of her ears pierced in seven places and keeps the holes open with small wooden sticks. After marriage,she will hang leaf-shaped metal pendants from each hole.
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Turkana women and girls are responsible for watering livestock,which is unusual among pastoral societies. Here,a young girl waters goats from a waterhole dug in the sand of a seasonal watercourse. Her young brother will control the flow of stock to the water trough. In the background,a man digs out another waterhole; they have to been deepened regularly towards the end of the dry season.
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An old Turkana woman wearing all the finery of her tribe.In a hole pierced below her lower lip, she wears an ornament beautifully made from twisted strands of copper wire.Leaf shaped ear ornaments are typically worn by married women of the tribe and the tiny amber coloured rings hanging from her earrings are made from goats hooves.
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Song is an art form ingrained in Turkana culture. After months of separation,young men and girls gather together during the rains when grass is abundant and life is relatively easy for a while. The Turkana have a rich repertoire of at least twenty dances,most of which are quite energetic.
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A jovial group of Turkana girls in traditional attire. Their aprons are made of goatskin,either beaded or cut into thin strips before braiding. The two girls in the middle have already had the flesh below their lower lips pierced in readiness for a brass ornament after marriage.
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A young Turkana girl wearing an attractively beaded leather apron and belt stands outside her mother's home. Sansevieria or wild sisal lines the lower walls of the house. Cicatrization round the nipples of a girl is not an uncommon form of beautification.
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When a Turkana woman gives birth,four goats will be slaughtered in a twenty-four-hour period to celebrate the occasion. The skin of the first goat will be made into a pouch for carrying the baby on its mother's back. The small wooden balls on the back of this pouch are charms to ward off evil spirits. The baby is wearing a bracelet of ostrich eggshell beads.
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Song is an art form ingrained in Turkana culture. At the end of a dance session,the participants invariably enjoy the Song of the Bulls. Each young man will take centre-stage to extol the praises of his favourite ox. He will explain how it came into his possession,its distinguishing traits and with outstretched arms,imitate the shape of its horns.
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A Turkana girl's necklaces are well-oiled with animal fat and glisten in the sun. The use of red ochre has been copied from their Samburu neighbours and is not widespread. Occasionally,a girl will put on so many necklaces that her vertebrae stretch and her neck muscles gradually weaken. The partially shaven head is typical of Turkana women and girls.
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The traditional weaponry of the Turkana warriors consisted of a long-shafted spear with a narrow blade,a small rectangular shield made of giraffe or buffalo hide,a wrist knife worn round the assailant's right wrist and one or two finger knives for gouging out an enemy's eyes. They must have been an awesome sight in full battle cry. Modern arms have now replaced the old ways of fighting.
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Song is an art form ingrained in Turkana culture. At the end of a dance session,the participants invariably enjoy the Song of the Bulls. Each young man will take centre-stage to extol the praises of his favourite ox. He will explain how it came into his possession,its distinguishing traits and with outstretched arms,imitate the shape of its horns.
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Childhood is brief in nomadic communities. From an early age,Turkana girls help their mothers with the household chores,while boys learn to look after the small stock. There are only short periods in a day when children can relax and play.
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Turkana women and girls are responsible for watering livestock,which is unusual among pastoral societies. Here,a girl waters cattle from a Waterhole dug in the sand of a seasonal watercourse. The Turkana manipulate the horns of their ox's into perfect symmetry or any whimsical shape that takes the owner's fancy.
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A Turkana woman with braided hair wearing heavy beaded necklaces and a black ostrich feather in the typical attire of Turkana married women.
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A Turkana woman sitting in the doorway of her hut. Her heavy mporro braided necklace identifies her as a married woman. Typical of her tribe,she wears many layers of bead necklaces and a beaded headband.
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Donkeys are indispensable beast of burden,assuring the nomadic Turkana of complete mobility. These study little animals carry the few essentials of life in oval panniers strapped to their flanks. Infants,puppies and newborn kids will also ride securely in them. The skittle-shaped wooden containers are used for milk and water.
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When the Turkana form temporary stock camps in the dry season,they might have to move again in three or four days' time. Often,families have no time or inclination to build a temporary home. They will make do with a shady tree and sleep on skins spread out on the ground.
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Donkeys are indispensable beast of burden,assuring the nomadic Turkana of complete mobility. These study little animals carry the few essentials of life in oval panniers strapped to their flanks. Infants,puppies and newborn kids will also ride securely in them. The skittle-shaped containers are used for milk and water.
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Kenya, Marsabit County, Kalacha. Turkana men and girls jump high in the air as they sing and dance at the annual Kalacha Festival. Ostrich feathers are a prized possession of the men.
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Kenya, Marsabit County, Kalacha. Turkana men wear traditional headdresses decorated with ostrich feathers at the Kalacha Festival. Ostrich feathers are a prized possession of the men.
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Kenya, Marsabit County, Kalacha. Turkana men and women sing and dance at the annual Kalacha Festival. The women' s leather skirts are made of goatskins.
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