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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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A young Turkana boy looks pensive as he holds a large gourd. Gourds are less common with the Turkana than the wooden containers their women make; firstly,they are expensive since they have to be brought from afar but more importantly they crack more easily on the move.
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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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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 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 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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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. 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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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 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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Kenya, Turkana District. An old Turkana man holding his carved wooden stool cum headrest in his right hand.
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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 herdsboy sneaks a drink of milk straight from a camel's udder. Camels are important to stockowners in the arid regions of Turkanaland since they are browsers and can be milked up to five times a day
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Kenya,Turkana,Oropoi. A Turkana warrior with spear and traditional buffalo-hide shield stands guard near Kenya's border with Uganda where frequent clashes with the Karamajong tribe take place. Kalashnikov AK 47 rifles have now replaced these traditional weapons of war.
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The Turkana spear-fish in the shallow waters of Lake Turkana. The wooden shaft has a detachable metal tip with a sharp barb,which is secured to the end of a long piece of rope. Here,a fisherman waits motionlessly at the ready while standing on a raft made from four or five doum palm logs lashed together.
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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 makes the final ties to the dome-shaped framework of her home. In wet weather,hides will be laid on top and secured with leather thongs.
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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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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 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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As the sun rises over Lake Turkana,a lone Turkana fisherman sits on his traditional fishing baskets to await the arrival of his companions before fishing the shallow waters for tilapia.
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A happy Turkana boy carries home a Nile perch which he caught in Lake Turkana.
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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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Turkana elders wear decorative ivory lip ornaments,secured in position by a spigot which is inserted in a hole pierced below the man's lower lip after initiation. This singular form of decoration was once widespread but is rarely seen today. Likewise,the traditional clay hairdo is gradually dying out.
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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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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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As the sun rises over Lake Turkana,a group of fishermen set out with their traditional fishing baskets to catch talapia in the lake's shallow waters. These traditional methods of fishing are now rare because the introduction of small mesh gillnets has resulted in a marked decline of fish stocks close to the shore.
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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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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,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 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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As the sun rises above the forested peaks of Mount Nyiru,members of a Turkana family chat and plan their day's activities.
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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 expert hairstylist smears clay on the crown of a man's head,then fashions it into an elliptical bun before colouring it with natural pigments. The elliptical clay bun,so characteristic of the Turkana,is now dying out.
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A Turkana man strides purposefully across the treeless Lotagipi Plains as an Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) watches him atop a termite mound.
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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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With his traditional fishing basket poised,a Turkana fisherman rushes to catch a tilapia in the shallow waters of Lake Turkana. The conical shaped basket,three to four feet wide at the mouth and made from pliable sticks and twisted doum palm fronds,has a small flap at the top of the cone through which trapped fish are removed.
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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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Camels are milked in the early morning by Turkana herdsmen. In the best season of year,camels can be milked up to five times a day making them the most important livestock resource the Turkana own. However,these animals do not have the same cultural and emotional value to the Turkana as cattle.
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As the sun rises over Lake Turkana, a group of fishermen fish for tilapia with their traditional fishing baskets in the lakes shallow waters. These traditional methods of fishing are now rare because the introduction of small mesh gillnets has resulted in a marked decline of fish stocks close to the shore.
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Young Turkana boys have fun on a traditional raft made of doum palm logs lashed together. The fish held high by one of the boys is a tiger fish; these fish put up a good fight but are unpleasant eating because they have numerous small bones.
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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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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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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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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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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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The Turkana families living near the seasonal Kerio River build their houses on stilts. This innovative style is found nowhere else in Turkanaland but suits the conditions at Lokori where the friable soil becomes a quagmire in heavy rain.
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Almost everything a Turkana family owns is kept in a wife's day hut. Wooden containers,gourds,utensils and personal clothing or ornaments hang from the ceiling or walls. Watering troughs,donkeys panniers and a grinding stone lean against the walls. The wife's eldest daughter will look after the home during the day while being nanny to her younger brothers and sisters.
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Turkana elders wear decorative ivory lip ornaments,secured in position by a spigot which is inserted in a hole pierced below the man's lower lip after initiation. This singular form of decoration was once widespread but is rarely seen today.
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As the sun rises above the forested peaks of Mount Nyiru,members of a Turkana family chat and plan their day's activities outside their domed-shaped homes,which provide scant protection from the elements.
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A Turkana man sports a fine array of ostrich feathers from his clay hairdo.Having discarded the discomfort of an ivory lip ornament, he has to insert a small wooden plug in the hole beneath his lower lip to prevent dribbling. He wears the traditional Turkana wrist knife on his right wrist.
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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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The natural rock pools along the Sirima lugga (seasonal watercourse) are important to the Turkana and their livestock in an otherwise waterless,rocky region at the southern end of Lake Turkana. In a year of average rainfall,water in the deepest pools will last throughout the year. If they dry up,the Turkana resort to using the alkaline water of Lake Turkana.
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A fresh spring rises at Mawingaten making the place a little oasis in the barren lava country that surrounds it. Mount Kulal is in the background. The palm trees are doum palms (Hyphaene compressa).
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A Turkana man herds his goats in the semi-desert terrain near the southeastern shoreline of Lake Turkana.
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A Turkana man drives his donkeys through lava fields as clouds gather above Mount Nyiru.
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The natural rock pools along the Sirima lugga (seasonal watercourse) are important to the Turkana and their livestock in an otherwise waterless,rocky region at the southern end of Lake Turkana. In a year of average rainfall,water in the deepest pools will last throughout the year. If they dry up,the Turkana resort to using the alkaline water of Lake Turkana.
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A lone Turkana fisherman with his traditional fishing basket strikes an impressive pose on the shores of Lake Turkana as he waits the arrival of his companions before fishing the shallow waters for tilapia.
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The natural rock pools along the Sirima lugga (seasonal watercourse) are important to the Turkana and their livestock in an otherwise waterless,rocky region at the southern end of Lake Turkana. In a year of average rainfall,water in the deepest pools will last throughout the year. If they dry up,the Turkana resort to using the alkaline water of Lake Turkana.
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Kenya,Lake Turkana,Eliye Sprinjgs. Before sunrise,Turkana fishermen with traditional wicker baskets prepare to fish for tilapia in the shallow waters of Lake Turkana using lighted faggots to attract the fish.
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Chesnut weavers build their nests in close proximity to each other in an acacia tree on the plains of Tsavo West National Park during the rainy season.
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A male Wattled Starling in breeding plumage in Tsavo West National Park during the rainy season.
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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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A male Chesnut Weaver pauses while building its nest in an acacia tree on the plains of Tsavo West National Park during the rainy season.
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A family of White Rhinos, the female with a massive horn. Mweiga, Solio, Kenya
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A young Turkana man looks out over Lake Turkana, often referred to as the Jade Sea due to the colour of its alkaline water. The barren, windswept country at this southeast corner of the lake is strewn with basalt lava boulders.
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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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As the sun rises over Lake Turkana,a group of fishermen set out with their traditional fishing baskets to catch talapia in the lake's shallow waters. These traditional methods of fishing are now rare because the introduction of small mesh gillnets has resulted in a marked decline of fish stocks close to the shore.
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Kenya,Loiengalani,Lake turkana. A Turkana tribesman looks out over Lake Turkana from its barren southeastern shoreline.
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Flat-topped acacia trees and dome-shaped Turkana homesteads dot the landscape at Nachola - a semi-arid region with sparse vegetation. Large deposits of petrified wood nearby are evidence of a very different climate and vegetation millions of years ago.
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There are no permanent rivers in Turkana land. The Kerio,which rises far to the south of the district,is one of the most important seasonal water courses. It has belts of thick riverine vegetation and large stands of acacia trees which provide essential dry season refuge for people and their stock.
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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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