KENYA: Turkana craftsmen turn bones into art to boost income

Record ID: 362158

  • Title: KENYA: Turkana craftsmen turn bones into art to boost income
  • Date: 9th November 2011
  • Summary: TURKANA, KENYA (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CRAFTSMEN SIFTING THROUGH PILE OF BONES VARIOUS OF BONE BEING CUT WITH AN ELECTRIC SAW VARIOUS OF CRAFTSMAN PAINTING A BONE SIGN READING 'TURKANA WOMEN HANDICRAFTS' VARIOUS OF WOMEN THREADING BEADS INSIDE HANDICRAFT WORKSHOP (SOUNDBITE) (Swahili) CECILIA MUCHERU, CRAFTS SUPERVISOR SAYING: "We deal with bones of camels, cat
  • Embargoed: 24th November 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kenya, Kenya
  • Country: Kenya
  • Topics: Arts
  • Reuters ID: LVAARVSLDABFG7WJ4HK1RWDH4S0W
  • Story Text: In a place where drought and chronic food shortages have had a crippling impact on livelihoods, waste of any kind is rarely an option. In Lodwar, the capital of Kenya's dry and strikingly beautiful Turkana district, bones are no exception.
    Taken from animals who have either been eaten or died because of drought, they provide a versatile material for the region's many jewellery and souvenir crafters, who transform them into beautiful bracelets, necklaces and household decorations.
    Before they are carved the bones are bleached for several hours in boiling water to remove pieces of skin and cartilage. They are then expertly cut, smoothed and sanded, ready to be transformed into goods for the market.
    Not far from where bones are processed is a small women's cooperative where bones and beads are used to make crafts to sell in local shops and roadside stalls, with the help of funding from the local catholic diocese.
    "We deal with bones of camels, cattle and goats as well. These are things that are found here in Lodwar. We want to teach the youth that materials can be found here that you do not have to go far to look for them and they can be of benefit to you," said the collective's supervisor Cecilia Mucheru.
    Many of the women who work there, including Gladys Kiyapa, come from rural parts of Turkana but have left because of hard economic times.
    "Since I came to Lodwar I have been making these necklaces to get a little money to help my family. In the rural villages, there was nothing for us to do," she said.
    Bone art has long been a tradition in Turkana, where decorative head, ear and neck pieces are an integral part of local culture, worn in different ways by men, women and children and used as a means of identification between one community and another.
    But while some of the crafts made from bone and beads are used for ceremonies and special occasions, most are sold to visitors and tourists keen to take a piece of Turkana culture with them when they go back home.
    As one customer Doris Asimit says, buying bone products is seen by many as a good way to support the local economy and encourage traditions to be preserved.
    "I have decided to buy things here because I want to promote the economy of Turkana county. There is no need for me to waste transport going to Kitale or Eldoret or Nairobi to buy when we have them available in the area," said Asimit.
    Some of the money raised by the goods made by the women is collected and put back into the community to fund health and education projects.
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