The Tugen Community of Kenya

Daniel Toroitich arap Moi's cloak

Daniel Toroitich arap Moi served as Kenya's second president, from 1978 to 2002. He wore this cloak, which is made from colobus monkey skin.

Religion and beliefs

The Tugen pray to their God, Asis (sun). They also have other gods, namely: Chepapkoyo (god of harvest) and Cheptengeryan (god of love).

This is a cowhide thong (Riguita), made by women and used for tethering cows. It would have been tied around the neck or one leg to tether an animal to a particular grazing area.

Farming tools

This is a hoe (mogombe), made of an iron blade fitted with a wooden haft (Gedit).

The blade was made by a blacksmith, while each owner would add a suitable handle. It was used by women for digging in the fields.

Protecting the community

This shield was used for defence purposes during warfare. It was made from hippopotamus hide by a specialist.

The hide would be cut, curved and bound with leather. It would then be buried in soil for three days until it was stiff enough to be beaten into shape with a hammer.

Making utensils and woodwork

Tugen men used an adze to carve out wood and make food bowls (tubei). They were useful for families who ate together and passed food around in the bowl.

Childbirth

This is a belt made by women from cowhide and cowrie shells, and used by a new grandmother whose daughter had just given birth. A belt with one row of cowries would usually be worn by a girl and a second row added later, when she became a mother.

A new grandmother would wear a belt with three rows, and a great grandmother would wear four. Sometimes, if the great grandmother had passed on, the fourth row would still be added on to her old belt. The belt would have been passed on to her eldest son and was kept in his lineage.

A belt like this would also be hung over the neck of a goat, which was later given as a special present to the husband's family.

Circumcision

These are two earblocks, which were made and worn by uncircumcised girls to stretch their earlobes.

Boys would wear ear plugs (sora) in each earlobe after circumcision. In each age-set, the initiates were bundled into siritie, or what can be understood as a team. There were three 'teams' or siritoik in an age-set (ibindo). Men circumcised together had a very high level of solidarity.

Tugen girl

A young Tugen girl dressed for circumcision.

Today circumcision of girls is illegal in Kenya, and communities are encouraged to use alternative initiation practices.

Marriage

This is an earring (mwanikabitik) with beads and zip fastener, stitched on cowhide all around the edge. It was made and worn by married women.

Traditionally Tugen didn't consider a woman as belonging to an age-set until she was married. She could marry any age-set except that to which her father belonged.

Marriage ceremonies were highly valued in Tugen society.

Neacklace

This necklace was worn and made by uncircumcised girls. It is covered with red ochre and made of twelve strings of beads. These were made from wood of the kipungeiwa tree and cowhide spacers, threaded on wild sisal thread (kilembele).

The wooden beads were cut with a knife for decoration, and the outer edge is a string of white oblong beads, each separated by four or six red beads threaded on wire.

Entertainment

This lyre is a traditional musical instrument made of wood, with a tin top and bottom. It has six strings and the resonator has a wooden bridge.

Lyres like this were made and played by young men, to accompany singing and entertain guests in the evening.

Anklets

This is a pair of anklets made from Colobus monkey (Koroit) skin – one with a row of white and row of orange beads, and the other with green and orange beads at the top edge.

The monkey was caught and killed by a Morani, who then made the anklets and would have worn them particularly at dances and ceremonies.

Game hunting is now illegal in Kenya.