The Turkana Community of Kenya

The breathtaking Lake Turkana

The Turkana are believed to have migrated from southern Sudan and settled around Lake Turkana, where they mainly kept their livestock. Those close to lake Turkana and river Turkwel carried out fishing and farming in addition to pastoralism.

Due to their nomadic way of life, the Turkana traditionally had no centralised governance system. However, certain social positions were granted to individuals based on their wealth, war skills, divination, as well as positive personal qualities.

Turkana women

Turkana women traditionally took care of the children and household duties. They excelled in making beaded ornaments and building new semi-permanent houses each time the homestead shifted as a result of their nomadic lifestyle.

Typical Turkana homestead

This photograph depicts a traditional Turkana village.

Turkana girls

Young Turkana girls adorned in their traditional attire and characteristic hairdo.

Fertility doll

The doll is made of doum palm fruit and beads, and was carried by young girls until they married.

Joyous Turkana women wearing traditional ceremonial costumes

The women have adorned themselves with traditional beaded head ornaments and necklaces some of which are made from elephant's tail. A woman wearing the necklace made from an elephant's tail signifies that she is married.

Earrings of old aluminium cooking pots

This is a pair of leaf shaped aluminium earrings, which were worn by older women and hung from the helix of the ear.

Abwor apron

An intricate beaded apron in red, blue and white, worn by women.

Two men engaging in a recreational stick fight

Turkana men made weapons, such as spears, which they used to protect their cattle, and hunt birds and small animals.

Hunting for food

This stick was cut from wood of the edome (cordia ghara) tree and used by men and boys for throwing at animals and birds. Angles were cut on head to make sharp spikes for killing. It was thrown sideways so that it has a flat irregular rotary motion.

Wrist knife

This wrist knife was made from scrap iron by a Turkana blacksmith. It was used by men for cutting meat and as a weapon for fighting when necessary.

Finger knife

Made from a nail three inches long, this type of knife was used for cutting meat or thread, and was commonly found among the Pokot and Turkana.

Traditional dance

The women and men are wearing ceremonial costumes made from animal skin and fitted with decorative beads. They are also wearing traditional beaded necklaces and coiled aluminium armbands.

Male dancers

Depicted in the photo is a group of men preparing to perform a cultural dance.

High-jumping and dancing

A group of Turkana men performing a traditional dance, which includes high-jumping.

Sets of leg bells sewn on khaki cloth

The bells were made by a blacksmith from scrap iron, and used for dancing by both men and women. Worn below the knee, they were used especially at wedding ceremonies.

Head ornament

This is an ornament used to stick into a mud pack coiffure to hold ostrich feathers. It has a number of deep holes formed of string topped with woven fine copper wire. It was made and used only by men.

Turkana rituals

During such ceremonies, men usually sit on a headrest or stool in a semi-circular formation preparing to perform a ritual.