"Where there are experts there will be no lack of learners." —Kenyan proverb
Some researchers believe that the pottery arts found in western Kenya resemble pots found along the Nile in South Sudan, correlating with evidence that ancestral people from that region migrated to Kenya centuries ago.
Potters work with riverbank clay, which they shape, decorate, fire, and then use for cooking, eating, and serving food. Villagers use large jug-shaped pots as household cisterns to collect and conserve rainwater.
FESTIVAL PARTICIPANTS
Dina Anyango Adipo and Grace Akinyi Jakoyo are members of the Oriang women’s pottery group made up of more than fifty members who use indigenous techniques of molding clay to make pots. This group was formed over thirty years ago to help promote, preserve, and safeguard the cultural heritage of the Luo community.
From the Festival
Dina Anyango Adipo of the Luo community works on a large, utilitarian clay pot.
Photo by Benita Mayo, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution
The fine details of a clay pot show Dina Anyango Adipo's skills and creativity.
Photo by Bea Ugolini, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution
Grace Akinyi Jakoyo teaches a young visitor the art of pottery making.
Photo by Maggie Pelta-Pauls, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution
In front of an attentive group of visitors, Grace Akinyi Jakoyo of the Luo community shapes a clay pot on a simple wheel.
Photo by Bea Ugolini, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution
