The community of Ngurunit in Northern Kenya is home to the pastoral Samburu and Rendille tribes, which moved south to Kenya during the period between the 15th and 18th centuries.
Samburu and Rendille women use palm leaves, tightly woven in the coil style, to create durable, watertight baskets. Typically used to store camel’s milk, baskets created for the export market reflect the Samburu trend to embellish and personalize with beads, shells, tree bark, leather strips or sisal string. Created with great attention to quality and style, your Camel Milking Basket may have taken an Ngurunit woman up to a month to create while working around household duties.
Photos of weavers by Nancy Stills