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Dholuo Artefacts

The document provides a list of traditional artefacts from the Dholuo community of Kenya, including their materials and uses. Some items mentioned are the tongue spear used for defense, okumba shields decorated with plants, headdresses made of feathers, beads from ostrich eggshells, metal bracelets and rings, cowrie shell decorations showing wealth, bead necklaces and waistbands, leopard skins worn by warriors, woven baskets for shopping, body scarification, loincloths, fiber skirts, pots for water and beer, tobacco smoking stems and pipes.

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Shemus O'Flahherty FInchbergsen
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1K views5 pages

Dholuo Artefacts

The document provides a list of traditional artefacts from the Dholuo community of Kenya, including their materials and uses. Some items mentioned are the tongue spear used for defense, okumba shields decorated with plants, headdresses made of feathers, beads from ostrich eggshells, metal bracelets and rings, cowrie shell decorations showing wealth, bead necklaces and waistbands, leopard skins worn by warriors, woven baskets for shopping, body scarification, loincloths, fiber skirts, pots for water and beer, tobacco smoking stems and pipes.

Uploaded by

Shemus O'Flahherty FInchbergsen
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Kenyatta University

Department of Art and Design


Fine Art
AAD 200 (N)
Traditional African Art
Dr. Zeddy Rop

The Artefacts of the Dholuo Community; their uses and


materials
Awuor Onyango D
M06S/16956/2013

The artefacts of The Dholuo


The Luo are a group of River-lake Nilotes who inhabit a vast area of East Africa
spanning South Sudan to the Congo. Like most African ethnicities, the Luo made
tools and artefacts out of locally made materials and for some function such as social
indicators, spiritual practice etc. Below are a list of some of the tools, costumes and
artefacts of the Kenyan Luos.

A man wearing an Ogut Gagi

Tonge- a spear used for defense and protection. It was made of a stick and brass for
the spear
Okumba- a shield made of cow-hide and decorated using vegetation (bombwe)
Lak Rao- hippo teeth hanging on the chest or mouth, a sign of wisdom and leadership
Ogudu- headdress
Ogut gagi- hat made of cowrie shells
Ogut tigo- hat made of bead-work
Rek- beads made of ostrich eggshells
Minyonge- metal wrist bracelet made of copper, brass or iron
Tere- metal rings for the fingers worn by both men and women they were used for
tapping tobacco pots among other uses

a man carrying an adita, wearing minyonge and covered with cowrie shells. His headdress is made of
Kondo udo i.e ostrich feathers.

Thwini- metal chain belt


Kondo udo- ostrich feathers
Kondo bim- colobus monkey hair hat
Leke njiri/ like mbeche- Teeth of warthog worn by warriors and the elderly
Lak Rao- hippo teeth worn by medicine men
Gaagi- cowrie shells were used as a show of wealth and as decoration
Tik ngut- necklace made of Stone beads
Tik nungo- beads tied at the waist
Til ng'ut- beads tied around the neck
Ngaga- earrings made of metal
Ligisa- bead-work headdress open at the top and made of vegetable fiber sticks and
decorated with glass beads
Ipian Kwach- leopard skin that was won by warriors
Pand ligangla- dagger carried in a sheath tied around your waist

Adita- wooven basket


Okapo- woven basket used for shopping
Ng'olo- body scarification
Olemo- leather loin cloth
Chieno- fiber skirts
Dag pi-big narrow-necked pot for water
Dag Kong'o- big narrow-neckes pot for beer

a young woman with an ondhuru on her lips and a ligisa on her head

Ondhuru- long stem for smoking tobacco


Kwesi- clay pipebowl for smoking tobacco attached to the Ondhuru

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