Kenya, Laikipia, Ol Malo. A Samburu boy and girl hold hands at a dance in their local manyatta
An Mtaita musician. His glasses are made from the tips of calabashes. His ear ornaments are also made of calabashes or gourds
A Samburu warrior resplendent with long, braided, Ochred hair. The round ear ornaments of the warriors are fashioned from ivory
An attractive !Kung woman. The !Kung are San hunter-gatherers, often referred to as Bushmen. They differ in appearance from the rest of black Africa having yellowish skin and being lightly boned
An old Kikuyu lady picks coffee Taken in the 1960 s, this photograph depicts a traditional form of dress and ear ornaments among Kikuyu women, which has completely disappeared
A proud Samburu mother of two recently circumcised boys wears briefly their bird skin headdresses round her neck after they discard them during the lmuget loolbaa ceremony (the ceremony of the arrows)
Samburu initiates sing during the month after their circumcision. As their wounds heal, their dances become more energetic
Kenya, South Horr, Kurungu. A Samburu youth after his circumcision. The day after he has been circumcised, the initiate must hang in his pierced earlobes copper ear ornaments that are normally worn
Dressed in his black goatskin cloak, a Samburu boy puts his bundle of sticks, staves and gum on the roof of his mothers house
Up to a year before his circumcision, a Samburu boy will style his hair in a distinctive pudding bowl shape and often rub charcoal and fat into it
Laikipiak Msai
Msai warriors draw water from a deep well. The depth of wells is measured by the number of men required to bring water to the cattle troughs at the top of them
A Msai warrior with his long braids and body coated with red ochre mixed with animal fat. He has put ochre dust round his eyes to enhance his appearance ready for a dance
Detail of a Msai warriors ear ornaments and other beaded or metal adornments. The Msai practice of piercing ears in adolescence and gradually elongating the lobes is gradually dying out
A Msai warrior in full battle cry, his long-bladed spear at the ready
Kenya, Kajiado, lpartimaro. Two Msai warriors in full regalia. The headress of the man on the left is made from the mane of a lion while the one on the right is fringed with black ostrich feathers
During an eunoto ceremony when Msai warriors become junior elders, their heads are shaved and they daub themselves with white clay
The traditional weaponry of the Turkana warriors consisted of a long-shafted spear with a narrow blade, a small rectangular shield made of giraffe or buffalo hide
A Turkana man with a fine clay hairstyle, so typical of the southern Turkana. The black ostrich feather pompoms denote that the man belongs to the ng imor (black) moiety of his tribe
A Samburu boy in reflective mood after his circumcision. A day after the ordeal, he will hang in his pierced earlobes copper earrings normally worn by married women
A Samburu youth, his head freshly shaved, has milk poured over him from a wooden gourd-like container decorated with green grass prior to his circumcision
A Hamar woman blows a tin trumpet at a Jumping of the Bull ceremony. The Hamar are semi-nomadic pastoralists of Southwest Ethiopia whose women wear striking traditional dress
A Karo man with braided hair plays a traditional stringed instrument beside the Omo River near Duss. Young men settle disputes by fighting with hippo hide whips
A woman from the N!!S hunter-gatherer band enjoys a smoke. The N!!S are a part of the San people, often referred to as Bushmen
Beaded womens dresses on sale at the Dubai Souk, Deira, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Kenya, Laikipia, Ol Malo
Kenya, Laikipia, Ol Malo. A Samburu warrior sings and claps during a dance
A Pokot woman wearing the traditional beaded ornaments of her tribe which denote her married status. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language
The ornaments of a Pokot warrior including a ring of goat skin which would have been slaughtered for a ceremony. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language
Pokot men, women and girls dancing to celebrate an Atelo ceremony. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language
A Pokot woman in traditional attire with patterned cicatrices on her back attends an Atelo ceremony. Her broad belt is made with the metacarpus and metatarsal bones of dikdiks interspersed with beads
Pokot women and girls dancing to celebrate an Atelo ceremony. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language
A Pokot woman in traditional attire dances to celebrate an Atelo ceremony. Her broad belt is made with the metacarpus and metatarsal bones of dikdiks interspersed with beads
Pokot men and women dancing to celebrate an Atelo ceremony. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language
A Pokot man wearing typical beaded ornaments of his tribe. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language. Kenya
An old Pokot woman dancing during an Atelo ceremony. The cow horn container usually contains animal fat
Two young Pokot girls wearing traditional ornaments that denote their unmarried status. Their broad belts are made with the metacarpus and metatarsal bones of dikdiks interspersed with beads. Kenya
A Pokot warrior wearing a leopard skin cape celebrates an Atelo ceremony, spear in hand. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language
Pokot warriors celebrate an Atelo ceremony. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language
Jovial Pokot women celebrate an Atelo ceremony. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language
Pokot women wearing traditional beaded ornaments and brass earrings denoting their married status. celebrate an Atelo ceremony. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language
A Pokot warrior wearing a leopard skin jumps high in the air surrounded by women to celebrate an Atelo ceremony. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language
A Pokot warrior wearing a cheetah skin jumps high in the air surrounded by young women to celebrate an Atelo ceremony. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language
Two young Datoga boys. The youngest wears metal bells around his ankles to ensure that he does not wander far from home without his mother or another member of the family hearing him
A young Datoga boy attired in beads. The metal bells worn around his ankles ensure that he does not wander far from home without his mother or another member of the family hearing him
A Wa-Arusha warrior carries home a yoke. His brown necklace is made from aromatic wood. The Wa-Arusha are closely related to the Msai and speak the same _maa language
A Msai woman in traditional attire. The preponderance of white glass beads in her ornaments denotes that she is from the Kisongo section of the Msai, the largest clan group
Young Datoga man in a wellA young Datoga man helps to draw water for his familys livestock from a well on the east side of Lake Manyara. All young men wear strings of twisted yellow and light blue beads round their waists
