Traditional Foodways of the East Pokot Community of Kenya

Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage:

Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage:

Traditional Foodways of the East Pokot Community of Kenya

Compiled by: P. Maundu, B. Kapeta, P. Muiruri, Y. Morimoto, E. Bosibori, S. Kibet, A. Odubo

Editors: Patrick Maundu and Brian Kapeta

IntangibleCulturalHeritage

United Nations Educational, Scienti�c and

Cultural Organization

Supported by

Safeguarding IntangibleCultural Heritage

UNESCO Project Manager: Mulekeni NgulubeFinancial Contribution: Japanese Funds-In-Trust

Acknowledgements: This publication was prepared in partnership with the following institutions and groups. Their valuable contribution is highly appreciated.

a) DepartmentofCulture,MinistryofStateforNationalHeritageandCultureb) KenyaResourceCentreforIndigenousKnowledge(KENRIK),NationalMuseumsofKenyac) BioversityInternationald) KenyaSocietyofEthnoecologye) MembersoftheIsukhaandtheEastPokotcommunitiesf) TeachersandpupilsofMurakaandShihuliprimaryschoolsinIsukhaandChemolingotandChuroprimaryschools

inEastPokot.

Compiled by: Patrick Maundu, Brian Kapeta, Patel Muiruri, Y. Morimoto, E. Bosibori, S. Kibet, A. Odubo

Editors: Patrick Maundu and Brian Kapeta

Photographs: Patrick Maundu, Brian Kapeta, Patel Muiruri, Y. Morimoto, S. Kibet, M. Ngulube, Henry Losikiriatum, Zipporah Ayuma, Sammy Lokea, Leah Sapan and pupils and teachers of Muraka, Shihuli, Chemolingot and Churo primary schools

Layout and Design: Peter Mungai

Printing: Digital Process Works Ltd. P.O. Box 35045 - 00200, Nairobi - Kenya

Copyright: This publication is not for commercial use. No part of the book may be reproduced in any form including copying or manipulating its content for private interests, without prior or written permission from UNESCO. Non-profit organizations, however may freely distribute parts of the publication where there is no financial gain. The copyright of all photographs used here rests on individual photographers.

ISBN 9966-955-07-0

© UNESCO 2013 All rights reservedThe authors of this report are responsible for the choice and the presentation of facts and for the opinions ex-pressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization. The designations employed and presentation of information do not imply the expression of any opinion what-soever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its au-thorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

IntangibleCulturalHeritage

United Nations Educational, Scienti�c and

Cultural Organization

Supported by

Safeguarding IntangibleCultural Heritage

ContentsForeword ................................................................................................................ v

Executive summary ................................................................................................vi

Background ...........................................................................................................vii

1. Honey ................................................................................................................ 1Introduction............................................................................................................. 1Productionofhoney................................................................................................ 2Usesofhoney.......................................................................................................... 3

2. Milk (Cho) and Milking ....................................................................................... 4

3. Cooked wild fruit ............................................................................................... 8Introduction............................................................................................................. 8

4. Wild fruits (Akwaawuhuu) ................................................................................ 14Kamol..................................................................................................................... 16Kelion..................................................................................................................... 16Lakatetwo............................................................................................................... 17Taparer................................................................................................................... 17Matunden.............................................................................................................. 18Kinyotwo................................................................................................................ 18Muchukwo............................................................................................................. 19Kaloswo.................................................................................................................. 20Puterwo................................................................................................................. 20Sitet........................................................................................................................ 21

5. Herding (achei) ................................................................................................. 22Introduction........................................................................................................... 22Grazing(Ayakwaa)................................................................................................. 22

6. Meat (pento) ................................................................................................... 30Introduction........................................................................................................... 30

7. Wild edible roots (sikinn) .................................................................................. 33a)Aurieng’ee(Hydrora abyssinica) ...................................................................... 33b.Kolopcho........................................................................................................... 34c.Kelaa................................................................................................................... 35d.Chesowancha..................................................................................................... 35e.Kaptirimam......................................................................................................... 36f.Chepanyinta....................................................................................................... 36g.Tapoyo............................................................................................................... 36h.Kamurmur......................................................................................................... 36i.Kipkodo............................................................................................................... 37j.Kamkech............................................................................................................. 37k.Akan................................................................................................................... 37

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k.Kaptirimam......................................................................................................... 37

8. Termites (flying forms) ..................................................................................... 38

9. Mushroom (oota) ............................................................................................ 41Ediblefungi(keliomogh–sing.–kelpomogh)........................................................ 41Poisonousfungi..................................................................................................... 41

10. Ceremonies .................................................................................................... 42Boys’initiation(circumcision)................................................................................ 42Weddingceremony................................................................................................ 42Karoyon(karoyön)(foreteller)............................................................................... 43Amuro.................................................................................................................... 43Kalat(kolat)............................................................................................................ 43Dia ......................................................................................................................... 43Sapana................................................................................................................... 43Tiaty(Tiachi)sacredhill......................................................................................... 45

Appendix .............................................................................................................. 46Appendix1:GlossaryofPokotWordsUsed........................................................... 46AppendixII:FoodplantsofthePokot................................................................... 53AppendixIII:EdiblewildanimalsofEastPokot..................................................... 56AppendixIV:Resourcepersonsandotherusefulcontacts.................................... 59

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ForewordKenyabecameastatepartytothe2003ConventionfortheSafeguardingoftheIntangibleCulturalin2007withastrongcommitmenttothesafeguardingandpromotionoftheintangibleculturalheritageofitscommunities,groupsandindividuals.

Since2010,withfinancialsupportfromtheJapaneseFunds-In-Trust,UNESCOhasbeencollabo-ratingwiththeKenyanGovernmentinimplementingaproject,“Safeguardingtraditionalfood-waysoftwocommunitiesinKenya”,IsukhaandEastPokot.TheaimoftheProjectistorevitalizethetraditionalfoodwaysinthesetwocommunitiesby:identifyingandinventoryingtheirtradi-tional foodways;encouragingthesecommunitiestoappreciatetraditional foodpractices;andraisingawarenessinKenyaabouttheendangereddiversityofitstraditionalfoodways.

Traditionalfoodwaysinvolvespracticestransmittedwithinacommunityconcerningthegrowing,harvesting,collecting,preparationandconsumptionoffood,includingtheprovisionofingredi-entsandtherolesofallpeopleinvolved.Traditionalfoodways,boththoserelatedtoeverydaylifeaswellasthoseassociatedwithspecialoccasions(suchasrituals,socialpractices,andfestiveevents)constituteanimportantpartoftheintangibleheritageofcommunitiesintheWorld.InKenya, as inmany countries, because of globalization,modernization andurbanization tradi-tional foodwaysarebeingabandoned forwestern style foodways. The younger generation isparticularlyaffectedastheyarenolongerawareofthetraditionalfoodwaysandtheirassociatedtraditionsandpracticesoftheircommunities.

TheProjecttargetedyoungpeopleandworkedwith2primaryschoolsineachofthetwocom-munities:MurakaandShihuliPrimarySchoolsinIsukha;andChuroandChemolingotPrimarySchoolsinEastPokot.Teachersandparentshelpedschoolchildrendocumentinformationaboutthevariousfoodwayswithintheircommunity,developingamanualwhichprovidedtheschoolchildrenwithastepbystepprocedureonhowtoidentify,documentandinventorytraditionalfoodwaysoftheircommunities,coveringaspectssuchas:typesoftraditionalfoods;traditionalfoodwaysseasons;harvestingandpreparationmethods;preservationmethods,nutritionalval-ues;aswellasassociatedrituals.

TheinventoriesthatwereelaboratedthroughthisProjecthavebeenusedtoproducethisBookon“TraditionalFoodwaysoftheEastPokotCommunityofKenya.TheBookprovidesamirrorintotherichanddiversetraditionalfoodwaysoftheEastPokotCommunityandtheirassociatedtraditions,beliefs,taboosandpractices.

UNESCOwould like toexpress itsprofoundgratitude to theGovernmentof Japan for the re-sourcesprovidedthroughtheJapanese-Funds-In-Trustwhichsupportedtheimplementationofthis Project.UNESCO is also grateful to the teamat Kenya Society of Ethnoecology,NationalMuseumsofKenya,DepartmentofCultureandBioversityInternationalfortheirinvaluablecon-tributiontothisprojectandthepublicationofthisbook.

DjelidMohamed Director UNESCO-Nairobi

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Executive summaryThisdocumentpresentstheresultsofdocumentationoftraditionalfoodwaysconductedintheEastPokot communityof Kenyawithin theproject ‘Safeguarding traditional foodwaysof twocommunitiesinKenya.Thedocumentationwasundertakenbetween2010-2012largelybypupilsoftwoprimaryschools–ChemolingotandChuroassistedbytheirteachers,alocalprojectcoordi-natorandtheprojectteammainlyconsistingofstafffromNationalMuseumsofKenya,BioversityInternationalandtheDepartmentofCulture.

Itwouldbeadifficulttasktodocumenttheentirefoodwaysofacommunitywithinsuchashortdurationandsotenrepresentativethemeswerechosenforeachcommunityinconsultationwiththelocalcoordinatorandteachers.Thesethemeswerechosenonthebasisofimportancetothecommunity.Selectedthemes/topicswereasfollows: 1. Honey2. Milk3. Cookedfruitseeds4. Wildfruits5. Herding

6. Meat7. Wildediblerootsandtubers8. Mushrooms9. Termites10.Ceremonies

Forthetenthemes inthebook,about130foodsofplant,animalandfungioriginhavebeenexplained.About133suchphotographshavebeenusedtoshowthefoodsoractivitiesrelatingtoacquiring,processingandeating.Asmuchaspossible,thefoodinformationineachthemeisarrangedinthefollowingorder:a) Generalinformationonthefood(significanceinthesociety,availablediversity/types)b)Acquiring the food (the source,harvesting,processing for storage,propagation,manage-

ment)j) Storageoffoodandseedk) Foodpreparation(processing,cooking)l) Servingandeatingfoodm)Nutritionandhealthinformationn)Relatedbeliefs,taboos,myths,songs

AglossaryofPokotterms(Appendix1)withover230termshasbeenprovided.Inaddition,alistwith430localnamesofedibleplantsofthePokotwithscientificequivalentshasalsobeenprovided(Appendix2).Alsoprovidedintheappendixesarenamesofedibleanimalsincludingbirdsandmammals(Appendix3).Finally,alistofthekeyresourcepersonsandcontactsinEastPokotisavailableattheendofthebook.AlthoughthefocusofthebookisEastPokot,oneofthetwoPokotcommunities,additionalinformationfromWestPokot(theothergroup)hasalsobeenincluded.

Theinformationpresentedhereisbynomeanscomplete.Notwithstandingthis,thebookisafirstattempttodocumenttraditionalfoodwaysinthecountry.Therichnessoflocalfoodways,itscomplexityandthechallengesonehastofaceduringdocumentationcannowbeappreciated.Itishopedthatthisworkwillactasamotivationfordifferentgroupstocarryoutorsupportsimilardocumentationworkoftraditionalfoodwaysamongothercommunities.thefocusofthebookisEastPokot,oneofthetwoPokotcommunities,additionalinformationfromWestPokot(theothergroup)hasalsobeenincluded.

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BackgroundTraditionalfoodwaysinvolvethewholerangeof foods of a community and the practicesand knowledge associated with such food.It entails how, where and when such foodissourced,preparedandconsumedandtherolesofhouseholdandcommunitymembersinvolved. Traditional foodways concern oureveryday life about food including ceremo-nies, beliefs, myths and songs and dance.AlltheseformpartofourIntangibleCulturalHeritage which needs to be cherished andcarried forward to future generations. InKenya,asinmanyothercountries,traditionalfoodwaysareunderthreatduetothepres-sure ofmodernization leading to abandon-mentof traditional foods in favourofmoremodern,oftenfastbutlessnutritiousfoods.Manyyoungpeopleareno longerawareofthe traditional foodways of their communi-ties. In 2007 Kenya ratified the Conventionfor the Safeguarding of the IntangibleCultural Heritage, and is committed to theidentificationand safeguardingof the livingheritagepracticesandexpressionspresentinitsterritory.

MapofKenyashowinglocationofthetwocommunities-IsukhaandPokot

Figure2WestKenyashowingthelocationofthefourparticipatingschools

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compiledalltheinformationintoafoodwaysinventory. Missing information was laterfilled in by the coordinator in collaborationwith the teachers. The method used wasdocumentedby theproject teamand sum-marizedintoamanualwhichcanbeusedbyothercommunitiestodocumenttheirfood-ways.

Aspartofthecampaignstoraiseawarenessabouttraditionalfoodways,eachcommunityinconjunctionwiththeparticipatingschoolsorganizedamajorfoodfestival.Thefestivalswereanopportunity forvillagersandotherschools to participate in traditional food-waysactivities.Inthefestival,rawaswellascooked food, utensils and agricultural toolsand information material were displayed.Foodrelatedtraditionalsongsweresunganddanceandplaysperformed.Speechesweremadeby leaderswhoencouraged the localcommunities toproudly liveandappreciatetraditionalfoodways.

Introduction to East PokotEast Pokot (Tiaty) is one of the districts inBaringo County in Rift Valley Province ofKenya. It is occupied by the Pokot people,a predominantly pastoralist Nilotic speak-ing group. Much of the district lies at thefloor of the Great Rift Valley about 1000masl but it is interspersed with mountainssuch as Tiaty (2300m), Paka and theChurohighlands.Many people in East Pokot areaclaimtohaveoriginallycomefromthehillyareastothenorthofCherenganihills,whereanother group, theWest Pokot people stilllives.Administratively, EastPokot is dividedin to five divisions namely Kolowa, Mondi,Nginyang,TangulbeiandChuro.

Thearea is semiarid and so themaineco-nomic activity is pastoralismwith someag-riculture inthehigherelevationdivisionsofChuroandTangulbei.Boththepurepastoral-ists(thecowpeople)andthefewcultivators(thecornpeople)valuecowsandwhichareseen as the key measure of wealth. Cows

It is becauseof the foregoing thatUNESCOandpartners in2009under theauspicesofthe UNESCO/Japanese Funds-in-Trust forthe Safeguarding of the Intangible CulturalHeritageinitiatedapilotproject,Safeguardingtraditional foodwaysof twocommunities inKenya–namely,theIsukhaofWesternKenyaandPokotofRiftValleyProvince.Theprojectaimedto(1)identifyandinventorytradition-alfoodways,(2)encouragethesecommuni-ties to appreciate traditional food practicesand (3) raiseawareness inKenyaabout theendangereddiversityof its traditional food-waysandrelatedknowledge.

UNESCO and partners, including theDepartment of Culture, National MuseumsofKenyaandBioversityInternationalselect-edthetwocommunities-theIsukha,anag-riculturalgroupandthePokot–apredomi-nantlypastoralistgroupduetotheirdifferentlifestyles. In collaboration with communitymembers,twoprimaryschoolswereselectedineachcommunitytoparticipateintheproj-ect–MurakaandShihuliinIsukha(420and650 pupils respectively) and ChemolingotandChuro(1200and800pupilsrespectively)inEastPokot.Alocalprojectcoordinatorwasselected for each community to coordinateresearchactivities.

Twoteachersfromeachparticipatingschooland local coordinators were trained in in-formationgatheringthroughinterviewsandphotography. The teachers in turn trainedabout 20 pupils from each school, mainlyselected from primary class 5 to 7 (12-14yearsofage). Thepupilswentout to inter-viewtheirparentsandrelativesandtotakephotosoffoodways.InIsukha,thepupilses-tablishedandmaintainedafoodwaysgardenwhileinpastoralistPokot,pupilswentoutonmissionstodiscoverwildfoodsastheytookphotographs.

Information gathered was discussed withother pupils and responsible teachers andshared with the coordinator who in turn

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areusedforbartertrade,assourceoffood(mainlymilkandblood)andfordowry.Cowsare regarded valuable and hence rarelyslaughteredformeat.Otheranimalskeptin-cludegoats,sheep,donkeysandcamels.Thelatterisanewintroduction.

InthelowlandareasAcaciaandCommiphora species dominate, often forming thicketsbut inhigherelevations therearemoreev-ergreen bushes including Acokanthera, Vangueria andRhus.

Administrativeareas.Source:EastPokotDistrictDevelopmentPlan

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EastPokottownsandotherfeatures

1

1. Honey

Atraditionalbeehive

IntroductionBee keeping is one of the most importantfoodways activities of the East Pokot com-munity. Honey, kipketin (kh'pketin) amongthePokot is an important sourceof energyand it isoftenmixedwithother foodssuchasmilkandintheprocessinglocalalcoholicdrinks.Mostofthehoneyisharvestedfromtraditionalbeehives.Theseareusuallycylin-dricalinshapeandmadefromtrunksoflargetreesthathavebeenhollowedout.

Types of beesThePokotrecognizetwotypesofbees:i) Sakamin - the African honey bee whichmainly nests in beehives, rock crevices andhollow trunks.Workers are very aggressiveandhaveaferocioussting.Thisisthebeeoffocusinthisstory.

ii) Kulum (stingless bees). These bees aremuchsmallerinsizethanthesakamin.Theirhoney is called lowiana. The honey is verysweet and clear. The bee inhabits termitemounds andhard soil types and sodiggingthehoneyoutcanbetiresomeandtimecon-suming.Thehoneyiscontainedinaspongygourd-like chamber enclosed in wax about40cmbelowground.Thehoneyiscommonlyharvested in July-August.Thenest is identi-fiedbyasmalltranslucentfunnelofwaxris-ingabout5cmaboveground.Onecannoticethesmallbeesgettinginandout.Itisusuallydiscoveredbychildrenbutitisnormallythebiggerboyswhodigthenestout.Theroundnestcouldbeabout20cm indiameterbutolder ones tend to be larger. A single nestmaygiveacupfulofhoney.Asonedigs,mostofthebeesescape.

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Production of honeyMaking hives The traditional beehive, möghen is madefromtrunksofhugetreessuchasmökong’wö(sycamore fig), atat (Acacia elatior) andkatagh (Commiphora sp.). Traditional bee-hivesarebeingsubstitutedbymodernhives.Mököng’wötree isalsousedforcarvingat-eker(longwoodencontainerusedforwater-ing animals) and otupo (a shallowwoodencontainerfordrinkingmilkwhilepeopleareawayfromhome).

After cutting down the tree, the size andshape of the final product are considered.Logseachabout1.2-1.5mlongby0.5mwidearecutandhollowedoutusingatraditionalchisel,arökon.

(b) Placing the hives

AmodernbeehiveinEastPokot.

Hoistingthehiveupthetreeisdonebyen-ergeticmen.Thehiveishangedorplacedonafirmbranchofalargetree.Strongropesorwiremayalsobeusedtofastenthehivetothetree.Thetreemustbesituatedinacon-duciveenvironment toattractbeesanden-able them surviveduringbad seasons suchaswhenitistoodry,hot,orrainy.Beehivesare usually placed on the following trees:orol, ses,moköngwö,atat, tuwöt, riron, lik-wön and köloswo. Reasons for placing the

beehivesinthesetreesinclude:• tree is strong enough to resist strong

winds especially when the beehive isheavywithhoney.

• tree is not preferred by termites whichmayendupdestroyingthebeehive.

• itshouldnotbeeasyforwildanimalstoclimbupthetree.Thetrunkshouldpref-erablybeslippery.

• the tree shouldpreferablyprovidegoodnectarorbeamongtreesthathavegoodnectarforusebythebees.

Harvesting Mostof theharvesting iscarriedout in theeveningafterdawn,from7:30pmtoaround10.00pm.ThisisbecausethePokotbelievethat bees are blind during night time andhenceharvestingcanbedonewithoutpro-tectivegear.Atraditionaltorch(atömwö)isusedtoproducesmoke(yiot)toscareawaybeestothefarendofthehive.Thetorchiscommonlymadefrombranchesofrokokon,kiptar,sitot(Grewia bicolor)andpilill(Acacia oerfota).Theseplantsarepreferredbecausetheyproducealotofsmokethateasilyscaresthebeesaway.Afterthistreatment,thenearsideofthehiveisopenedandhoneycombsextracted using a short knife. The combsare put it in traditional wooden container,tokögh.

Modern beehives have been introduced inEastPokotand for these,harvestingcanbecarriedoutatanytimeofthedayusingpro-tective gear such as hand gloves, aprons,modern cutting knives, gumboots amongothers.

Processing and storage Thehoneyisprocessedbymenbysqueezingthecombs,orplacingthematanopensunnyplaceornearafireplacetomeltthehoneyslightly.Itismeltedintoawoodencontainercalled tokogh. Thereafter, it is cleaned andput inacontainerandsealedforstorage. Itis storedmainlybymenbut if it is awom-an it has to be under aman’s instructions.

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mentation.Halvesofagourdcalledtїwanoradera and also a wooden container calledotupoareusedfordrinking.Alepit,awoodenjarisalsoused.

Elderssittingoutsidewhileenjoyingkumiket

Honeyisalsousedtopreserveanimalmeat,peny.Themeatofcows(tany)andwildani-malssuchasantelopesandissometimespre-servedinhoney.Meatiscutintosmallpiec-es (sirkon)and sundriedordeep friedanddippedinthehoney.Beewax,tiyok(yitin)ortiyokpokumat(yitikumat),(thematerialthatremainsafterhoneyhasbeensqueezedout)issmearedonnewbeehivestoattractbeestosettle.

Roti(sausagetreefruit)usedformakingalocalalcoholicbrew.

BeliefsAamongthePokotitwasbelievedthatwhenboyseathoneywhichhaspupae in it, theyreach their puberty quickly as they soonchangetheirvoice.

Traditionally,honeyisstoredinagourd,mu-kon(mїkö)(Lagenaria siceraria)orawoodencontainertokogh.

Season Normally the honey season comes aboutthreemonthsafterthepeakoftherainsea-son(frommidAugusttoSeptember).Thisisalsothefloweringtimeforsomegoodnectarplants.Goodnectartreesincludetalamogh,kiptari, anywa, chemanga, ses, tuwöt, atat,sitet, likwon, koloswo, komolwo, prokokon,sus(atypeofgrass)andchoikwo(cheikwo).Whenbeesfeedonnectar(tapuk)fromtheseplantsandparticularlytalamogh,anywaandses the result is high quality honey and agoodharvest.Someotherplantssuchaspililhaveslightlybitterhoney.

Uses of honeyHoney is used for various purposes. Theseincludemedicine, food, brews and in tradi-tionalcleansingceremonies.

Making local brew, kumiket

Awomanpreparingkumiket

Kumiket can be made by both men andwomen. It ismainly for use during culturalceremonies such as the graduation of boysafterinitiationceremonies(seeceremonies).A large (20-30 litre) flat-bottomed gourdcontainercalledsomongu(akeret)isusedtobrew thebeer.Honeyandwateraremixedtogether.Driedfruitsofthesausagetreeorrotin (Kigelia africana),areputinthegourdwhichisthenplacedatthefireplaceforfer-

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Milk is a very important food for thePokotcommunityand it isconsumedbyall familymembersonadailybasis.Itisalsouseddur-ingimportantculturaloccasions.Milkisalsomixedwithbloodandtakenasadrink.

Milking (kaha’rt)Camels(tamas),goats(aran)andcows(tany)aremilkedbywomen(yoo)assistedbygirls(tipn)andboys.Ifcowsaremany,boys8-14yearscanmilkthosecowsgiventothemasarewardforherding.Theboysdrinkthismilkwithout having to share with family mem-bers.Milking istwice inaday, inthemorn-ings(tokwohoo)andevenings(mnun).

Camelsarethefirsttobemilkedasearlyas3aminthemorningfollowedbycowsandfi-nallygoatsandsheepataround8am.Intheafternoon,milking is usually donebetween4-6 pm. During the dry season, it goes be-tween7-9pm.Thereisnomid-daymilking.If a cow gives birth, the calf is allowed tosucklefor2-4daysbeforemilkingcanstart.Thisfirstmilkiscalledmana(colostrum)andiskeptinaspecialgourd(akeret)forusebychildrenonly.

2. Milk (Cho) and Milking

Milking a camel

Acalfisallowedtosucklefirstbeforemilking.Milkingofcam-elstakesplaceat3-4aminthemorningandagainat4-5pmintheafternoon.

Agirlmilkingacamelassistedbyherbrother

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Tamaswithitsfrontleg(kell)tiedtopreventitfromkickingduringmilking

Milking a cow

Aboyismilkingacow.Milkingisdonemainlybywomenbutinothercasesmenalsodothemilkingespeciallywhilelook-ingaftercattlefarawayfromtheirhome.

Milking a goat

Aboymilkinggoatsinthemorning.Themilkwillbeusedbythefamilyformakingtea.Herdersarenotgivengoatsasrewardfortheirwork.

Goatmilk

Akidsucklingaftermilking

Milking song The followingsongwassungbyMrsLoriboofChurowhilemilking.Thesongissupposedtorelaxthecow.Sheisdescribingthecowinthesong.

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Oluwan cho chololong’ee cho potany (Iamdrinkingwarmcowmilk)Asilonyokoghoo(longtail)Chocho’relach(whitemilk)Relltanyi(whitecow)Chelastaamuron (loss of moran (duringraids))

Awomanismilkingwhileherdaughterissingingforthecowtorelaxinordertoproducemoremilk.

Uses of fresh milk In theoldendays,peopleusedtodrinkmilkdirectly without boiling but nowadays it iscommonly consumed after boiling. Milk isalsousedinplaceofwatertopreparemusar(porridge) or panta (ugali) when there is anacuteshortageofthewater.Flourisaddedtotheboilingmilkthencooked.Itisalsoboiledwith vegetables as a flavoring and nutrient-enriching ingredient. Freshgoatmilk isusedforpreparingtea.Malemembersofthefamilyhavetheirteaoutsideastheysitonapolong(traditionalstoolmadefromkureswotree).

Makingmilktea

Making fermented milk (sukun) and gheePreparationofsourfermentedmilkisnormal-lydonebywomen.Thegourd(mukon–pl.)is

firstsmokedwithabranchofanice-smellingtree.Yimitandkaptar–asmallthornyplantare commonly used. The gourd is cleanedwithaflywhisktoridthegourdofashesandcharcoalparticles.Afterthisthegourdisleftfor2-3hours.beforeputtingmilk.

Servingtea

Themilkislefttofermentinawarmplaceforabout three days. The now fermented milkis shakenusing a gourd (kiptambo) tomakeghee (mwoipocho). Themilk (sukun) is thenstored inanothergourd (sot)ora containercalled akeret. The ghee is used for cookingandgivingtochildren.It isalsousedbygirlstooiltheirskinandhair.

Thegheeisheatedtillitturnsintoaliquid.Itisthenputinasmallplasticcontainercalledkondongosorlaal.Itcankeepforaperiodofthreetofourmonths.Itbecomeshandydur-ingdryperiodsorwhenthere is inadequatefood for the family. Fresh skimmed milk isusedformakingtea.

CamelsarenewlyintroducedfromtheSomaliand Borana people. Camels produce moremilkthancowsbutarekeptmoreforprestige.Peopleprefergoatmilkinteaandrarelyusecamelmilk.Unlikecows,camelsgivebirthinthedryseasonandhencebecomeimportantsourcesofmilkatthattime.

Use of milk in ceremonies Most ceremoniesusemilk either as foodorforblessingsandotherrituals.Commoncer-emoniesincludepassagefromoneage-settoanother (sapana, soponut - pl.) and girl cir-cumcision(lapan,loponut–pl.).

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Milk and milking containersMilk containers are either from gourds orcarvedfromtreetrunks.

The gourd is an important container in thePokothousehold. Itusedatallstagesofmilkprocessing. Traditionally, milking of goats isdoneusingawoodenjugcalledalepit. Ithasahandle.Theoneusedformilkingcowscanbebigger.Nowadayshowever,plasticcupsorsmallbucketsare increasinglybeingusedformilking. Aftermilking, themilk is boiled us-ingametalpan,lefttocoolandthenputitincleangourdcontainerwithanelongatedshapecalled muko- (mukon - pl.) for storage. Forsmall quantities, like goat milk (chepo’aran),milkisstoredinasmall-sizedgourd(kadang).

Alepit

Milkgourdsarekeptinasachaa,atraditionalbasketmadefromanimalskinstripswovento-getheraroundaframeworkoftwigs(seepho-to).Whenasachaa is loadedontoadonkey,womenalso use it to carrywater containersfromawatersourcesuchasastream.

Lökölöorasachaa.

This bag is also carried by donkeys duringpastoralist migration. It is made from sitit(Grewia bicolor)andskin.Ithastwotothreecompartments.Theheadof thehousemayuseonecompartmentandchildrentheothertokeeptheirstuff.Duringmigrationtwosuchlokoloare loadedonadonkeyor cameloneachsideandtiedtogether.Itcancarrywa-ter,milk,foodandpersonalbelongings.

Woodencontainerssuchasalepitarecarvedfrom softwoods such asCommiphora spp.and Lannea spp. Gourd containers on theotherhandareboughtorharvestedfromthevines (Lagenaria siceraria) that often growalongfencesandstreams.Thematurefruitsarepicked, lefttodryandpreparedascon-tainers.Seedsdiscardedduringtheprocess-ing germinate easily when it rains. Gourdscould be small or big, elongated or round.Kadang (akїdöny, ki’dony) the small gourdcontainer(alsomadefromwoodorhorn)isalsousedforputtingtobacco(tapaa).

Whengourdsaresplitlongitudinallyintotwo,onehalf(tuwanortїwan)isusedforservingmilkandalsotransferringmilkfromonecon-tainertoanother.Tuwanisalsomadeintoatraditionalheadgearcalledsiolöp.Itisusedasadecorationduringceremoniesbyaper-sonwhodoesnothaveenoughhairontheirhead.

Milk related beliefs and myths Ifacow(tany),camel(tamas)orgoat(aran)hasabrokenleg(kell)orhasbeenbittenbyawildanimalsuchassnakeorhyena,pregnantmotherscannotdrinkitsmilk.Itsmilkiskeptaside. This is because itmay causemiscar-riagesinceitisbelievedthemilkstillhassomepoisonfromthedangerousanimal.Thereisaspecialgourdamotherdrinksfrom,onceshedelivers. If shedelivers twins, themilkkeptinsuchagourdcanonlybedrunkbyfamilymembers.Ifanoutsiderdrinksthemilk,thismaybringbadomentothechildren.Womenrelativestakingcareofherensurethattheserulesarefollowed.

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3. Cooked wild fruit

IntroductionAnumberofwildfruitsarepickedandboiledformanyhoursbeforetheseedcanbeeaten.Theyareboiledforthatlongtoreducebitterandpoisonouscompoundsinthemtoalevelthat is acceptable for consumption. Therearesixcommonlyboiledfruitsandseeds.Asimilar culture of boiling fruits and seed isfound among Pokot’s northern neighbors,theTurkanawholiveinanevenharsheren-vironment.

(a) Main cooked wild fruits (akwa cho’ ki-oghoi) 1. Loma - Balanites rotundifolia and

Balanites pedicellaris2. Sorїch-Boscia coriacea3. Körös-Dobera glabra4. Chepils,chepїlis-Maerua decumbens5. Aruru6. Tuyun–Balanites aegyptiaca

Distribution of wild cooked fruitsThese plants are distributed throughoutPokot but the practice of boiling is morecommon in thedryaridpartswhichconsti-

tutemuchofEastPokot.Thefollowingtableshowsthehabitatsofthespecies.

Harvesting fruits (Köwökughö Akwechi)Mostfruitsbecomeavailableduringthedryseason (komei).The fruitsareharvestedbywomenandchildren.Harvesting isdonebyanyoracombinationofthefollowingmeth-ods: climbing up the tree and picking byhand;picking fallen fruits from theground,mainly as a result ofwind (yomot)orbirds(torit); hitting fruitingbrancheswith stones(kogh);hittingorpullingdown fruitswithalongstick(lukupu).

ProcessingProcessing isdonebywomenandgirlsandinvolvesextracting the seeds from the fruitpulp and seed coat. Seeds are boiled fromseveral to many hours depending on thetype, as one replaces thewater and rinsesout the fruits to reducebitterness and tox-icity.Thefoodisservedeitheralonelikeki-serini(boiledmixtureofmaizeandbeans)oreatenalongwithmilk(cho)ortea(chai).Thenutritionalvalueisbelievedtobelow.

9

Fruitsinthepot.

Boilingthefruits

Theentireprocessofpreparinglomatakes3days.A largesufuria (aluminumpot) isnor-mally used. Pokotwomen have these largesufuriasspecificallyforboilingfruitssuchasloma.

LL=hotlowlandse.g.nearChemolingot;HH=relativelycoolerhighlandse.g.PakaandChuro;LH=midlandse.g.Chemsik,Tangulbei

Loma Sorїch Körös Cheplis (chepїlїs) Aruru Tuyunwo

Habitat LL,LH LL,LH LL,LH LL HH LL,LH

Soil and habi-tat

Stony;softsoil

Softsoil,nottoorocky

Rocky;blackdeepsoil Rockyareas Rocky Rocky,claysoils

Habit Small tree Small tree Bigtree Shrub Shrub Bigtree

Fruit time Dec-Jan Apr Apr Oct–Nov Dec–Jan

Boiling dura-tion

10-12hrs(7am-6pm) 10-12hrs 3hrs 10-12hrs

10-12onlyrarelyused

Note:a) Korosandcheplisarerelated.Cheplisseedscanbeverybitterbutchildrencansucktheripe

fruits.c) Aruruisthehighlandversionofcheplis.b) TherearetwotypesoflomabutthemorecommonlyusedtypereferredtohereisBalanites

rotundifolia.

(b) Loma (Balanites rotundifolia) – harvest-ing and processing

Lomiontree.

Collectedfruit.

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ledons. Cotyledons are then collected intootupöthenspreadonanotheropengroundsmearedwithash(orion).Cotyledonsarelefttodrytilleveningwhentheyareput intoabagtill the followingday. Seeds are spreadoutforfurtherdryingbuthavetobeputbackin sombuu (sompїr) every evening becausegoatscanthem.Theseedsarelikedbygoatsandcanbeusedforfatteningthem.Dryingiscontinuedeverydaytillseedsarecompletelydry. Dry seeds are kept in the sombuu. Asmorefruitisharvestedandprocessed,seedisaddedtillthesombuuisfull.Seedsarekepttilltheyareneeded.

The day of cooking cotyledonsThemotherwalkstotheriverat7aminthemorning. Her requirements for the processare: a bag of seed, a water container usu-ally otupö (local bowl), an aluminium pot(sufuria)ortör(claypot),firewood(kwenn)and3stones (kogh’un) tomakeafireplace.Thewomanalsotiestogethersometwigstomakeabundleusedasatraditionalsieve,ki-nasmadefromanice-smellingplant,kapars-amogh.Thesameplantisalsousedasamat-tressbygirlsduringcircumcision.

The seeds, now in form of cotyledons arefirst cleaned using boiled water to removesoil(nyong’uy)orash(orion).Freshwaterisaddedandboilingofthecotyledonsstarted.Whentimecomestoreplacetheboilingwa-ter, the woman places the sieve (kinas) atthemouthofpottoremovetheexcesswa-terandaddmore freshwater.By1pmthewomanwouldhavepouredfreshwater like20times.Incaseonedoesnotreplacewaterfrequently,thebitternessgetsintotheseeds.One should remove infected seeds and thedeadlarvaeortheirwaste.

Atabout3pm,thewomanaddstothecoty-ledonstherootsofaurieng’ee(Hydnora ab-yssinica) or the bark (both outer and innerbark)ofatat(Acacia elatior)oroköpkö(akap- pl) (Acacia nilotica). She then continuesboiling.Aftertheadditionoftheplantparts,thecolor changes to red. She then reduces

HarvestingA woman often assisted by her daughtersgoes toharvest the fruits. This is knownasköwökughö akwechi. She carries her littlechild,ifanyonthechestandabag,(sombuu-sing.;sombutin-pl.) toputtheharvestedfruits.Thebagismadeoftheskinofamalegoatora calf (mohg).Onceat the site, thebabyistiedattheforkofthe lowbranchesofatreeusingatraditionalknapsack.Therethechildfeelslikethemotherisjustaround.Themothercanclimbthefruittreeorjusthitfruitswitha longstick.Fallenfruitsarecol-lectedfromgroundandput inthesombuu.Suchskinbagscantake20kgoffruityieldingabout5kgofedibleseed.

Fruit pests (ngutiyan, nguutyan)Harvestingandboilingmustbedoneonthesame day because an insect worm calledngutiyan (nguutyan)which isalready in theseeddestroysitifprocessingisnotdoneim-mediately.Boilingdestroysngutiyan.Incasesomeseedsarevisiblydamaged,onehastoremove the damaged seed before boiling.Onenoticesthepresenceofngutiyanwhenthefruitisfoundtohaveaholeonthesur-face.Onceharvestinghastakenplace,nguti-yan activity in the remaining fruits intensi-fies.Most remaining fruits are invadedandthereforewhoevercomeslaterfindsnogoodfruit.

Preparation and storageOncehome,thewomangoestofetchwater(poghoi)whichisthenputinaclaypot(toro-pochon)orsufuria.Thefruitsarethenboiled.If there iswater shortage, only the cookedseedbelowthatwerecoveredinwaterdur-ingboilingareremovedandeaten.However,allseedhastoundergoafirstroundofboil-ing.Theboileddirtylomaisspreadoncleangroundovernight.Inthemorning,theseedsarecleanedbyremovingtheouterthincoat.This involves scrubbing with sand or cowdung,pures(dryanimal-cow,goatdung).Theseedisthendriedinthesunthenpoundedtoremove thehardkernelsusinga small,fist-sizestone(kögh)soastogettheinnercoty-

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Chepkukotandhersisterholdingloma

Unripelomaaregreenwhileripeonesareyellow.

Lomaisfirstboiledintoropochon.Whenboiledenough,thefruitsarepouredonacleanmat(ripka)andbadonesremoved.

the frequency of replacing water. At about4pm,thewomantastestoseethestatusofthe seeds. If ready, the seed is rinsedwithplentyofwater,about6-8times.Thiscoolsthelomaandremovesmuchoftheremain-ingbitterness.

Thewomanwouldnormally shareher foodwithneighborsbecausetheytoowillprocesstheirsandsharewithher. Intheoldendaysthey would dry the cooked loma and putthembackinsombuutill itwouldbefull. Itwasthenkeptuntilitwasneeded.Itcanstoreforayear.Whenneeded,thefamilygetsthequantitiesitneedsandboils.Cotyledonsareeatenalongwithmilk,tea,oralone.Nosaltisadded.Olderwomenlikeeatinglomafruitsastheynothardtochew.

Lomionfruitsarenormallyharvestedbywomenandgirls.Alongstickisusedtobringdownripefruits.Fallenfruitsareputinmotoku.

Fallenfruit.Notetheholeinonefruitmadebyngutiyan

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Fruits are then taken home and spread oncleangroundandpoundedorpressedwithstone until the outer green brittle coverbreaks off from the white seed. The seedsare then separated from the covers, a jobdoneby all familymembers includingmaleheadsof households. All cleaned seeds areput in ametal pot (sufuria) and taken to awatersourcee.g.astreamwheretheseedsarecleanedbyhand.Aportionoftheseed,enoughforthefamily,issetasideforboiling.The remaining portion is kept for anotherday but cannot be kept for long. Boiling isfor 1-2 hours for ripe seeds. Unripe seedshowever need more time of boiling, withregularreplacementofwater.Whileboiling,onemayaddakap,auring’ee,atatororolwo(Sclerocarya birrea-arelativelyrareplant).Attheendoftheprocess,theseedsarerinsedwith cold water about 6 times. The seedscouldalsohavebeenputinwaterovernightthenboiledinthemorning.Oncecooled,theseedcanbeserved.Nosaltisadded.Seedsareservedwithfreshmilk,meatstew,soupordilutedhoney.Cookedseedsmayalsobedried and stored and used when needed.Immatureseedslackaprotectivecoverandhence are liable to attack by insects. Theyhavetobeconsumedonceboiled.

Storedseedarealsogoodfodderforanimals.Incaseacamelgetssick(e.g.coughing-roo-loi) it isgivenstoredseedsandthishelps itregainhealth.

Ko’lokipetusingalongsticktoharvestsorichfromsorichon.Hergrandchildrenarehelpingher.

Boilingloma

(c) Sorïch

HarvestingSorichon (sorich –fruits, Boscia coriacea) is a small tree common in dry lowland areas.The tree is relatively smaller so a womancan harvest fruits from the ground eitherby handor using a hooked stick (akone) topullabranchtillshecanreachthefruit.Shemay climb the tree if it isbig.Occasionally,thesmallfruitbearingbranchletsarebrokenoffanddroppedtothegroundthenfruitsareharvested and put in sombuu or motokuu(mötökї).Thelatterishardtofindnowadays.

Akone

During themonth ofMarch, the seeds areimmature,withoutanouterwhitetoughcoatfoundinmatureseeds.Atthisstagetheyarebitter. During themonths ofMay and Junethe seeds develop the white leathery skinwhich protects them from damage and at-tack by insects. Birds drop the ripe fruit astheyeat themandpeoplecancollect themfromtheground.Ripefruitarelessbitterandcookmorequickly.

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betweenthegroundandhandstilltheoutercoverisdislodged.Seedsarethentakentoawater sourceandboiled.Cookedseedscanbedriedandstored.Theyarenoteasilyaf-fectedbyinsects.ThenamearuruisusedinthehighlandspartsofEastPokotespeciallyinChuro.

b. TuyunwoFruitsoftuyunwoareconsumedwhenthereislittleelsetoeat.Thefruitsareboiledfrommorningtoevening,removingwaterregular-ly.Theouterhardstoneenclosingthecoty-ledonsisremovedbyplacingseedsinaskinbagandpoundingtoremovetheouterhardshellleavingthesoftediblepart.

PreparationThefruitsareharvested,puttingthemintinsormlot(mulot,mїlot)-askinrucksackmadefrom a goat or calf skin. Mulot is anothername formotoku (mötökї- sing.). Fruitsaretaken home and poured on clean ground.Thewomantakesaflatstone,andstartstopress the fruits on the ground to separatethe seed from outer covering. Individualseedsarepickedandenoughforamealputinasufuria.Therest isspreadonasackorpolythenepapertodryinthesun.Thefruitisbitteratthisstage.Itisdriedforabout2-3days. Fruits are then rubbed between thepalms to remove dry fruit covers and soil.Seedsarethenputbackinmlotandkeptun-tiltheyareneeded.Theycankeepuntilthenextdryseasonandarenotaffectedby in-sectsduetotheirbitterness.

Preparationofthefoodstartsbytakingthequantityofseedsneededtotheriver.Afire-placeismade,seedcleanedofsandanddirtthenboiled.Thewaterturnsgreen.Thewa-ter is poured out and more added. This isrepeatedupto8timesuntilthegreencolordisappearsandseedsturnyellow,asigntheyareready.Seedsarenotbitterbythistime.Cooked seeds are taken home and servedto children and familymembers. Seeds areservedwithmilk,soup,waterorhoney.

Theseedsofsorichonhaveatoughwhiteskin.

Boilingsorich

(d) Körös (korostin - pl.)The fruits are harvested and pounded onthesamedayorthefollowingday.Theoutercoversareseparatedfromtheseeds.Thisin-volvesaddingwaterandashtotheseedandboiling.Sandorcowdungisusedforscrub-bingtheseeds.Cleanedseedsareboiledfor2-3hours.

a. Chepїlїs (chepluswotin - pl.) or Aruru (pl. arurutin)Fruitsofcheplisareprepared just like loma–allday,from7am–6pmbecausetheyareverybitter.Thebarkofakap,atatororolwois added during boiling. Fruits are pressed

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In East Pokot over 50 typesofwild fruits areconsumed by the local people. The follow-ing are someof thepopularwild fruits. Theyaremainlyharvestedbywomenandchildren.ThepeopleofEastPokotrecognizethreeareaswhere the fruits are found, rengerr (toho) –meaning ‘down’or lowlandareas (LL); Rongo(ronkö) –meaning ‘up’ ormidlands (LH) andMosop(Highlands(HH)).ThetermTohoisusedinChuroandmeansthelandlyinginthemid-lands before one gets to the lowland parts.Kewisthegeneraltermfordrylands.Alistofcommon fruit is provided in the table below.Themostpreferredfruitshavetheirpreferencerankbesidethefruitname.

4. Wild fruits (Akwaawuhuu)

Fruit name Plant name Season Area foundAbeibei Abeibeiyon Jan-Mar LLAdome Adomeyon-(pl.Adometin)(Cordia sinensis). Ma-Jun LLArol Arolwo(Sclerocarya birrea) Oct-Nov LH,HHAron Oronyon(Tamarindus indica) Aug-Dec LLAruru Aruruyon(Maerua decumbens) Dec-Jan HHChepolos Chepliswo(Maerua decumbens) Apr-May LLKacheichei Ashyokonyon(Salvadora persica) Dec-Jan LLKamol/Kömol)(6) Kömolwö)(Vangueria madagascariensis) Oct-Nov HHKinyaat Kinyotwo(pl.)(Ximenia americana) July-Nov LHLakatet(1) Lakatetwo/LökötetwöCarissa edulis) Aprl-May HHMakany Mokong’wo-(pl.)(Ficus sycomorus). Jun-July LL,LH,HHMakow Makuywo(Grewia villosa) LHMalkat(malkat-pl)(3) Molkotwö(Canthium glaucum) Apr-May LH,HHMuchuk Muchukwo(Berchemia discolor) Aug-Nov LHPuriak(pїriak) (Purїokwö(pl.))(Pappea capensis) Dec-Feb HHPutar Putorwo(Canthium lactescens) Apr-May HHSiria(sirya) Siriewo(Siryöwö)(Rhus natalensis, R. vul-

garis)Feb-Mar LH,HH

Sitit(sitöt-(sing.)(5) Sitet(pl.-sitit)(Grewia bicolor) Aug-Nov HHSorich Sorichon(Boscia coriacea) Feb-Apr LLTaran(4) Toronwo(Grewia tenax) May-Jun LH,HHTeleng(2) Tiling’wo(Meyna tetraphylla) Aug-Sep HHTilam(pl.) Tilomwo(Ziziphus mauritiana) Mar-May LLTipay(pl.) Tipoiwo Jul-Sep LLTirok Tirekwo(Ziziphus mucronata) Dec-Jan HH

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Kaloswo

Sorich

Fruits harvested in large quantities andbroughthomeinclude:1. Lakatet2. Sitot(pl.-sitit)3. Putar4. Taran

Somespeciesthataresoldinthemarketin-cludethefollowing:a) Taranb)OronsoldinNginyangandChemolingot.c) Sitit(sitöt)d) Lakatetandputararealsoeatenbymen

whoignoretherestofthefruitsregardingthemas food for childrenwhile herdingcattle.

e) Putar

Fruitssoldinthemarketaremainlycol-lectedbyherderswhocollectthemfromthewildthenbringthemtothemarketforsale.Matunden(pricklypear)isanintroducedplantthathasgonewildinPokot.

Taparer

Putar

Komolwo

Sitit

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KelionThis is the arrow-poison tree Acokanthera schimperi.Itisasmallhighlandtreethatex-udeswhite latexwhen it is bruised.Unripefruits of kelion are green, bitter and some-what poisonous. Ripe fruits are yellow andediblebuthave tobeeaten inmoderation.The flesh is red with a bit of white latex.Younggirls(mror)usetheredextractofthefruit as lipstick and the seeds as beads formaking necklaces (karin). Ripe fruits oftenfalltothegroundwheretheymaybeeatenbygoats.Wheneatenin largequantitiesbygoatstheymaycausebloat.

Kelion roots arepoisonous and areused inthemanufactureofarrowpoison.Therootsare boiled with water until a black viscoustar-likesubstanceisobtained.Thisisappliedonarrowheadsandusedtokillwildanimals.

Unripe fruits

Pupilsshowingtheripefruits

KamolThe plant, komolwo (Vangueria madagas-cariensis)isadeciduousshrubthatgrowsinhighlandareasespeciallyalongwatercourses.Toharvestthefruit,oneshakesthebranchessothatripefruitsthatonecannotreachbyhandmayfalltotheground.Thefruitiscol-lected,theouterpartpeeledandthebrownpulpeaten.Theseedsarediscarded.

AccordingtoPokottradition,kamolcanalsobeusedtoprepareatypeofporridge(mu-sar).Cookingofmusarstartsbysoakingthefruit overnight in a pot (toropochon) thenearlyinthemorningthemixtureofpulpandwaterisboiled.Onehastostirfrequentlytomakesuretheporridgegetsheatedupuni-formly.Itisservedonplateswhenready.Itistakenalone(asporridge)orusedasasaucewithugali.

Unripe Kamol

AyoungmanshowingripeKamol

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has spit on the fruits. The roots arewidelyboiled insoupanddrinkforgeneralhealth.The bark is also chewed to cure headache.AccordingtothePokot,pregnantwomenarenotallowedtocollectthesefruitssinceitisbelievedcouldbreaktheirhands.

Thesearetheyoungfruitslakatetwo.

Climbinglakatetwocanbeachallengebecauseofthorns.

TaparerTaparerwo(Cordia monoica) is a small tree orshrubthatproducesbunchesofgreenfruits(taparer)thatturnyellowtoorangewhenripe.

OronOron(Tamarindus indica)isahuge,oftenriv-erinetree.Toharvest,onehastoclimbthetree or hit the branches with a long stick.Unripefruitsoforonaresourbutstilledible.Thefruitsareusedinporridgepreparation.

Tree canopy

Immature fruits

LakatetwoLoketetwo(Carissa edulis) isathornyscram-bling shrub with weak branches. It bearsdeliciousedible fruits. Itnormallygrowsonrockyplaces.Unripefruitsaregreenbutof-tentingedred.Sometimestheredcolourcandominatewhenthefruitisinbrightsunlight.Thefruitsturnpurplishblackwhenripe.

Childreneat lakatetwhile lookingafterani-mals.Itisthemostpreferredfruit.Thefruitsareconsumedlongbeforetheyripen.Atthisstage,theyaresour.Whilepickingthefruits,onehas tobe careful because lakatetbushis thorny.Sometreeshavequitesour fruitsand this, locals believe, is because a snake

18

Thisismatundenorthepricklypear.Theripefruitsareed-ible.

Whilepickingthefruitsonehastobecarefulbecausethefruitshavesmallpricklyhairs.

Thisbunchofleaveswillbeusedtoremovethespinyhairsonthefruit.

KinyotwoKinyotwo(Ximenia americana) is common in midaltitudesofEastPokot.Itsfruits(kinyat)areconspicuouslyorange-yellowwhenripe.The juicypulp iseatenand seeddiscarded.Dryseedsofkinyatarecollected,roastedandtheoilusedtosoftenanimalleatherwornasskirt bywomen.Men also apply the oil ontheirwalkingsticks.

Aprimaryschoolpupileatingtaparer.

Taparerhasagummysweetfluidaroundtheseed.Childreneatthefruitsbutalsousethemasgluefortheirbooks.

MatundenThe prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica), knowninPokotasmatundeniswidelyspreadin thebushlandall overEastPokot. It is anintroducedweedyspecieswithediblefruits.Fruits are covered with small prickly hairswhichcancauseagonytochildrenwhentheygetintotheirskin.Onehastouseleavestobrushoffthepricklyhairs.Childrenalsodropthefruitonthegroundandrollitusingtheirshoestoremovethehairs.

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Unripefruitsaregreenandalsoeatenbutarequitesour.

MuchukwoMuchukwo(Berchemia discolor)isalargetree.Fruits(muchuk)aregreen,turningyel-lowonripeningandverysweet.

PupilsofKolowoprimaryschoolharvestingmuchuk

Unripefruitsofmuchukwoaregreenbutcanstillbechewed.

Aboyholdingkinyat

Ripekinyatisyellowturningorange-redasripeningpro-gresses.

Peelingtheoutercoverofkinyat.

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Theouterpaperycoversareremovedandtheseedatthecentrechewed.

PuterwoThis isa small tree foundat theupperalti-tudesof EastPokot. Ithas large leavesandbears small but numerous fruits, putar.Unripeputararegreenincolorbuttheyarenoteatenuntiltheyturnbrown(ripe).

Unripe putar

Ripefruitsareyellowandverysweet.

Kaloswo (koloswo)Koloswo (Terminalia brownii) is a large treecommoninmidandupperaltitudesofEastPokot.Thefruitiswinged.Theseedisatthecentreandthisiswhatonechews.Theouterpaperycoversareremoved.Fruitsareofteneatenwhen green but can also be chewedwhendry.Fruitsareabitsour.

Pickingfreshfruitofkoloswo

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TilomwoTilomwo (Ziziphus mauritiana) is a thornytreeoftenfoundinriverineareasoraroundfloodedplaces.

Tilomwoisapricklytreemainlyfoundalongstreamsandseasonallyfloodedareas.

Ripetilam

PupilsinChuroprimaryschooldemonstratinghowtoeatputar.Unripefruitsarenoteaten.

SitetSitet(Grewia bicolor)isasmalltreefoundinmid andupper altitudes of East Pokot. Thesmallripeseedsareedible.

Abranchofsitetwithunripefruits.

Aboydemonstratinghowtoeatsitet.

22Boyslookingaftersheep

5. Herding (achei)

Girlsherdingcows

IntroductionLivestockisthemostimportantassetsofthePokot.Main animals are cows (tany), goats(aran), sheep (kech) and camels (tamas).Theyprovidemilk(cho),butter,meat(peny),skin(siraha),blood(kisonn),andareasourceofincome.Thepeoplealsokeepdonkeysandchicken.Differenttypesofcowsincludethebull (kiruk),milkingcow(tupachö),ox(egh)and calves (mogh). Pregnant cows are tichchotisierr(tїsher).

Grazing (ayakwa)Goats,sheepandcowsareeachgrazedsepa-rately for bettermanagement and to avoidcompetition for pasture. Children can eas-ilylookaftersheepandgoatssincetheyaretakenouttofieldsnearthehomestead.

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lyhasanaverageof20-30cows.Eachwomanhas2-4milkingcows.Onebullismaintained.Others in the herd are pregnant cows. 100goats,10sheepand10-20chickensarenor-mal figures per family. Chickens are newlyintroduced and getting very popular. Manyfamilies nowhave chicken. Herding is frommorningaround7.30amtoeveningaround6pm.Aboycantakeanimalsfromotherfami-lies to the field. The boy is then given onecowasareward.Thisisanincentiveforboytobemoreresponsibleandseriousinherd-ing.

a) Protecting livestock (ripothto’otich)Livestockisprotectedagainstattacksbywildanimalssuchaslion(ng’atiny),wilddog(sui-yoan)andhyenas(chuduk).Itisalsoguardedagainst raiders, thieves and diseases. Thegrazingareaisopentoallandnotdemarcat-edandhenceconflictiscommon.Thegrazingareaisgenerallyhillyandbushy.Grasslandiscategorizedassangak,chemanghandanyna,allinthelowland.

Livestockisprotectedagainstwildlifethroughscaringawayandgrazinganimals in groupsunder the security of herdsmen (men andboys).Childrenoftenusdogs toalert themin caseofwild animals suchashyenas. Foraway fields, temporary animal enclosuresare constructed to keepanimalsduring thenight. Two fences (kasar) aremade aroundeachanimalenclosuresusingthornybranch-es.Theinnerenclosureiscalledkweghoandisforkeepingcalves(mogh)whiletheouterenclosure is called peugh (pigh) for cows.Smallsheltersforherders(aperit)aremadejustnexttothegate.Fire iskeptburningattheshelterduringthenight.

Agirlleadinggoatstothefield

Boys normally take care of cows and girlstake careof goats, sheep and camels. Boysare responsible for cowsbecause theymaybetakentofarplacesgrazing,sometimesformonthsduringthedryseason.Ontheotherhand, girls normally remain behind to helptheir mother. The father occasionally visitstheboystocheckonthemandtheanimals.Ininsecureareas,adultmenhavetoassist.

Duringthedryseason(December-February)cowsaregrazedonthehills.Thesearefreegrazingzones.Cattlearebroughtbacknearthe homesteads (lowlands) at the start ofthe long rain season (March - April). Someanimalslikecalvesandtheoldcowsremainaroundthehomestead.Animalsneedgrass,shrubs,waterandsaltysoils.

Manytraditionalceremoniessuchassapana(traditional graduation ceremony) are orga-nized after the long rain season. This timegrassisinplentynearhomesteads.Normally2-3peoplemaytakecareofaherdofcows,oneatthefrontandothersatrear.Eachfami-

East Pokot seasonal calendar

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Season Peng'at (long rainy season)

ActivityCows strart to return

Cows start moving to hills

Cows grazing on hills

Cows grazing around homesteads, plenty of grassCows browsing in

crop farms

Komei (long dry season) KomeiArupetin (end of rainy season)

Kitokot - time of plenty

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Mariyanyetie=interlockedhornKimarinya = a hornwhose shape has beenmanipulatedbymane.g.forbeautyorfight-ing.Mariya=nameofacowLegotom=nameofaperson(owner)Mariyalukilya=husbandtoChepochpkow=nameofawoman

Uses of cowsThefollowingarethecommonusesoflocalPokotcows:1.Milking,slaughteringandselling.2.Transportation(donkeysandcamels).3.Payment of dowry. Dowry is paid ac-

cording to how beautifully adorned agirlis.Itnormallyrangesfromtwentytoa hundred goats and sheep and ten tofiftyheadsofcattle.Anymemberofthefamilywhoiswillingtobuythemcandoitas longashe/shehasthepurchasingpower.Sellingisdonebytheparents.

4.Bullsareusedforploughingcropfields.5.SourceofprideandPokotidentity:There

aremanycolorsofcowsandassociatedpeople’snames.InEastPokot,menhaveacolorofacowastheirnickname.Theycan choose any color of their choicebased on the way they associate withthe cows during herding. His friendsalso prefer to call him by that name.Normallytheyacquiretheircolornameattheageof14-15.Beingcalledbythisnameisasignofcommitmentthattheywilltakecareoftheanimal.Hewillowntheidentifiedbullandcandowhateverhe likeswith it includingslaughtering itduring sapanaceremony,payingdowryandevensellingit.Incasethebulldieshecanchooseanotherbulltotakecareof,buthisname in thecommunitywillremain. People like calling others bytheir color names. The Pokot say thatthe namesmake their songs beautiful.During ceremonies, people sing abouttheir communitymembers calling theircolournamesastheydance.Thenamegiven to a cow also depends on other

If a herder kills a wild animal such as lion(ngotiny), buffalo (sohoo), rhino (kipau), el-ephant (pelion) or hippo (ntrikwo), he cutslinesononesideoftherightearofhiscow,asasymbolofhisbravery. Ifhekillsanen-emy(amemberofaneighboringcommunitycoming to steal cows and women) he cutsbothears.

For diseases, Pokot use both modern vet-erinarydrugs and traditional herbs to treattheiranimals.

Ananimal’senclosure.Insideitisaperit

b) Related beliefs myths and songs

songs

A song of Adong’o (a dance with jumping) sung by moran supported by girls. Oh, yalelo, tomunyo monikorya. Yalelo, tomunyo Kangakiya Eitengudiya Lokakumoi (I am agrandsonofLokakumoi)Yalelo=nameofaclanMonikorya=nameofacowTomunyo = cutting of cow’s ear after greatgrandfather.Kangakiya=nameofthegrandfather(SongwasprovidedbyMr.LotomunyLokuti.)

A song for fighting cows Oh, mariyanyetie, kimarinya, Mariyanyeite, kimarinya, Mariya Legotom Mariyalukilya Chepochpkow

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(manysmallspots),ng’oria(red/whiteinhead),merikoru(verysmallmanydots)andanyang’at(seephoto).

Ananimalisidentifiedbyaclanmarkonitsears.

d) Related beliefs, taboos, ceremonies- They are ceremonies which cannot

be performed without slaughteringanimalsi.e.duringboys’agesetiniti-ation(sapana),incaseofasickchild,after the birth (adokole) and whentwins(riwoi)areborn.

featuressuchasearsand lengthof thetail.

6.Breeding cattle: People like having dif-ferent colors of cattle and appreciatediversity. Sometimes they get differentcolors from neighboring communitiessuchasKaramojongandSamburucom-munities.Theownerofabullcannotre-fuseitcrossingwithotherpeople’scowsifthereareoffers.Traitsthatpeoplepre-fer include1) strength2)goodproduc-tionofmilkand3)colorssuchassimbol(white),pirir (red),tuw(black),cheptu-iya (black), tudo (few large spots), kor

APokotmoran

Camel(tamas)

CattleshedatAmayamarket

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Ng’oriangiroNg’oriangiro

Ng’olenyang,anyang’atiangNg’olenyang,Nyang’atiang

Areku(areköw/areköu)Rengow

e) Names of animal colors and derived nick-names of persons

Kor(whitewithdots)Korkow

KorimukKorimuk

AkidapLokidap

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PareerKpareer

Ang’uraLong’ura

TudohAtudo

PkopoChepokopo

SiwarengLosiwa

KediiKedikow

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Relmot/angoriaCherelmot

Rengit/cherlmotRengow

Wiopot(duetohorns)Lowiopot

Alemnyang’Lemnyang

ChemkoChemken

Ang’oriareng’Ang’oriareng’

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LomerikudoLokodaa

Cheptuiya(black)Lotuya

SangiriaSangiria

Psirwoi(white)Psirwoi

Ngolol(decoration)ofabull

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Womenboilingtheirmeat

During important occasions, male elders,womenandyoungmeneacheattheirmeatseparately. Children eatwith theirmotherswhiletheyoungboysmaysitnexttoeldersand togeta share.During theseoccasions,thesittingarrangementoftheeldersisfromthemostseniortothemostjunior.Membersof theagegroups thathavenotperformed

6. Meat (pento)

IntroductionSlaughtering Animals aremainly slaughteredwhen thereis insufficient food e.g. during drought (ko-mei),duringceremoniessuchassapanaandwhentherearevisitors(too).Slaughteringisalso done when the community is appeas-ingtothegods,duringprophecies(kwanyan)andduringcleansingbyelders.Itmayalsobedoneduringsickness(kosut),calamities,rain(yilat)andinafewothersituations.

Youngmen‘reading’theintestinestopredicteventsandcalamities

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Meatiscutuptopiecesthenservedbydrop-pingapieceinfrontofeach.Thebestmeat(the thigh) goes to themost seniorwho isalsoservedfirst.Seniorityisaccordingtoage,wealthorhowrespectedaperson’sfamilyis.Conversely,womenslaughtertheirgoatbuycutting the throat, collecting thebloodandthenskinningit.Unlikemenwhoroasttheirmeat,womenboilanddonotsitinanypar-ticular order. Elderlywomen, as is the casewithmen,getthefirstpriorityandthebestmeatduringserving.

In cases where only one animal is slaugh-tered,thetongue(ngaliap),chest(takat)andliver (kogho) are eaten by men. The head,ears,legs,andintestineareeatenbywomen.TheMeatispreparedbyroastingandboiling.Theroastingisnormallycarriedoutbymenwhileboilingisdonebywomen.Partofthemeatispreservedbywomenthroughsmok-ingandsalting. It isusedattimesof short-age,kömöї(komei).Whenitisafamilythathas slaughtered, brothers in-law are giventhe upper part of the limb. Hind legs aregiventooldermenandintestinestowomen(mutin).Childreneatwhattheirmotherswillgivethem.

In case of a camel (tamas), the animal isprayedfor(saghat)beforeslaughtering.Thisishoweveratraditionintroducedfromneigh-bouringcamelkeepingcommunities.Acam-elcanbekilledduringsapanaceremony.Itistiedbythelegs,bentandslaughteredwhileitsneck is twisted.Peoplesiton itsbacktokeep in on the ground. The animal is sec-tionedontheback,unlikesheep,goatsandcowswhicharecutonthestomach.Cuttingfollowsthevertebrawhileremovingtheskin.

Preservation of meatThefirstwaytopreservemeat isbycuttingitintosmallpieces(orslicingitintolongthinstrips),wrappingorcoilingitaroundastick,salting it anddrying in sun for 2-3months.Oncedry,itisstoredinsacks(mötökuu)anditcouldbeayearbeforeitisused.Thismeat

sapanaceremonyarenotallowedtocrosstotheelders’group.Iftheydidso,itisbelievedthatsomethingbadwouldbefallthem.

Elderstaketheirpositionsunderatreetobeservedwithmeat.Notethatthegoatisroastedwhole.

Youngmensittingaccordingtotheiragegroupsastheywaittobeservedwithmeat.Themeatwillbeplacedontheleaveslaiddowninfront.

Elderssitinasemi-circularfashionbutfacingnorth,theircommunity’sancestralmigrationroute and the location of their sacred andprotectormountain- Tiaty. Themost seniormensitinthemiddleandtheleastsenioratthe twoendsof the semi-circle. Theelderssit on a potable traditional seat (apolong)and use branches of a local tree, sorichon(Boscia coriacea)asplateonwhichthemeatisplaced.Youngmenontheotherhandsitinasimilarfashiontryingtoemulatetheirmoreexperiencedelders.

Both young men and elders kill their goatby spearing it at the ribs. They then roastthegoatwholewithoutskinningit.Selectedyounger honestmen servemeat to elders.

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There are 9 age groups/ age sets 1. Chumwo(mostaredead)2. Nyongi(afewalive)3. Maina 4. Sowo/Sawe/Sowö5. Korongoro6. Kaplelech/kaplelach7. Murkutwö(current)8. Kipnyikew9. Kipkoimot/Kipkoimöt(notyetborn)

Alternativeorderofagesets1. Maina2. Sowö3. Korongoro4. Kaplelach5. Murkutwö6. Kipkoimöt

Note:• Thecyclebeginsagainafterthelast.• Age sets inWest Pokotmay be out of

synchronywithEastPokot,thelatterof-tenbeingbehind.

isknownassїrkön.Meatcouldalsoberoast-ed (kpeloi)orboiled (kihohoi-peny,kikighö)inapot(törnonii,toropochon)beforepres-ervation.

Dryingsirkon

Serving and eating foodDuring the servingofmeat, agegroupsarerespected. Age groupswhich have not per-formed sapana are not allowed to cross tothosewhohaveasthiscanattractacurse.

Ayoungmandrinkingfreshblood

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7. Wild edible roots (sikinn)

Wild roots and tubers are an importantsourceoffoodforthePokot.Atleast15typesareeaten.Theyareconsumedasasourceofenergy,waterandasawayofpassingtimeforherders.

Typesofrootsandtubers

1. Kolopcho(pl.–kolopchoi)LH2. Tapoyo(pl.–Tapoyotin)(Lannea triphy-

la)LH3. Akan(pl.–Akantin)LL4. Chesowancha/Chesiwancha(Vignasp.)

LL5. Kaptirmam/ Kaptirimom (Probably

Ipomoea longituba).Foundinhighlands.LL

6. Chepanyinta(lowlandareas)LL7. Kela, kelaa (pl. – kelaatin) (Vatovaea

pseudolablab) LL8. Kamumur(pl.–kamurmurtin)HH9. Kipkodo(pl.–kipkoden)HH10. Kamkech(pl.–Kamchoi)11. Aurieng’ee(pl.–Auriengotin)(notreally

a root but a plant parasite)

Aurieng’o (Hydrora abyssinica) Aurieng’o(aurieng’ee)isnotarootortuberin thetruesense. It isaplantparasitewithedible flower parts. Aurieng’o is commonlyfoundinacaciabushlandwhereit isusuallyassociatedwithrootsofacaciaespeciallyses(Acacia tortilis). Aurieng’oemergesfromthegroundduringthedryseason(aboutMarch).Therootsgrowbeneaththesoilsurfaceandareredincolor.Theyarescalyandtoughandare only used to reduce bitterness of loma(Balanites rotundifolia)fruitsduringtheboil-ing process. The emerging head (actuallytheflower) resemblesanelongatedpotato.Whileemergingitcracksthesoilasitexpandsandemitsa strong smell that seems toan-nounceitspresence.Onemerging,itbreaksintofourparts–itsmouthisreddishincolor.Children,andoccasionallytheirmother’sdigit upas it emerges, thenbreak it to accesstheedibleflourorrice-likesubstanceinside.Itiseatenraw.Theplantgrowsmainlyunderacaciatrees,especiallyneartermitemounds.Ayoungmandrinkingfreshblood

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Flour-likefloralparts

Aboyeatingflour-likefloralparts

ApupilofChuroPrimarySchooleatingauriengo.

Somesignsofthepresenceofaurieng’oincludeastrongsmellandcrackedgroundasitemerges.

AboydiggingupAurieng’ofromthegroundAurieng’oisopenedbybitingoffthetip.

Breakingthetiprevealsrice-likefloralpartsthatareedible.Onexposuretoairanddrying,therice-likeflowerbecomepowderyandcanbepouredonthehandandeaten.

Kolopcho Kolopcho(pl.–kolopchoi)isfoundonmoun-tainousareasandnotinvalleys.Ithasaleaflikethatofabeanbuttwistsaroundbiggertreesasitgrowsinbushedgrasslands.

SourcingOnce the leaves have been confirmed asthose of kolopcho, one follows the twin-

ingstemdowntothebase.Astickorspearisusedtofeeltheexactlocationoftherootin theground.Sometimes itcracks thesoil,makingiteasytonoticeit.Itisdugupusingasharpstickorpanga.Thetuberisroundishandcouldbethesizeofasmallpotweighing2-3kg.ItismaturebyJuly-August.

Thelargetuber isgoodforquenchingthirstbesides being good food for herders. Onceharvested the plant tends to die. If some

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alsobeharvestedbywomenbutitisalabori-ousjobsometimesrequiringalotofenergy.Familymembersmaysometimesgotogethertoharvest.Thisincreasesthechancesofget-tingagoodharvest.Kelowoisusuallyeatenraw. When cooked, the sweet taste disap-pears.

Itissaidthattherewasaprolongeddroughtinabout1910.Mostanimalsdiedandinthefollowingwar years 1916-1918Kelowowasa main food source especially for children.Newborns were given the milky substancefromtheroots.Freshrootscankeepfrom2-4daysbeforeuse.

ChesowanchaChesowancha (pl.- chesowanchaten) growsinlowlandareasandinvalleys.Itisidentifiedbyasmallgreenleafthatappearsjustabovetheground.Belowinthegroundisanarrowtuber the sizeof apen.More thanone tu-bercanbefoundinoneplant.Thetuberousplantgrowsindryareas.Itiseatenmostlybyherdersandhasasweettaste.Chesowanchaismainlyeatenby childrendue to its smallsize. If plants are found in large numbers,adultscanalsoharvestthetubersandbringtochildren.

Chesowancha

KaptirimamKaptirimam (pl. – kaptirimomoi) (Ipomoea longituba) resembles sweet potatoes buttheleaves,thetubersandflowersaremuchbigger. Itgrowsinbushlandandhasfibrous

rootsarespared,theplantcangrowuntilthefollowingseason.

Toconsume,thelightskinofthetuberisfirstpeeled off. The tuber is whitish inside andslightlysweet.Onetubercanbesharedbe-tweentwoormorepeople.Itisnotcooked.Thetuberismainlyharvestedbyherdersandwomen looking for firewood. Women willnormallytakehometopreparefortheirchil-dren.Itcankeepforabout2days.

KelaWhere to find itKelowo(kela,kelatin-pl.)isaclimbingplatof-tenfoundgrowingundertreesinhillyplacesandalongvalleys.Oncespotted,herdersfol-lowthelianatilltheground.Itcanhavemanybig roots (kela) the size of cassava but thisdepends on one’s luck. Roots are brownishyellow towhiteon the surfacewhile insideit iswhite.Kelowogrows insemiaridareassuchasSilale,PakaandMukutani.Oneplantmayhaveseveraltubersofirregularshape.Atubercouldbe1-2kg.

How to find and harvesting kelaKelowo resembles kolopcho. Finding kelarequires some experience. Adult men arethe most experienced and can often tracethe root amongst stones till they find thetuber.Tofindit,oneusesthetipofaspeartolocatetherootpath.Onwithdrawingthespear,moistureatthetipisanindicationofthe root. A strong sharp stick can also beusedforpokingtheground.Ahollowsoundinthegroundtoo indicatespresenceofthetuber.Swollenpartsoftherootsaredugout.Twotothreetubersperplantissufficientasoverharvesting can kill theplant. These arepeeled and chewed. Roots are fibrous butalso have sweetish milky starch within thefibres. Kelowo is used during extremehun-gerperiods.ItismainlyfoundduringJune–December.

‘Itdoesn’tlikeeveryone,’saysKapeta.‘Somemayneverfind it,’hecontents.Kelowocan

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Tapoyo Tapoyo (pl. tapoyotin-Lannea triphylla) is a shruborsmalltree.Tapoyohasfleshyedibleroots.

How to harvestThelocationofthetuberousrootsischeckedbeneath the tree by stamping the foot onthe ground or prodding the ground with astick and listening for the deep sound of aholeintheground.Alternatively,onecandigfrom the base of the tree along the lengthofone roottill theyfind the tuberouspart.Onceidentified,rootsaredugout.Onecangetuptofourroots inonetree.Thetuber-ousroot iscutofffromtherestoftherootandpeeledasonewouldpeelcassava.Iftheinner part of the root iswhite, then this isthesweettype.Iftheinsideisred,therootisnotsweet. Ifoneharvestsa lot, thentheentirefamilycaneatforsupper.Rootsfrommaturetreestasteacidicandcanirritatethelips.Whentheplantisyoung,therootsareusuallysweetandarealsogoodforquench-ing thirst. Roots are not cooked. Tapoyo ispopularwithherdersasitisfoodaswellasasourceofwater.

Kamurmur Kamurmur is a climbing or creeping plantwithwhitetocreamthintuberousrootsthesizeofapencil.Tubersarenumerous,softareusuallycleanedandeatenwithoutpeeling.Itisoneofthepopulartraditionalediblerootsinhighlandareasandisharvestedmainlybychildrenandherderstoquenchthirst.

Therearetwotypesofkamurmur–ahigh-land type and lowland type. The highlandtype has strong and short roots comparedtothelowlandtypewhichtendstohavethinandlongroots.Highlandtypesabsorbmorewaterthanthelowlandtypesandhencetheyare good for quenching thirst especially inthedryhotseason.

rootswithmanybig tubers. Leaves are thesizeofapalm.Theuppersideofthe leaf isgreenbutwhitishunderneath.

Rootsarethesizeofkela.Theyarepeeledandeatenandaresweet.Rootsarenotcooked.Theroothasathickcover.Itisagoodsourceofenergyanditisoftencarriedalongduringraids.Onecancarrytherootonsafarislast-inguptoaweeksometimesasfarasUganda.

Chepanyinta Chepanyinta (pl-chepoanyinten) is mainlyfound in valleys climbing on other trees.Its fruits taper towards the end.On attain-ing maturity the fruits break open and re-lease thread-like seedswhicharedispersedbywind.Fruitsareeatenbeforetheybreakopenbecauseinsectsoftenenterandrenderthemunsafeforeating.

HarvestingChildren harvest the roots to eat.Mothersharvest it for cleansing ceremonies. Rootstastesomewhatbitterifobtainedfromrockyground and sweet if growing in good soil.Root tubers are few and found deep. Theplant fruits during the rainy season. Fruitsareeatenaswellasrootsbutfruitsaremorepopular.Rootsarenotcooked,theyareeat-enraw.Rootsarealsousedincleansingcer-emoniese.g.whensomeonehasbeendisre-spectfultoanelderlyperson.Rootsaredugup,chewedandmixedwithmilkandwhitecoloredochrethensplashedontheoffender.

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KaptirimamKaptirmamisasmallplantfoundindrylands.Ithasatuberousedibleroot.Therootishar-vestedusingastickorapanga(largeheavyknife). Sticksarepreferredbecause there islesslikelihoodofdamagingthetuber.Thetu-berlookslikesweetpotatoandtastessweet.Besides eating, boys looking after animalsmaketoycarsfromtheroot.

Boysharvestingkaptirmamusingapanga.Kaptirmamhasfibrousrootsthesizeofasweetpotato.

Herdersharvestandconsumethetuberraw.

Boysenjoyingkaptirmam

Harvestingkamurmur

Kamurmurroots.Thistypeofkamurmuriscalledsipai.

KipkodoKipkodo (pl. – kipkoden) is a climbingplantwith soft brownish roots. It is harvestedmainly by children. It is found in highlandparts.

Kamkech Kamkech(pl.–kamchoi)growsinwoodedar-easbutdoesnotclimb.Theplantisgiventocalveswhentheyarecoughing.Ithasatuberthesizeofafist.Kamkech is found inhigh-landparts.

Akan Akan (pl. akantin) is found in thehighlandsoften in rugged areas. It bears cassava-likeediblerootswhichmaybecookedoreatenraw.Whencooked,itiseatenwithmilk.

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The termites are identified through theirfeathers,timeofcomingoutandsize.

a). Pїyepai – (sing. puyopuywo). This ter-mite has a black abdomen and comes outof termite mounds (tulwo, tїlwö). Its timefor emerging is 3.00–4.00pmnormally inthemonthsofJuly-AugustinChuro.Inothergeographical regions it could be earlier e.gApril-May.

b).Naleputo-(sing.-naleputoyon).Naleputois associatedwith the rain season. It is rel-atively small and comes out as soon as ithas rained. It is also known as sumbalel(sumpölel).Itgoesoutofseasonattheendoftherainseason.Thetermitesaresmallerthan ng’okoi and normally have red stripesattheabdomen.Thesetermitesareusuallyfoundinhighlandareasbutnotpopular.

c).Ng’okoi-(sing. -ng’okoyon).Thisgroup isthecommonestandcomesouttwiceinaday–intheearlymorninghoursbetween4.00–5.00amandcollectedbychildrenwhentheywakeup,andfrom4:00to9:00p.m.Ng’okoiare bigger than naleputo and have brownstripeattheirabdomen.Thesetermitesliveinbigmoundsinlowlandparts.Theirseasonofemergence is thefirstheavy rainsof the

8. Termites (flying forms)

Types of termitesTermitesaregroupedintothreecategoriesinPokot.

- Piyepai(pl.–pyopuywo)- Naleputo (nalepїtö) (pl.- naleput-

oyon)- Ng’okoi(ngokoi)(pl.–ng’okoyon)

Termitemound

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withugaliassubstituteforvegetables.Theyarequitedelicious.

Related beliefsBreastfeedingmothersmaynoteattermitesfor fear that theymay cause a skin rash intheirchild.

Nutrition and health informationTermites are an important diet for childrenandpregnantwomen.Theyareusedinlocalmedicinetotreatasthma.Termitesarealsoused to treat sick camels, especially whencoughing.Thesolidisdissolvedinwaterandgiventothecamel.

Emergingtermitesonthemoundisasignthattheflyingformsoftermiteswillcomeout.Soldiertermitescomeoutfirsttoprovidesecurityfortheflyingforms.

Afamilyharvestingtermitesinthelateafternoon.Thisisadrylowlandenvironment.

yeari.e.March–April.Akeysignthatthefly-ingformswillemergeincludeanadvanceap-pearanceofnormaltermitesthatcomeoutinthenightandeatthesurroundinggrass.

Someof thetermitemoundsareownedbyfamiliesbutthemajority inthefieldbelongtonooneperson.

Catching (harvesting)In lowland areas, catching involves digginga hole in the ground next to the termitemound. A small dome is made to restricttheirflying.Sticksaredrivenintothegroundand used to support a cow or goat skin orsometimesgreen leavesor apieceof clothto make the dome. Nearby mound outletsare closed in order to direct insects to thehole.Thecatchingofpiyapei isdone in theafternoonbetween2.30–4.00pm.Theter-mitesareputinmotukuuandtakenhomeforprocessing. The trapping is donemostly bywomenandchildren.Termiteharvestinghasitsrisksincludingbitesfromsoldiertermites(sangirich),blackants(songo’k),snakes(mo-roi),spiders(tokol)andotherwildlifecomingtofeedontheflyingtermites.Highland types of termites (in Churo) areusually harvested using a torch or lantern.The termites fly to the source of light andthentheyaregrabbedbyhandanddippedinasufuriawithsomelittlewatertowettheirfeathersandstopthemfromflying.

Processing and storage Onceharvested,termitesmayberoastedinapanorpotandconsumed.Theycanalsobespreadonamat(minyon)anddriedindirectsunforabouttwotothreedays.Dryingcanalso be achieved through roasting. Using amotorandpestlethetermitesarepounded(theycanalsobeground)intoasolidormash(sukar)whichisthenpackedindrycleanskinbucketsortoghoi(tokögh)withaskinlidandstored.Storagecanbeforupto3years.

Consumption of termitesFlyingtermitesareusedasfoodbyallmem-bersof the family. They areeatenaloneor

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Roastingtermites

Eatingtermites

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what is growing there may not be the ed-ibletype–ifoneatesuchmushrooms,theywouldlikelygetsick–sufferingfromnausea,headache and in extreme cases, madness.Orowosororowuosappearsduringthewetseasonespeciallynearanimalenclosures. Itdecomposesafteraboutthreedays.Itisverypoisonous.Anotherpoisonous fungus is tu-luluu. These are puffballs and are commonduringtherainyseason.Theheadisgreybutmayhavesomebrownishcolour.Itdriesoffleaving a ball of spores.On bursting it, thespores resembling thePokot tobacco (tapa)arereleasedlikedust.Thesefungiappearatthesameseasonasorowos.Thesporescanbeusedfordecorationbygirls.

9. Mushroom (oota)

EastPokothadthevarioustypesofediblefungi(mush-rooms).

Edible fungi (keliomogh)The most common edible fungus (mush-room) is keliomogh (pl. kelpomogh) whichgrows near termite hills (tilwo) during therainy season. Mushrooms are collected bywomenandchildrenespeciallywhenlookingafter animals. Keliomogh is white in colourbutturnsabitdarkespeciallywhenitopens.Itgrowsatthestartoftherainseasonneartermite hills. It is boiled or fried and eatenwithugali.

Poisonous fungi A number of fungi (mushrooms, puffballs,toadstoolsetc.)arehoweverpoisonous.Itisbelievedthatoneshouldnotharvestmush-rooms from an inactive termite mound as

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mainsecludedforaboutthreemonths.Afterthis, theyarereintegrated intothecommu-nityinagraduationceremonywhereanum-berofritualsareconducted.Allparticipatingboysaregiventwogoatseachbytheirfamily.Oneisslaughteredandtheotherbelongstotheboy.Theslaughteredgoatiseatenduringtheceremony.Theliveoneisbroughtalongbyeachboytoablessingritual.Duringthisritual, themotherof theboypoursmilkontotheheadoftheinitiatesuchthatitflowsdowntothegoatheisholding.Afterthis,theboyisallowedtominglewiththerestofthefamilymembersandcommunityasawhole.

Wedding ceremonyThis is a one day ceremony. It is organizedby families concerned, relatives and theirfriends. The ceremony is preceded by ad-equatepreparationsinvolvingbothfamilies.Onthedayoftheevent,thedowry ispaid.Theeldersofbothfamiliesdiscussthedowry

TheEastPokotcommunityhasanumberofevents when people come together to cel-ebrate. These include graduation from oneage set to another (sapana), circumcision,weddings and prayers for rain. In most ofthesethere issonganddanceandfeasting.Ofallthesesapanaismostimportant.

Boys’ initiation (circumcision)Thiseventmarkstheturningfromchildhoodtoadulthood.After thisevent,one isquali-fiedtomarry.Thisisathreemonthoccasion.It isorganizedbyrespectedeldersandpeo-plewithspecial skills.Meals served includemeat, milk, blood and brews made fromhoney.

Thehutsusedby initiatesareprepared.Onthedayoftheinitiation,boysgototheriverearlyinthemorningtotakeacoldbath.Theycomebacktoasecludedareawherewomenarenotallowed.Theyuseskinclothandre-

10. Ceremonies

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Dia Diaisaceremonyforcleansingacommunityherowhohaskilledanenemy.

Ofalltheseceremonies,Sapanaisthemostimportant.

SapanaThemostimportantceremonyinEastPokotis Sapana. All members of the communitylookforwardtotheceremony.IttakesplacebetweenSeptemberandNovemberaftertherainy season. Sapana is a passage where amangraduatestomaturity,earningcommu-nityrespectandarighttomarry.

Afewfamilieswhohaveboysthatarereadyfor sapana start to prepare together. Thismaytakeseveralmonths.Suchboysaremo-ran (young warriors) that have attained astageofmarrying.Onecouldmarrywithoutundergoingsapanabutmaynotbegivenop-portunitiesforleadershipandmaynotcom-mand respect among elders. Foods servedincludemeat,milk,bloodandbutter.

Thefamiliesdoingthepreparationsneed:a) Milk–Alotofmilkisneeded.Thepar-

ticipating families contribute but alsoneighbors

b) Honeyfortraditionalbeerc) Otupo intowhichmilk and blood are

poured.d) Bullforslaughteringtovisitors.

Sapana starts with dancing and singing onthenightbeforetheceremony.Onthesamenight, elders are invited to the homes ofthe participating boys for beer. They drinkall night long andbless theboys. Bymorn-ing the elders are hungry and so they aregivenmilktodrink.Inthesamemorning,theyoungboysgatherandkilltheirbulls.Specialpeople prepare themeat by roasting, boil-ing and isolating special parts of themeat.Meanwhilethedancingandsinginggoesonas boys undergo the rite. Men roast theirmeatwhiletheirwomenboiltheirs.Thecer-

ina secludedarea.Once there isanagree-ment,theyjointherestofthemembersforofficialhandingoverofthebrideand intro-ductionofthefamilymembers.Foodsservedincludemilk,meat and ugali. Local brew isalsoservedtoelders.

Karoyon (karoyön) (foreteller)Karoyonisapersonwhocanreadandpredictthefuture.Hewill ‘read’the intestinesofagoat and predict calamities thatmay befallthe community. This is done during eventssuch as sapana and amurotin (ceremoniesmadetowardoffcalamities).Theyalsoreadmovementofenemies,peopleandanimalsandthespreadofdiseases,droughtandfam-ines.

AmuroTheseareceremoniesforprotectingpeoplefrom calamities such as disease, droughtand enemy attack. Werkoyon (serkoyon) isa spiritual leader, theequivalentof olaibonin the Maasai. He makes decisions aboutwhenandwheretoconducttheceremonies.Some of the ceremonies are conducted onsacred places such as Chesawach hill nearChemolingot.He tellspeoplewhat todoatthe site.Hewould saywhich colourof ani-malthecommunitywouldneedtoslaughter.Afterslaughtering,theyshouldtieapieceofthe animal skin on their hand – right handformenandlefthandforwomen.Karoyonisthepersonwhoconductstheintestineread-ingceremony.Hedoesnotweartheskin.Hegivesorderstoprayforrain.

Kalat (kolat)Kalat(kolat)isaceremonyofhavingagoodandhealthybaby.Thisisperformedbykolin(adiviner).Thisperson isbelievedtochaseawaybadspirits.Thebadspiritsmaybeasaresultofcausingdeathtoaperson.Itisbe-lievedthatapregnantwomanmaypassbadspiritsof someonewhokilled (apuafum) toherbaby.Without this cleansing ceremony,it is believed she would have an abnormalbaby.

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emonyreachesitsclimaxatabout1:00p.m.

Menroasttheirgoatswhole

Pokotmoranperformingsapana.Theybowdowntodrinkmilkfromotupo.

Theboywhoisgraduatinghasawhitefeather(akales)onhisheadreadytodrinkbloodfromotupo.

Moranslaughteringtheanimaland‘reading’theintestines.

Bullscontributedbythefamiliesareslaugh-tered at a central place. The slaughteringis done on leaves placed on the ground.Cheptuya(Euclea divinorum) leaves are pre-ferred.

Families and friends bring milk in alepit(alepїt). Some of the milk (contributed byeachoftheparticipatingfamilies) ispouredintoalargewoodenbowlcalledotupoforusebyallparticipatingmoran.Moranmaydrinkdirectlyfromtheotupowhilelyingdownontheir side to have a good gulp as their col-leaguestilttheotuposothatthemilk-bloodmixture can gather to the side where themouthis.Theotherpeopledrinkfromtheirwoodencupsorjustmoderncups.Theydrawtheirbloodfromthesmallerotupodonatedbytheparticipatingfamilies.

Blood is obtained by spearing the jugularveinofahealthyanimalthathasnoblemishe.g.whichhasneverbeenbittenbyahyena,and contributed by each family. The headsideoftheneckisfirsttiedtofacilitateflowoftheblood.Itisspearedandthebloodcol-lectedinalepit(alepїt).Theanimalisuntiedandlefttogo.

Largeotupo.Therearetwotypesofotupo,asmalloneandlargetype.

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Graduatesofsapanawearingatraditionalcap(bulu)madeofochre.Thestoneiscollectedfromariverbankandcrushedbetweentwostones,mixedwithgheeandthenappliedonhair.

Atraditionalstoolisgiventoagraduateafterundergoingsapana.

Tiaty (Tiachi) sacred hill TiatyrisesfromtheflooroftheriftValleyto2352mabovesealevel.Itisofvolcanicori-gin,withawidecrater,butmucheroded.ItisasacredmountainofthePokot.Elderssitandprayfacingthismountainthatisseenastheprotectorofthecommunity.

Ontheslopeofthemountainaresacredfigtrees(Fiscus thonningii)(Simotwo).Sacrificesare made by elders for bountiful milk andgoodhealthofanimalsaswellasofthepeo-ple.Themountainissaidtobethelasttofallduring wars (it never falls), and the last todryintimesofdroughtandhenceoffersthecommunityresilience.

Alepit(traditionalwoodenjug)

Blessing by elders during sapana: Early in themorning of the second day, el-ders(godfathers)lineupatthemilktroughsinasolemnoccasion.Theothereldersstandfar. Eachgraduatingboypassesnext to theeldersandisgivenmilktodrinkonhispalm.Hegoesroundandcomesbackagainasheisfollowedbytheotherboys.Theyrepeattheexerciseupto4times.

Meanwhileall theboyshavebeensmearedall over thebodywith intestinal content ofthebulltheykilledforthepeople.Theyalsosmearthemselveswithoilandwarmthem-selvesnearfirefortheoiltosoaktothebodywell. As the elders bless the boys they tellthemtostandfirmlikethesacredmountainofTiatianditssacredFicus thonningii(simot-wo).

After this solemn moment the head elder,often who has attained a special recogni-tionandwearingahatwithablackostrichfeather,announcestothecrowd,‘tetherthecalf’meaningtheboys(referredtoascalves)should stop drinkingmilk as the ceremonywasover.Aftertheblessingceremony,thereisdancingandmerrymaking.Elderlypeopleandyoungpeopledanceseparatelyandmenandwomenarefreetointeractineachcase.Age has to be respected strictly and hencenocrossingover.Spiesareemployedtoprowbetweenthegroups.

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AppendixAppendix 1: Glossary of Pokot Words Used

Achei Herding.Alsoachein.Adokole Childbirth.Adome Fruitsofadomeyon.

Adomeyon Cordia sinensis.Adeciduousshrubthatgrowsinlowlandsandbearsediblefruits.Itisoneofthemostimportantplantsofdrylowlandparts.

Akan Aplantthatgrowsinhighlandareasandhasovalrootsresemblingthoseofcassava.Itiscommoninvalleys.Akantin Pluralofakan.Akeret Traditionalgourdforstoringmilkandalsousedformakingghee.Akone Ahookedstick.Itisoftenusedtoremovebeehivesduringharvestingperiod.Akwacho’kioghoi Cookedwildfruit.Akwaawuhuu Wildfruits.Alepties Pluralofalepit.Alepit Atraditionalwoodencontainerorjugwithahandle.Itisusedformilkingcows.

Amuro Ceremoniesmadeforprotectionofthefamilyfromnaturalcalamitiessuchasdisease,droughtandenemyattack.

Amurotin Pluralofamuro.Anyang’at YellowishAnyan Lowlandareas.

Aperit Asmallshelterforherderslocatedjustnexttothegateofananimalenclosure.Fireiskeptburninginthisplaceduringthenight.

Kolin Adiviner.Thispersonisbelievedtochaseawaybadspirits.Apuatum Nicknamegiventoapersonwhohaskilledaman.Aran Goats.Arokon, Atraditionalchiselusedtomakebeehives.Arupe Shortrainseason.Aruru Athornyshrubgrowingtoabout2mhighinlowlandareas.Itbearsediblefruits.Arurutin Pluralofaruru.Asilo Tailofacow.

Atat Acacia elatior.Alargetreeto20mhigh.Barkisdarkbrown,deeplygrooved.Flowersareinroundheads.

Atomwo SingularforkotomwoAteker Longwoodencontainerusedforwateringanimalsandoftencarvedfrommokong’wotree.

Aurieng’eeHydnora abyssinica.Aparasiticplantthatusuallygrowsonacaciarootsinlowlands.Itap-pearsfromMarch–April.Thepotato-likeplantcracksthesoil,openingitsreddishflowersandreleasingastrongsmellfromits‘mouth’.Theflowersfalloffsoonafter.

Aurieng’o Pluralofaurieng’ee.Ayakwa(v) Lookafteranimals.Bapoo Farther.Bulu Traditionalcapmadeofochrestone.

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Luk LargegroupofMoranthatisformede.g.duringaraid.Chemangh Lowlandareas.

ChepanyintaSmallplantfoundinvalleysandoftenseenclimbingontrees.Itsrootsarethesizeofcar-rotstaperingonthefarend.Theyareedibleandsweet.Thedryfruitbreaksopenreleas-ingthinseedsdispersedbywind.

Chepanyinten Pluralofchepanyinta.

ChepilsMaerua decumbens.AsmallshrubcommonlyfoundinlowlandpartsofEastPokot,conspicuousinburntgrassland,whereitgeneratesquicklyfromitsthickwoodyroot.Commonlyfoundinsandy,alluvialorsandyloamsoilandinrockyplaces.

Chepluswotin Pluralofcheplis.Chepo’aran GoatmilkChepo’tany CowmilkCheptuiya Black

Chesowancha Ipomoeasp.Smallplantthatgrowsinlowlandareasandinvalleyswithsmallleavesandatuberthesizeofasweetpotato.Chesowanchatin Pluralofchesowa