Wholesale Fat Pot, “Eburi”, Turkana, Kenya

This type of vessel, called eburi, is carved by Turkana women. The outer cylindrical shape is roughened by an erminette (arong) from a branch or trunk of thorns (commonly of the Acacia raddiana species). It is then hollowed out using a long metal tip (ekeiticht). Both ends are covered with cowhide stretched and shaped in moist sand. The lower piece is connected to the container with leather straps and the upper part constitutes the lid. Designs can be pyrographed using nails or heated pieces of metal. The eburi is sometimes equipped with a woven leather handle. Women use small eburi as cosmetic jars where they store animal fat that they apply to their necks to avoid the irritation that can be caused by necklaces that they wear that are very tight. Sizes: Ø 15 cm (at the widest) H 24 cm