Traditionally, the African cultures known as the Kisii have long mined soapstone from the Tabaka Hills in southwest Kenya to make powdered soapstone for use in healing, divining, and initiation rituals. Starting in the 20th century, Kisii men began to mine this soft metamorphic rock in order to supply workshops where the soapstone is carved into small sculptures and household … [Read more...] about Hand-Carved Kisii Soapstone Objects: Researched and Conserved by Christina Elkinton
The Maasai, the Kikuyu, the Kamba, and other native cultures of Kenya did not traditionally do figural woodcarving before the early 20th century. The Kamba, for example, limited their woodcarving to medicinal, spiritual, or funerary objects such as medicine staffs, wooden stoppers for gourds, and horn medicine containers. Then, shortly after World War I, a Kamba soldier in … [Read more...] about African Tourist-Trade Animal Sculpture Researched by Ashley McLaughlin and Morgan Davis