5.2 PERSONAL BODY ADORNMENT
By the close of the 19th century, European cloth and other foreign items had reached Luoland through trade. However, many Luo people at first did not admire them and few people could afford them. Imported cowry shells and glass beads from West Africa however were already being incorporated into Luo personal objects. These photographs offer a glimpse of a period when this shift in cultural influence through trade was gradually taking effect. Many ornaments were still made of local natural products including animal and wood products. They ranged from headdresses and necklaces to armlets and other items such as leather aprons ( pien nyadiel ), waist aprons ( olemo/chieno ), cowry shell belts ( okanda gaagi ), bead necklaces ( tik ng'ut ), hippo tusks ( lak rao ) armlets and wrist bangles ( minyonge ). Many of these objects can be observed in these photographs.
1998.189.11.1
Married Luo men and women in traditional ornaments.
D. V. Figueira, about 1925
1998.206.5.6
Luo women from Nyakach Location at a gathering
and in their traditional personal body adornment.
Charles W. Hobley, about 1900
1998.189.11.2
Luo women wearing traditional ornaments with some showing decorative scarring
D. V. Figueira, about 1925
1998.209.44.7
Luo women at a gathering wearing traditional ornaments
Charles W. Hobley, about 1900
1998.209.44.8
Young Luo women from Gem, Ugenya, Seme and Kano
wearing traditional ornaments.
Charles W. Hobley, about 1900
1998.206.5.2
Luo young men with a Luo elder in traditional dress
Charles W. Hobley, about 1900
1998.206.1.2
A young Luo man in traditional ornaments
Coutinho and Sons (Mombasa) about 1925