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Matriarchs of Resilience - Exhibition photographs

16 images Created 18 Jul 2024

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  • Pilale Rikoiyan walks across her compound in Esiteti Village, Amboseli, Kenya, at the break of dawn as she heads to her cowshed on October 9, 2023. My mother-in-law, Pilale Rikoiyan, is a strong and hardworking woman. She's a widow with seven children. Pilale's day begins very early, even before the sun rises. She wakes up before everyone else in the household.
    Pilale Rikoiyan walks across her com..023.
  • Pilale weaves beads into an ornament outside her home on October 14, 2023. In Esiteti, women come together in self-help groups that offer various services to different people, from individuals to tourists and institutions. The most common service they provide is making bead pieces in bulk. The profits are shared among the women based on how many pieces each one has crafted. Pilale is part of one of these groups, which gives her an extra source of income. Even though there are no current orders, she's keeping herself busy by working on a new bead piece.
    Pilale weaves beads into an ornament..023.
  • Pilale milks her cow while its young one waits to suckle on October 9, 2023. She starts her day by milking the cows and making tea for the whole family. Our family is quite large, with several different households, each belonging to one of her sons, including the grandchildren. Having a milking cow in a Maa homestead is considered prestigious. Typically, a homestead would have more than one cow producing milk. However, due to prevailing drought conditions, it's been tough to keep more than one healthy milk-producing cow.
    Pilale milks her cow while its young..023.
  • Pilale walks across a barren piece of land while carrying her Granddaughter, collecting dry sticks for firewood to use in her home On October 7, 2023. In her homestead (boma), where she lives with her sons and their families mine included, Pilale is the only one who currently has a cow that is producing milk. She will share the milk with her children and grandchildren.
    Pilale collects dry sticks for firew..023.
  • Ntuka, Pilale's neighbor, joins her as they search for fair grazing grounds for their sheep on October 7, 2023.<br />
The drought has left the land barren, causing sheep to forage among thorny thickets and dry shrubs that often injure their eyes. Women who stay behind from long grazing or wood-gathering journeys care for these injured sheep.
    Ntuka, Pilale's neighbor, joins..023.
  • Pilale splits up wood from a fallen tree on October 14, 2023. Pilale would usually prefer to watch over her grandchildren as her daughters fetch firewood. Many trees are being brought down by strong winds by the prevailing drought being experienced in Esiteti and Pilale seizes the opportunity to gather firewood from the fallen trees right beside her home.
    Pilale splits up wood from a fallen ..2023
  • Lenoi Mayiempe is the primary guardian for Michelle and her cousin Simintei, who lost his mother at a young age. She requested to live with Michelle so that she could assist in some of the smaller tasks at their home. She ensures their well-being, taking care of their food, education, and all other needs.  Lenoi encourages Michelle to excel in her studies, to ensure that all the hard work and effort she invests in providing for them yields rewarding results.
    Lenoi carefully shaves her granddaug..023.
  • Lenoi looks into the distance, where two valleys converge. With the ongoing drought, she has to travel to the intersecting point of these valleys to fetch water on October 9, 2023. Despite the condition of her leg , she remains capable of managing her daily tasks. However, the changes forced by the drought have undeniably added a layer of challenge to her routine.
    Lenoi looks into the distance where ..023.
  • Lenoi is milking her cows. From the cows Lenoi is still able to derive her means of income, selling their milk to meet her daily needs and sustain her family on October 9, 2023.
    Lenoi milks her cows on October 9, 2023.
  • Lenoi holds an immature maize cob on October 9, 2023. Simintei, her grandson, had asked for roasted maize. As she inspected the cobs to find mature ones suitable for roasting, she discovered that despite their height suggesting readiness, many were underdeveloped.
    Lenoi holds an immature maize cob on..023.
  • Lenoi Mayiempe is a farmer based in Melili, Narok, Kenya. Lenoi was born with a limb that developed differently.
    A portrait of Lenoi Mayiempe on Octo..023.
  • A herd of goats gathers around Lenoi as she feeds them with the maize that appears charred, on October 9, 2023. She is selective about the maize she offers them, knowing that feeding them the underdeveloped maize could attract them to its scent and potentially lead to the destruction of maize growing in her farm in the future.
    A herd of goats flocks around Lenoi ..023.
  • Ngo’to, milking her goat on October 10, 2023. Ng’oto relies on this goat as the primary source for the milk she uses in her homestead. Currently, she manages only a few goats and sheep and has had to sell most of them to supplement the income needed to take care of her husband and household needs.<br />
Ng'oto does not receive any benefits from the sale of portions of their land, which are managed by her relatives and in his ailing state, her husband was not able to intervene. She relies on one of her goats as the primary source of milk for her household.
    Ngo’to, milking her goat on October ..023.
  • A potrait of Ng’oto Keruke in a farm on October 10, 2023. With her children grown up, Ng’oto now leads a quiet and somewhat lonely life, facing the uncertainties of climate change while keeping livestock and caring for her ailing husband.
    A potrait of Ng’oto Keruke in a farm..023.
  • Ngo’to and her grandson tending to a small herd of goats on October 10, 2023. After migrating from the Mara, they still had ancestral land there which they could lease in portions to supplement their income. However, due to her husband's illness, the responsibility for managing and making decisions about the cattle and the land has been taken over by other relatives. As a woman, she has limited influence over these assets and is left with goats, often referred to as 'women's animals.
    Ngo’to and her grandson tending to a..023.
  • Pilale secures a sheep to a dried shrub stump with a rope to prevent it from wandering far as it grazes near her home. <br />
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After taking care of the morning chores, Pilale releases the livestock so they can go out to pasture. The younger men in the family lead the older cows to graze, while she makes sure the younger ones have enough water and sets them up to graze near the house.<br />
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In her homestead, Pilale shares responsibilities with her children. While the younger and more agile members of the family oversee the cattle on distant pastures, Pilale takes on the role of watching over her grandchildren and caring for the weaker and ill livestock struggling due to the prevailing drought.<br />
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Pilale's responsibilities have become even more challenging due to climate change, which has affected the availability of water and the quality of pasture for the livestock. This means she has to work even harder to ensure that her family's livestock are well cared for and can find enough food and water.
    Pilale secures a sheep with a fasten..023.