‘Sufurias cannot bring blessings’: change, continuity and resilience in the world of Marakwet pottery, a case from western Kenya

Abstract

ABSTRACT Drawing on fieldwork conducted over multiple seasons between 2012 and 2015, this paper explores aspects of the socio-economic and political history of the Marakwet of Kenya. It does so by focusing on a particular material culture category – pottery – and tracing transformations in its production, use and exchange over several generations from the early twentieth century to the present day. This approach serves to unearth a series of personal and quotidian narratives that not only comprise a unique account of Marakwet’s past, but also shed light on the material consequences of various ongoing processes of infrastructural and economic development. Complementing our previous work on Marakwet farming, landscape and ecological change, we here demonstrate the multiple ways in which change has been dynamically negotiated and enacted throughout the last century via various shifting daily practices. The historical innovations, adaptations and movements that we explore attest to a resilience deeply rooted in Marakwet society that continues to be articulated in the contemporary world.