Tharaka girls with grass skirts - Kenya, Traditionnal skirt…

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Traditionnal skirts made of palms and goat and cow skins. The Tharaka live on the eastern side of Mount Kenya. About 10% live in towns, the rest in the villages of the area. Meaning "starving", the Tharaka belong to the Ameru ethnic group. They speak a Bantu-language, the Meru. They are farmers and shepherds: they grow cereal crops, cotton, and sun flowers and rear cows, goats and sheeps. The decline in livestock holdings, attributed to droughts and declining available lands, is a concern for the Tharaka since goat meat is central in their diet and custom. The Tharaka are also merchants, since they trade with people all over the country. They live in small huts with a corrigated iron roof. Village life is better considered (compared to the life in towns) since it preserves their culture. They have a strong sense of belonging. The "mukuru" (elder) is the most important person of the community, who gives advice and settles disputes. In this tribe, like in others, there are age-sets: men have to go through several stages before reaching the highest one. There are several important celebrations: the birth of a child, circumcision, marriage and the harvests of June and January. Before marriage, high bride price is paid by the prospective groom to the wife