Portrait of a Fulani woman wearing elaborate Kwottenai (Earrings)
The Fulani people were conventionally nomadic people. Their fantastic journey across the countries in West Africa began many centuries ago. Although many Fulani have held on to their nomadic way of life, many have pan out to accepting immobile lifestyles as farmers, but mobilize their cattle to different areas dependent on the season, and more recently have populated urban centers.
In Mali, gold earrings called kwottenai are part of a Fulani woman’s whole kit and caboodle that are impractical to miss.
Kwottenai are made of gold and wrapped with red thread and worn through both drilled earlobes.
In the course of time, more gold is added to the earrings jacking up their size and value; the rise in the size and value denotes the individual’s and family’s accumulated wealth.
Each of the earring can cut ice more than half of a pound and extra help by way of a clip or strap, is sometimes used to ease pressure and possible lacrimation of the earlobe. A
Fulani women mostly snap up their kwottenai on two occasions, at her wedding as a gift from her husband or when her mother is dead.
The fake kwottenai is made of painted gold and red clay. Sometimes, wrapped red and gold silk threads are worn by those who can’t afford the unique and costly metal.
PROCESS
TOOLS USED:
PHOTOSHOP
HUION TABLET
MSI PC
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