Soapstone carving of Tabaka: Kenya's living sculpture tradition

A stone that shapes a village

Tabaka, in South Mugiranga ward of Kisii County, is synonymous with soapstone carving. The soft, pale stone — locally called obulungu — has been worked there for generations, initially for domestic and ritual objects and, since the mid-20th century, for decorative sculpture sold across Kenya and abroad.

From household to gallery

Traditional Tabaka carving produced mortars, basins, pots and figurines used in homesteads. In the 1970s–80s, with the growth of Kisii town and tourism, carvers began producing larger sculptural works. Today the village has hundreds of workshops, a carving school, and an annual cultural festival that draws visitors from across the region.

UNESCO recognition

The Tabaka soapstone carving tradition was included in UNESCO's register of good safeguarding practices for intangible cultural heritage — recognition of both the craft's economic importance to the community and its role in transmitting Gusii aesthetics and techniques.

The craft today

Carvers still learn by apprenticeship in family workshops. Styles blend Gusii figurative traditions (animals, human figures, ancestral themes) with contemporary buyers' tastes. Our marketplace sells Tabaka pieces directly, and we work with carvers on documentation and fair-trade practices.