Tabaka soapstone figurine
egetumia kia obwanchani
A hand-carved steatite figure in the Tabaka tradition — human form with polished surface.
A hand-carved steatite figure in the Tabaka tradition — human form with polished surface. Part of the Mogusii Cultural Heritage documented collection.
Cultural context
The Tabaka Hills west of Kisii town hold one of East Africa's few workable deposits of steatite (soapstone) — a soft, talc-rich stone that carves with simple hand tools. Commercial carving grew through the twentieth century from a small local craft into an industry employing thousands of quarrymen, carvers, sanders and polishers organised in family workshops and co-operatives.
Figures of people, animals and abstract forms are roughed out with pangas and knives, filed smooth, wet-sanded and finished with wax or dye. The trade turned "Tabaka" into a byword for Kisii craftsmanship, and export income from carving now rivals agriculture for many households in the area.