Pokot/Turkana Headrest with Integral Handle

This well-used headrest assumes a more recent style that adds an integral wooden handle to a fusion synthesizing elements of Turkana and Pokot headrest forms. Many, if not most, headrests used by pastoral societies have a carry cord of some type added to the headrest at the time of the finishing process. These cords can be constructed of recycled wire or worked from hide. Here, the handle, along with the riser, base and seat, are carved from the same block of wood, making the entire headrest a single contiguous structure. Nyangatom headrests from the southern Ethiopia—South Sudan frontier have also been noted to occasionally have integral wooden handles. $400

8″

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