Women from across the entire county of Nandi have been urged to embrace their culture and to get involved in cultural activities that can enable them to earn a living. The sentiments were said by the chairlady of Nandi Cultural Heritage Dancers Mrs. Emily Muigei Cheptieni who urged women, especially from the Nandi community to come out and embrace their culture.
Speaking to West Media at her home in Toleltany village, Kilibwoni location in Nandi county, Cheptieni who is also a widow, said culture is a way of life and every community should prioritize it citing that there are many cultural activities that can enable women to advance in the society.
Cheptieni, as her name depicts, is one of the women who has decided to form a cultural dance group that teaches the importance of culture to our societies through music.
Cheptieni has realized her talent of singing and making traditional artefacts and she earns a living through it, thus setting a good example to women in Kilibwoni area and the entire county at large.
She revealed how she came to terms with her knitting talent, basically making traditional attires and gourds when she was an initiate at an early stage given that her mother used to teach her and her fellow colleagues.
Upon her graduation, she got married at 19 years to an older husband and life was challenging to her. She encountered marriage challenges which contributed to her decision to fully focus on making traditional artefacts like pieces of jewellery, flower vessels, attires made from animal skins and milk gourds amongst many other items. The sad demise of her husband contributed to this decision because she had to take care of her children.
To date, Cheptieni is a renown traditional artist who has been invited to all corners of the country to perform during traditional ceremonies.
She hires one traditional attire at a cost of Kshs 1,500 and sells a small gourd at Kshs 500 and a big one at Kshs 1000. She has been exhibiting her artefacts at several exhibitions across the country.
