September
1
2010
By Lauren Scott
The second in a series of posts straight from the road, we discover "Uggs" with African history behind them.
When I arrived at Borana I immediately caught a severe case of Ugg envy. Everyone here is in beautiful, perfectly worn in “Ugg boots”. In fact, on closer examination, everyone is in beautiful sheepskin gillets, jackets and boots and every sofa is covered in a “love rug”, a huge sheepskin throw that makes your furniture or floor excessively snug. I inquired immediately and bingo—the response was one of those authentic, African tales we all hope to collect on safari…
Tanning, in the traditional way, is done using vegetable products and, as it is done predominantly using a sense of touch, can be done by the blind. Rubin (who we first met in last week's post) was the first young blind boy at Borana to go away and learn the art. He returned with another blind friend, Martin, who still works at Borana's tannery today. Years later, one of Borana’s farm hands was involved in a tractor accident, breaking both legs. As he was unable to continue working the land, he took over the stitching and design of the products. Since then additional physically disabled workers have joined the team to handle this part of the production.
Today the tannery, called “Hide and Sheep”, still runs exactly as it has since it’s inception in 1966, with beading done by a local Maasai women’s group. Guests of Borana and neighbouring camps are welcome to visit and it's well worth the trip.
I wear my handcrafted boots with huge amounts of pride. They are utterly unique and as I am constantly asked where I got them from, they're the perfect segue for me to tell one of my safari stories.
Lauren Scott has been visiting Kenya with her family for years—each time pretending to lose her passport at the end of the trip, so that she wouldn't have to leave. Keep reading The Sounder for Lauren's weekly updates on her travels, and follow us on Facebook or Twitter if you'd like a reminder. If you're planning a Kenyan trip of your own, get in touch with us and have a look at our trip planning site.