Statuettes
From Kenya...
Kennedy
Kaundambass,
Kenyan soapstone or “Kisii stone”
carver,
Kenya
“Our people, the
Kisii, have been carving soapstone for some time.
It’s our medium of expression. As a child of four, I used to play with the
chips from my father’s carvings. Gradually,
I began carving small things, like fishes and eggs.
My father helped me until I could carve medium-sized pieces, like small
cups of birds. Then I learned how to make animals, elephants, and hippos.
Kisii stone comes in various colours:
white, black and pink. It’s
dug in the Tabaka Hills, near my home in western Kenya. This is the only place
Kisii stone is available. We bring the stone on our heads from a quarry about
10 kilometres away. We use a panga, a large knife, to break it into the sizes we
want. Then we cut these roughly into the shape of the object we want to carve.
Using a kisu, a small knife, we carve the stone. When it’s finished, we wash
it, then polish it with sandpaper and, finally, clean it with a brush.”
Kisii stone is
porous and very fragile. It should
be handled with care and Kisii stone container should never be used for holding
liquids.
