Portraits of Kuria People

Portraits from Rivers of Change: Kurya Communities on the Mara River in Tanzania

The following images were taken in 2016 in the Lower Mara River Basin of Tanzania. These portraits of local people are mostly Kurya ethnicity, a minority group of mainly cattleherders who live across the border of Tanzania and Kenya. During fieldwork, my team visited people in their traditional villages in this remote part of Tanzania. The World Bank is proposing water development along the Mara River to include dams in Kenya and an irrigation scheme with a water diversion in Tanzania that will displace about 11,000 people. This proposed change to the Mara River flow can alter life for the Kurya and critical ecosystems in the Serengeti National Park and the Mara Wetlands, and impacts may be further reaching into Lake Victoria.

Kurya Community Leader	Musoma Market Seller No. 1 This woman runs a shop that sells baskets and other woven items made from natural fibers.	Musoma Market Seller No. 2	Farmer's Son No. 1
Farmer's Son No. 2	Kurya Girl	Kurya Twin Girls	Fish Inspectors
Fishers No. 1 Women fishing in the Mara Wetlands	Today's Catch Women fishing in the Mara Wetlands	Fisher No. 3 Lake Victoria Fisherman	Fisher No. 4 Lake Victoria Fisherman
Fisher No. 5 Lake Victoria Fisherman	Kurya Woman No. 1 Nyasarura, Serengeti District, Tanzania	Kurya Woman No. 2 Nyasarura, Serengeti District, Tanzania	Kurya Woman No. 3 Mugumu, Serengeti District, Tanzania
Kurya Woman No. 4	Kurya Woman No. 5 Grandmother minds this baby while the mother is in the fields farming.	Kurya Woman No. 6	Herder No. 1
Lake Victoria Swimmer No. 1 Fishermen's Camp, near Musoma Town, Lake Victoria, Tanzania	Lake Victoria Swimmer No. 2 Fishermen's Camp, near Musoma Town, Lake Victoria, Tanzania	Lake Victoria Swimmers No. 3 Fishermen's Camp, near Musoma Town, Lake Victoria, Tanzania	Lake Victoria Swimmer No. 4
Mara Gold Miner No. 1 Artisanal Gold Miner in Tarime District, Tanzania	Farmer's Daughters No. 1 Tarime District, Tanzania	Listeners No. 1 Musoma Town, Lake Victoria, Tanzania	Listeners No. 2
Firewood Hauler	Lake Victoria Farmer No. 1 Farmer irrigating food crops. Musoma Bay, Tanzania	Lake Victoria Farmer No. 2	Mara Farmer No. 3
Clothes Washer	Kurya Man No. 1 Agricultural Officer	Kurya Man No. 2	Kurya Man No. 3 This man took time out of his day to accompany our team in Nyasurura.
Kurya Man No. 4	Farmer & Storyteller No. 1 This farmer told our team local folklore stories about the Mara River.	Farmer & Storyteller No. 2 This farmer told our team local folklore stories about the Mara River.	Working Hands Fisherman meets Scientist
Community Water Tap	Women Hauling Water	TZA_16_KuryaWomen	TZA_16_KuryaFarmer
TZA_16_Waterhauling