Turonik: Gleaning Maize After the Harvest

By William Kiptoo

I took this photo in November 2024 along the Eldoret to Moiben road. It shows a scene after the maize harvest, a tradition referred to in Kalenjin as Turonik.

It used to be a good thing. When we were growing up, we children would go into the fields after the harvest and collect the maize that had been left behind. We would shell it, put it in bags and sell it for some pocket money. It was part of growing up, a small childhood hustle.

This has since changed. In this photograph you can see more adults than children in the field. I am left wondering whether Turonik is still a tradition meant for children, or whether it has turned into something else, and whether it should still be encouraged.

First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group.

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