Woman Cooking
A Rabari village near Bhuj, Gujarat India 2005
A Rabari woman of means prepares our lunch in her kitchen. The preparation involved much grinding of spices with a mortar and pestle. The vessels in the foreground on the right contain water for cooking and drinking.
The women of the family wore beautiful, colorful clothes, made of printed and appliqued cotton. Rabari jewelry encircled or pierced every visible bit of dark, smooth skin. White lac arm bracelets covered their arms. Metal ankle bracelets and heavy Rabari necklaces, reminding me of shackles, weighed on necks and ankles. Of course, nose-rings and ear-rings sparkled and dangled from the appropriate appendages.
The women were gracious and dignified. The grandmother especially displayed a queenly demeanor. The children were rambunctious and somewhat mischievous, as privileged children often are. An adopted girl, a beautiful child of ten, was haughty, bossy and obviously self-centered. I feared for her future husband.