Mat Collection

You see these mats everywhere, they are made from palm leaves that are sun dried and then dyed. Then they weave beautiful patterns into them. Mostly women but the plain mat I have was made by a man and it is plain by my request. They are used mainly to sit on so that you don’t have to sit on the ground, some are used to sleep on in huts. I am getting quite a collection of mats, people come to my door often wanting to sell me a mat. They sell for 10,000 shillings each, most of the time. That is $3 USD give or take a few cents. I did get taken when I first got here by a lady that was giving me a “deal” at 20,000 shillings! I buy them to use here on Sunday’s but I have given a couple away, gave one away at the hospital a couple of weeks ago. Patients family have to sit on the floor at the hospital so they bring mats if they have them. Mainly I try to support those who are trying to support themselves. For me $3 isn’t much but to them 10,000 shillings can go a long way. They put a lot of time into them, and I have seen some very intricate patterns. I wondered at all the powdered food coloring in the supermarkets, especially since cakes and cupcakes aren’t a big thing here, but found out that is what is used to color the leaves. I think maybe one day I will have to have someone teach me to weave mats!