“Amon Maka” means “Women hold me!” It comes from an old story: 

A century ago, there was a heavy rainstorm that destroyed all the bridges and flooded the roads. It was almost Christmas and the women were on their way to the market to buy groceries. Some of them also went to collect yellow clay from the riverbed to paint their houses for the holiday. As they gathered on one side of the river, a man boasted about his strength and tried to cross alone. However, he quickly realized he couldn’t handle the force of the river and started shouting for help. The women came together and rescued him using a long stick. He admitted he was not as strong as he thought and became an advocate for women’s empowerment. 

The bridge they eventually built was named after the incident. The land near the river is now used for farming and brick-making due to its abundance of yellow clay.

The rainy season floods the area, and the last time they visited, the bridge was almost washed out (see video). The team was worried they would not be able to find more pigment for a long time, so they have foraged a large amount of this color.

(Amon Maka Yellow: 20 ml = 20 g; 35 ml = 35 g; 55 ml = 50 g; sample = 2 g)