Imat Lango Cooking Stone is a unique, limited edition pigment that is made from one of Sharon’s mother’s cooking stones. “Imat Lango” translates to “The Lango People”; however, “Imat” is a general name given to old Mamas in Lango language. It was introduced to prevent young people from calling elders with their real names, because our culture believes that it is disrespectful to call elders with their names.

The pigment is unusually rich and thick, almost opaque, and unlike most of the other colors. We think the heating of the stones over decades is the reason. This is a limited edition, and we will not make any more from Sharon’s mother’s cooking stones!

Imat Lango’s cooking stones were a gift from her mother-in-law when she was newly married. Cooking stones are passed down through generations of women. She loved them so much because they were special blessings to her, and she’s been using them for over 30 years. The stones are meant for cooking, for holding saucepans firmly over the fire. Sharon knew that heating stones can make beautiful colors, so she asked for one of her stones to make the pigments and paints that support her family. She carefully crushed the interior of the stone and discovered a beautiful reddish color.

It’s not easy to crush a gift stone. We feel that the stone carries our ancestral blessings to be passed down. Even though we replaced it, it doesn’t feel the same.

(Imat Lango Cooking Stone: 20 ml = 21 g)