Every issue of Materia Viva begins with an aromatic material and follows it the way one follows a trail: not only the scent, but the landscape, the history, the gestures, the images and the words that the material carries with it.

This time the thread leads to northern Kenya, where Samburu women gather kua myrrh, Commiphora kua, picking off with their fingers the drops that the tree lets out by itself. Here kua is never cut: what the plant offers is what is taken, and the tree stays whole. For a long time this resin ended up anonymous in sacks, mixed with more common myrrhs. Today it has begun to be recognized and gathered separately, and that small gesture of separation makes it identifiable and brings those who harvest it an income of their own.

On the nose it surprises anyone expecting myrrh: in place of the bitter, earthy base, sweet notes of wood and vanilla and a balsamic touch, almost velvety. It is a relative of Omumbiri from Namibia, another Commiphora that carries with it the gesture of the women who gather it.

Discover more about Materia Viva – and if you love resins, the previous issue is on Ramy, a resin from Madagascar.

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