In Tesku, art is seen as a major factor that differentiates humans from animals. Reaching adulthood (at about age 16 or 17) is marked with a tattoo specifically designed by a priest based on their personality, life, and hopes for their future. After death the image of this first and most important tattoo is used on funeral goods of the deceased, so the soul can be guided back to its home, so while family members often share design elements no two share the same exact tattoo, in order to avoid confusing the dead.
The ceremony is a celebration of life lived so far, an important part of identity, and a connection to family.
Tesku has plays but they're almost more of a vehicle for visual arts than for actual story-telling. They really go nuts with the elaborate masks, painted sets, etc.
paintings, marble, khat, agriculture, bees
cultural ties to painting and agriculture
exports: grains, khat, art, leatherwork, honey and mead,
big on agriculture, produces sorghum, alfalfa, okra, jicama, nopal, ensete. major source of khat.