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Located in the remote south-west of Ethiopia Omo
valley, As many as two dozen different tribes occupy
this region, some numbering tens of thousands, other
no more than 500, each one of them culturally
unique. As The south Omo region is inhabited by
colorful, culturally diverse tribes who continue
their traditional lives, little changed by the
outside world. The major tribes are the Hamar, Mursi,
Karo, Bena, Tsemai, Ari and Surma, each with their
different languages, customs and dress. Some are
masters of face and body painting, some have body
scarification and stretching their lower lips with
clay and wooded 'plates', whilst others have
intricate hairstyles, using red earth and butter.
The
Hamar are pastoralists who practice the famous bull
jumping ceremony as a rite of passage for the young
men of the community. The unmarried women of the
Hamar tribe wear a cow skin 'tail', embroidered with
brightly coloured beads (to attract the men !) and
all Hamar women plait each other's hair with a
mixture of red soil and butter. The men use clay to
create a hair 'bun' which is topped off with a
feather. These indicate status and bravery, such as
killing a dangerous animal. A visit to a Hamar
market or village is an amazing spectacle.
The
women of the Mursi tribe wear white body and face
paint and earrings of local fruit dangling through
cut and stretched ear lobes. They are most famous
for inserting a lip plate (a clay disc) inserted
into their cut and stretched lower lip. The Karo are
known as the expert face and body painters of all
the tribes, some individuals mimicking the marking
of the guinea fowl. They also use handprints in
white, yellow and ochre colors to decorate
themselves. They also use body scarification and
make intricate headdresses using fruit and
vegetables. Both the men and women of the Suri tribe
shave their heads but leave thin lines of hair in
different patterns. The women have ear plates and
lip plates and both sexes have body scarification.
The young men take part in stick fighting contests
between villages to prove their manliness to the
girls. The children decorate themselves by face and
body painting almost daily and decorate themselves
with elaborate 'hats' made from various fruit and
flowers.
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