The Hamar (or Hamer or Hammer) is a tribe with a total population of about over 35,000, which lives in Hamer Bena woreda, a fertile part of the Omo River valley, in the Debub Omo Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region (SNNPR). They are largely pastoralists, so their culture places a high value on cattle, the menaning of their life. There are at least 27 words for the subtle variations of colours and textures of a cattle! And each man has three names: a human, a goat and a cow name.
Honey collection is their major activity.They are as well semi nomadic and migrate every few months to find pastures for their goats and cattle. They have a special relationship with Bana-Bashada group than the others as they share a common language and culture.
Hamer society consists of a complex system of age groups. To pass from one age group to another involves complicated rituals. The bull-jumping is the most significant ceremony in the social life of the Hamer, the final test before passing into adulthood and in order to get married. The teen must jump naked over a number of bulls without falling. That is why we can mention it as cow jumping or bull leaping. If he is able to complete this task, he will become a man and be able to marry a woman.
The Hamar are very preoccupied with their beauty. They have at times spectacular haidresses.
Men use a wooden head rest which prevents the hair from touching the ground. It is used as head rest to protect the clay wig that some do on the top of the head, but it is also useful as a seat.
Women know many ways to do their hair. The most famous hair style is when their hair is in short tufts rolled in ochre and fat or in long twisted strands. These coppery coloured strands are called "goscha", it's a sign of health and welfare.
They also wear bead necklaces, iron bracelets around their arms, and decorate their breast with lots of cowry shells, like a natural bra.
Around married women's necks, you can see "esente": torques made of iron wrapped in leather. These are engagement presents; they are worn for life and indicate their husband's wealth. One of the necklaces catch more especially the attention: it is called the "bignere". It has a phallic-shape end. This jewelry can only be worn by a man's first wife.
Her statut is the higher one in Hamer society. The Hamar women who are not first wife have a really hard life and they are more slaves than wives...
The young unmarried girls, for their part, wear a kind of oval shape plate, in metal. It is used like a sunshield, but it tends to be rare in the tribe. Some of them have fund their future husband, but have to wait in their house until the so-called prentender can provide all the money for the ceremony: he has to pay for all the cows the bride-to-be's family asks for. These girls are called "Uta" and have to wait weeks, entirely covered with red clay... And no right to take baths or showers . They cannot go out of the house. Friends bring her food.
A cruel tradition still has currency for some Hamar: the babies who have the upper teeth first coming out, are abandonned in the bush. This tradition tends to disapear but NGO Omochild still save abandonned new borns in Jinka. Abandonments are all the more frequent than some Hamar believe that a child born out of formal marriages has "mingi", as to say something abnormal and unclean. For them, it is the expression of the devil, which may cause disasters such as epidemics or drought in the village. So, illegitimate children are abandoned. This kind of beliefs can also be observed in other Ethiopan tribes.
The weekly markets in Turmi and Dimeka are meeting points where tourist observation and photography can be satisfy against money.
© Eric Lafforgue
www.ericlafforgue.com
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This kid is from the village of Turgit, one of the nicest place in Surma / Suri territory, in the south of Ethiopia, near the sudanese border.. The access is far from Addis Ababa,3 days of 4 wheels but once in the village you can share the real life of the Surma / Suri tribe. Kids are very keen on decorating themselves with plants, flowers, fruits...anything with bright colours!
But.. you need to think about why they do it: do they do it for themselves, for the tradtion, ot do they do it for the photographer? I must say that i've met both!
© Eric Lafforgue
www.ericlafforgue.com
Tags: 3537 kid child boy flower decoration smile fun funny plant grass etiópia tribo Αιθιοπία эфиопия 埃塞俄比亚 埃塞俄比亞 이디오피아 エチオピア Äthiopien Etiopía 種族 Ethiopië Etiopia 에티오피아 Etiopien Etiopija Етиопија Etiyopya אתיופיה 衣索匹亚 衣索匹亞 ethiopie tribe tribal tribu tribes ethnic ethnology ethnie culture tradition Peoples of the Omo Valley nomadic people artistic pigments rite body painting adornment East Africa ornament اتیوپی ArtLibreS tulgit
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She has the same kind of haircut than the Hamer tribe from Omo area, called the cofee beads haircut, but she is Menit, a tribe which is not really friend with Surma!
The best place to Menite them is the Tum market where very few foreigners go. As soon as you start to take pictures, you are surrounded by hundreds of people, who ALL want to see the camera screen! Nice atmosphere.
© Eric Lafforgue
www.ericlafforgue.com
Tags: 0647 etiópia tribo Αιθιοπία эфиопия 埃塞俄比亚 埃塞俄比亞 이디오피아 エチオピア Äthiopien Etiopía 種族 Ethiopië Etiopia 에티오피아 Etiopien Etiopija Етиопија Etiyopya אתיופיה 衣索匹亚 衣索匹亞 ethiopie tum toum women beads necklace miror miroir اتیوپی Peoples of the Omo Valley nomadic people artistic pigments rite body painting adornment East Africa ornament omo
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This kid is from the village of Turgit, one of the nicest place in Surma territory, in the south of Ethiopia, near the sudanese border.. The access is far from Addis Ababa, but once in the village you can share the real life of the Surma / Suri tribe. Kids are very keen on decorating themselves with plants, flowers, fruits...anything with bright colours!
© Eric Lafforgue
www.ericlafforgue.com
Tags: 3600 etiópia tribo Αιθιοπία эфиопия 埃塞俄比亚 埃塞俄比亞 이디오피아 エチオピア Äthiopien Etiopía 種族 Ethiopië Etiopia 에티오피아 Etiopien Etiopija Етиопија Etiyopya אתיופיה 衣索匹亚 衣索匹亞 ethiopie kid boy smile flowers suri surma tribe tribal tribu tribes ethnic ethnology ethnie culture tradition omo valley peoples of the omo valley omo اتیوپی nomadic people artistic pigments rite body painting adornment East Africa ornament tulgit
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I repost some pictures, as Flickr asked me to moderate them. So i put some "clean" versions..
I need to think to tell tribal people to wear some tshirts next time i'll meet them if they want to be part of Flickr!
Omorate village
The Dassaneth or Geleb are living on both sides of the Omo river.
The Dassanetch are originally nomadic pastoralists . However, despite their dedication to cattle rearing current reality reveals that crop cultivation on the flooded banks of the Omo river and its delta are fundamental to their subsistence.
Omoratte market of the Dassanetch has been serving for centuries as an important trading center of the Karo and the Geleb where the Karo head with their own clay pots to exchange them for grain, Coffee and ammunition.
In the Dassanetch society power is in the hands of a group of about thirty elders called"bulls" (Ara).
The hair style of the Dassanetch men is one of the most sophisticated in the Omo valley.
Village d'Omorate
Les Dassanetch (ou dassanech) vivient sur les deux rives du fleuve Omo. Ils sont aussi appelés les Geleb. Ce sont des pasteurs, mais l'agricultiure sur les rives du fleuve tend à prendre de plus en plus d'importance pour leur survie alimentaire. le marché d'Omoratte est un carrefour de longue date où les echanges avec les Karos sont nombreux (poterie contre café, armes, munitions..).
Dans la societé Dassanech, le pouvoir est detenu par une trentaine de sages appellés les Aras (les taureaux).
la coiffure des Dassanech, comme chez les karo, est tres sophistiquée.
Daasanetch Girl from Omorate village, near Omo river, south Ethiopia.
© Eric Lafforgue
www.ericlafforgue.com
Tags: daassanetch dassanetch girl omo ethiopia Etiópia tribo Αιθιοπία эфиопия 埃塞俄比亚 埃塞俄比亞 이디오피아 エチオピア Äthiopien Etiopía 種族 tribal beauty cute nice beaute caspsule recyclage recycle charmante omoratte dassanech dasaanech geleb omorate tribal portrait decoration jewel bijou collier necklace jolie omo valley vallee de l omo south ethiopia ethiopie du sud people feminine Merille east africa afrique de l est portrait tribe tribu ethnic ethnie ethnique ethnicity travel adventure black people black skin female femme woman fille Ethiopie abyssinia abyssinie africa recycling face visage gens human humain personne headdress coiffe Gibe III dam Gibe 3 dam
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