Thursday, March 7, 2013

Tribal Tour

I went on a tribal tour to the Omo Valley. It was incredible! We saw many tribes and how they interact with nature and each other. We saw traditions and the tools they use instead of the modern conveniences we have. I saw where they live and how they live.

The Hamer tribe: the Hamers are among the most well known tribes in the Omo. We'd hope to visit during one of their most famous ceremonies, called the jumping of the bulls, but we missed it because the times are unpredictable.  We saw their circular houses made of straw, wood and mud. They participate in ceremonial night dancing called evangadi.

Hamar Tribe
The Karo or Kara Tribe: The Karo or Kara Tribe is closely related to the Kwegu and very small having between only 1,000 and 3,000 people, about the size of Memorial High School! They practice flood retreat cultivation which is kind of like rice farming fields near Houston and cranberry bogs. They grow maize, sorghum and beans. They only keep small cattle because of the tse tse flies which feed off the blood of vertebrates. Yuck! They paint their faces  and bodies with a mixture of white chalk colored with yellow rock and iron ore. Other tribes in the Omo Valley paint their bodies, too.

The Mursi Tribe: They are one of the most well known tribes in the Omo Valley and live in the Mago National Park along the Omo river.  The women wear colorful lip plates which are really cool. However, I was horrified to learn that they cut their lips in order to fit them in.  They are also really heavy and uncomfortable so they don't wear them all the time. My mom says this isn't really different from ear piercing, but it sounds a lot worse to me. They raise cattle and crops along the Omo river and move twice a year because of the climate. If you like pictures, bring money!  The people were happy for me to take a photo of them but they expected payment each time.


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