More Tribal Encounters

After the unsettling, but fascinating, encounter with the Mursi tribe yesterday we set off on another long road trip along dirt tracks and dried out river beds. These river beds are prone to flash floods that seemingly come out of nowhere. Consequently, the driver has one eye on the track and another on the sky.

A torrent of water ripping through an Omo Valley village

15 Minutes earlier it was dry!!!

The next tribe we find are the Nyangatom who are noticeably calmer and much more welcoming. You can read a little about them here.

They live in the polygamous-husband's family compound, each wife having her own hut. We meet the three wives of one wealthy Nyangatom man - each of them would have 'cost' at least 40 head of cattle! They each have neck or head decoration that signifies their own accumulated wealth and therefore their importance.

Wife 2

Wife 3

Wife number 1, the primary/first wife has a post on the top of her headdress.

Although the Nyangatom have a reputation as fierce warriors they take a keen interest in us and we are warmly welcomed.

What! you're his only wife? He must be poor... or wise!

Our next tribe, the Kara people, are to be found high on a cliff with a great vantage point overlooking the Omo river. Like the Nyangatom they too are friendly and welcoming. The Kara tribal area has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to the richness of the tribal traditions and ceremonies. Witchcraft and magic are still practiced and feared by all the tribal members.

Don't play mancala with this guy... or, at least, don't win!

Male grooming, Kala style.

Two customs worth a mention: the first is Mingi. Mingi, meaning cursed, is still practiced even though the federal authorities try to prevent it. A Mingi is a child born out of wedlock or born to a couple without permission of the elders or has some other form of deformity. They are believed to be full of evil and will bring misfortune to the family, to the village and tribe. Consequently they are killed, either by being thrown into the river or left in the forest to die. For example, with pre-marital sex normal and widespread (if a bride is a virgin then, we are told, "there must be something wrong with her") there are Mingi 'accidents' and those newborns live very, very short lives after being given over to the surrounding wilderness. We are aghast being told this by the village elder who recounts with indifference "it's the way it has always been".

The second ritual is that of bull jumping. This is a right of passage for young men who must run, naked, across the backs of ten bulls. If they succeed they have the blessing and support of the tribe, if they fall off they are shamed until they complete the initiation. This ritual is rare, maybe once per year, and not performed for onlookers. During the ceremony, the female relatives flail themselves and the consequent lash scars are a sign that the man who indirectly caused them must take care of her should her husband die. 

Our next tribe are the Banna or Bena people, whose rituals are similar to the Kara and Hamar tribe who we also visit.

The hairstyle signifies a married woman

Let me check you out

Banna people at the nearby village market

Coming back from market

To reach the last tribe, the Dassanech people we first have to cross the Omo (yes, there are deadly Nile crocs!) river. The dugout canoes are certainly not what one might describe as stable. Despite the adventure and the nervous giggles, we are glad to get back on land.

Ferry just about to leave, hop in!

Go on Morgan - poke your hand in!

The Dassanech tribe are the last clan before the great Omo river reaches Lake Rudolf. The Dassanech have suffered a significant decrease in numbers after being forced to move from their homelands in Kenya to reach the Omo valley. They are an agro-pastoral people, growing maize, pumpkins and beans when the river is in flood and rely on goats and cattle in the dry season. They live in dome shaped huts, quite different from all the other villages we have seen. Both boys and girls are circumcised; those who refuse are denied marriage and the wearing of clothes.

The local vodka-esque still.

Buyers overseeing the cattle market.

The Pied Piper of Aari children!

Colourful and essential market.

Time to relax