Ancient African Tribes in the Omo Valley of Southern Ethiopia

A large number of ancient African tribes still live in the Omo Valley region of Southern Ethiopia. We visit some of them while we are staying in Jinka.

Jinka is the main capital of scotland - the Omo valley, and it is market is used by most tribes to trade their items. When we go to the market, however, we mainly see “normal” city people. The products are spread on the ground, but due to the rain it's more like a mud pool. So rather than roaming the market we decide to visit a local pub. Ideas play with some children along with a group of singing Aari women passes. One of these is getting married and it is dressed nicely. We witness a bachelor party African style.

Aari tribe

The next day is restricted to a visit by jeeps towards the remote part of the Mursi tribe. Due to bad road conditions, however, the trip is cancelled. Instead, we're brought to a village from the Aari tribe, to consider a look around.
The Aari is really a relatively modern tribe. They don't wear traditional clothing or produce other tribe-specific looks. However they live in small huts where we are able to take a look around. Additionally they sing and dance for all of us, but it’s not really a spectacular dance. Some drunken man humm and experience a flute when they step around.

We choose to walk the 8 miles to Jinka. After a while we hear singing from the small church. Once we look at the entrance we're invited inside, to sign up in the Sunday church service. There's room for all of us on the front row, where we take a seat while everybody continues singing. The enthusiasm that everybody sings is within contrast using the church services in your own home. The priest however, is really as long-winded as the priests in Holland, maybe because we don’t know very well what he is saying. So before long we say goodbye to carry on our walk home.

Visit from the Mursi tribe

 

Mursi Woman with Lip-Plate, Omo Valley, Ethiopia When we cannot go to the Mursi, the Mursi will have to come to us. There appear to be a few people of the Mursi tribe doing some shopping in Jinka. They are asked to pay us a visit, and at 5 pm they arrive at the gate of our hotel/campsite. We arrange some benches to sit on and a jerry can with locally brewed beer. We start looking at each other and we are allowed to make pictures. As the jerry can empties, the Mursi become active.

One by one they stand up and perform some kind of dance. It is unclear whether this is a traditional dance or they made it up on the spot. In any case, they seem to enjoy it, until one of them starts acting a bit annoying to the others. It almost ends in a street fight, but when the initiator is removed it returns to normal.

Unfortunately, only two women are present, who do not wear a traditional lip plate. We can see, however, how the lower lip is stretched to fit such a plate. And they brought two babies, painted as they are, who drink from the breast. All in all, we are satisfied with their visit, which is a good alternative for our cancelled visit to their village. But when the jerry can gets empty, it’s better that they leave since they become a little aggressive. From the looks of it, the Mursi is still a primitive tribe.

Bana village

Our last day in Jinka we choose to visit the local market inside a Bana village 15 miles on vacation. As we arrive, however, it rains and also the marketplace is empty. We stand in our truck and because the rain stops, increasingly more Bana people appear. The women get their hair in breads, hold together by butter. On the heads many of them carry the calabash additionally they use to drink from. Lots of ornaments as well as an animal skin complete their looks.

We walk around because the market fills up. We take pictures, for a small fee or shifty, and have fun with the children. Once we play soccer we're surrounded by a crowd of 50-some people. We laugh because they hide for approaching balls, we don't succeed in teaching them a good header. 

Our driver Gerard also attracts a crowd as he sits in the center of the square to purchase eggs. Everybody sells just Two or three and Gerard requires a lot for the breakfast the approaching days. And thus we play in the local economy. Only our guide Abebe is complaining. Our presence has raised the going rate of some goods so he can't afford to buy anything.

In Jinka we visit a family who’s son is sponsored with a former travel in our tour company. We're welcomed with a nice young woman with four other young kids (the sponsored boy reaches school in Addis Abeba). We participate in a coffee ceremony and therefore are offered baked potatoes and fruit once we communicate via our guide Abebe. During the night, they visit our camp where we provide them with their family portrait, shot with this camera and printed about the trucks laptop. They're very impressed and pleased with it.

The following day we leave Jinka. But we're not leaving the Omo Valley at this time, not before an encounter using the Bana and Hamer tribes...

African Tribes – The African Way of Life