ETHIOPIA - OMO RIVER VALLEY - THE VANISHING TRIBES

Dimitra
Stasinopoulou
DIMITRA STASINOPOULOU
ETHIOPIA
OMO RIVER VALLEY
THE VANISHING ANCIENT TRIBES
ETHIOPIA
OMO RIVER VALLEY
THE VANISHING ANCIENT TRIBES
A photographic testimony

ETHIOPIA
OMO RIVER VALLEY
THE VANISHING ANCIENT TRIBES
A photographic testimony
PHOTOGRAPHS – TEXTS
Dimitra Stasinopoulou

© Dimitra Stasinopoulou
(dimitra@imedica.ro)
ISBN 978-960-92803-9-6
Dimitra Stasinopoulou is an amateur photographer, born in Athens, Greece in 1953. She worked in the
banking sector for 20 years and later on in the family business in Romania. Her first book, “Romania
of My Heart”, was awarded with the UNESCO prize and her latest book, “The Greek Revolution in
the Danubian Principalities of Moldavia & Wallachia - In the footsteps of Alexander Ypsilantis” was
awarded from the Academy of Athens. Her love of traveling around the world and her desire to share
the images she brought back, led her to publish books for Bhutan, India, Burma and Papua New
Guinea. She has also published another 20 books, in electronic format.
PRIVATE EDITION – NOT FOR SALE
SPONSORED BY:
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 4 - 9
SURMA TRIBE 10 - 163
KARA TRIBE 164 - 249
NYANGATOM TRIBE 250 - 285
HAMER TRIBE 286 - 359
Bucharest, Romania

INTRODUCTION
Surma woman with lip plate. At
a young age, they remove their
bottom teeth and they pierce
their bottom lip, which is stressed
to allow insertion of a clay lip
plate.
Surma men spend most of their
time looking after their precious
cattle. They guard them with
AK-47 Kalashnikov machineguns.
Cattle, goats and sheep are
vital to most tribes’ livelihood
providing them with blood, milk
and meat. They are highly valued
and used to buy brides.
Omo is a major river in southern Ethiopia. Its course is entirely
contained within the country’s boundaries and empties into
Lake Turkana, on the border with Kenya. However, its final
destination was a source of controversy: Did it end in the
Indian Ocean, the Nile River, or Lake Turkana? In 1896, the
famous Italian explorer Vittorio Bottego, under the auspices
of the Italian Geographical Society, put an end to this
controversy. His expedition explored the lands known as the
Lower Omo Valley, confirming that its waters were indeed the
great source that fed Lake Turkana. Towards the end of the
19th century, the Omo region became part of Ethiopia, but
remained isolated from the historic events that shaped the
rest of the country. Bordering Kenya and Sudan, far from any
city, it is a lost world, a region traversed only by a few poorquality
roads, passable only during the dry season. In its 500-
mile course, the river curls through gorges of volcanic rock and
channels of ancient mud. Near the Kenyan border, the Omo
carves serpentine oxbows as the countryside flattens, and
ribbons of forest appear along its banks. Riverine creatures,
including crocodiles and hippos, become more abundant.
In the 1970s and ‘80s, international anthropologists and
linguists found it quite disconcerting that a territory, which
was not excessively large, could be home to so many
different ethnic and cultural groups. For generations, the
tribes of the Omo were shielded from the outside world by
mountains, savannas, and Ethiopia’s unique status as the only
African nation never to have been colonized by Europeans.
In 1980, UNESCO declared the Lower Omo Valley a World
Heritage Site in recognition of its uniqueness, and from then
on, a few tourists began travelling in the region. Here live
approximately 15 semi-nomadic tribes, the largest comprising
around 70,000 people and the smallest numbering no
more than 1,000, totaling about 200,000. Amazingly, these
small groups are interrelated in such a way that, over time,
they underwent their own evolution, marked by a process
of displacement, changes in survival means, symbiotic
relationships, conflicts, and acculturation under the influence
of the dominant groups. Their evolution, in one of the most
isolated regions of Africa, puzzles specialists. Undoubtedly,
the most striking difference lies in their languages, despite
the Ethiopian government’s efforts to introduce Amharic as
the official language. Neighboring tribes may have languages
of completely different origins, some harking back to Nilotic
cultures and others rooted in the mountainous regions of
Ethiopia.
To this day, the Omo Valley remains rich in traditional culture
and human history and is considered the cradle of humanity.
It’s been said: “If Africa were the mother of all humanity, the
Omo River acted as a main artery”. Remains of early humans
dating back nearly four million years have been discovered
here – evidence of an almost continuous human presence.
DNA analysis suggests that every living person is related to
a single woman from the Omo Valley – the famous “Lucy”
skeleton, which was discovered during excavations in
southern Ethiopia in 1974.
Geographically, the tribes live along the banks of the River
Omo, whose silt-laden waters flow into Lake Turkana, near
the Kenyan border, and whose levels fluctuate significantly
between the rainy and dry seasons, enduring hardships
caused by either natural cycles or human intervention. Long
dry seasons, extreme temperatures, and rugged terrains make
survival a monumental challenge. Young people learn that
endurance is an essential virtue and part of the inheritance
handed down from their ancestors. The challenge of survival
has forged the strength and indomitable spirit of the tribes.
The nomadic ways of herders do not allow for the development
of any material culture, either for aesthetic or spiritual
purposes. Continuous movement requires few and easily
portable possessions, primarily those necessary to facilitate
minimal daily functions. Their small huts provide shelter from
the sun and the rain and are sparsely furnished. Simple fires
with crude earthenware pots sit beside gourds of different
shapes and sizes, goat and cow skins, and a few baskets and
rudimentary utensils. The most exquisite functional artisan
work is the wooden neck support, which also preserves their
elaborately decorated hairstyles. Their size, light weight, and
wide use make them essential objects that men carry all
the time, using them for sitting as well. The lack of material
culture is compensated for by the exceptional ornamental
and symbolic wealth of their decorated bodies.
One of the most remarkable aspects of these individuals
is their exceptional beauty. Both boys and girls have
magnificent physiques, slender and unusually supple. They
adorn themselves to express status and tribal identity, not
only to enhance their physical appearance but also to convey
messages and signals through scarification, paintings, and
hairstyles.
Cattle are an integral part of tribal life. Almost everything
depends on cows. Along with milk and meat, the blood, which
the tribe members regularly take from a vein in the neck of
each animal, is a staple food. Cows also act as local currency;
everything is calculated in terms of cattle heads. However,
they represent much more than just food and currency. They
are the cultural heritage that stands at the very heart of the
tribe and its survival.
Fighting the enemy is also an inherent part of their culture
and tradition. Intertribal conflicts persist from generation to
generation. They are fighting over the diminishing resources
they need to run their herds: water and land. The only piece
of modern technology widespread among the tribes is the
automatic weapon.
The ongoing conflict in Sudan and Somalia has created
trade in Russian Kalashnikovs and European G-3 rifles. These
weapons have been entering from neighboring Sudan for
about 15 years. They are sold according to a well-established
price list: an old model is worth eight cows, which is relatively
affordable, whereas the latest Kalashnikov costs between 30
and 50 cows – the same price as a beautiful girl.
Africa is a continent of rituals; a land where the process
of “becoming” is celebrated at every stage of life as an
essential part of the individual’s journey and their cultural
identity. The place of every man, woman, and child is
defined within the framework of the extended family, age
grade, ethnic group, and nation. These roles, in turn, give
individuals a sense of belonging and purpose, as well as
the assurance that they are valued. From childhood to
manhood, the different phases are marked by initiations,
accompanied by rituals and tests that vary according to the
tribe.
Political organization is not based on monarchies or hereditary
lineage. Still, it is determined by the generation group with
the maximum politico-economic power, under the authority
of the elders, who are the guardians of traditional values. Omo
tribe members show extreme respect towards their elders,
considering them as teachers and guides. They are also an
essential link between the experience of the past generations
and the challenges of the present one.
Decorating their bodies with
paint, is a great source of fun for
small Surma children. In this way
they are learning to decorate
themselves for courtship rituals
later in life.
Mixing chalk with water to form
a thick paste, Surma men, draw
linear, intricate designs on their
bodies, using their fingertips.
Surma women, perform scarification
by slicing their skin with
a razor blade after lifting it with
a thorn. The sliced skin is left
open to eventually scar. They are
proud of their scars.

Kara, decorate their bodies, often
imitating the spotted plumage of
a guinea fowl. Feather plumes
are inserted in their hair buns to
complete the look.
Kara women have a very
distinctive hair style: they put red
clay, mixed with butter on their
hair, so that it looks like a bunch
of coffee beans.
Goats and cattle are only killed
on special occasions. Men are
the first to eat, and what remains
is shared amongst women and
children. Honey beer is consumed.
The traditional religion is basically animistic and contains
a whole world of symbolism and rites, which are principally
social (initiation, age and generation groups, ceremonies)
and economic (livestock, harvests). Those who are presumed
to have special gifts are charged with mediating between
the physical and spiritual worlds. Some groups recognize a
supreme God, often linked to their common ancestor. The
Surma have a sky god named Tuma, and they also believe
in spirits, using medicine men to undertake sacrifices or
prayers to send them to Tuma. Another belief of the Surma
is the rainmaker. This position in the tribe is passed down
through heredity and is only given to one male in the tribe.
A dead person is impure and is a taboo to be touched, except
for members of the specified clan. They see to the actual
funeral, after which they have to be washed with sheep’s
blood. Men who fall on the battlefield are not interred but
are left there and covered with branches. Every deceased
person is mourned in their homestead for five days. Cattle are
sacrificed; the entrails are read, and the meat is distributed
among the visitors. With the blood and certain other parts of
the killed cow or ox, the compound is ritually purified. For the
tribes, life is absolutely finished with physical death – there is
no concept of an afterlife on earth or in heaven.
There is no sharing between the sexes. Men supervise
and command, women work and obey; men have status,
women have none. Women receive attention because they
are needed to do the innumerable jobs. For the women of
these tribes, the satisfaction that makes their lives worth it,
above all, is their children. As a wife, a woman often receives
few, if any, signs of appreciation or reward for the work
she does. However, as a mother, she receives concern and
appreciation from her children, especially from her sons, as
her daughters leave the home to become mothers of their
own children. The sons stay in their mother’s house, or if they
move away, they never forget her. A mother has the power
to curse her children, while her children recognize her as a
vital force, their origin. They bring her tobacco, coffee, and
salt, and they give her cattle in appreciation of her care in
raising them.
Today, the Omo Valley is a destination for wealthy tourists who
travel vast, uncomfortable distances to witness the ancient
rituals, wild animals, body paintings, and dancing. But the
presence of travelers can alter the already unstable cultural
balance of the tribes. The impact of tourism in this isolated
zone represents a serious threat to the future of the people
who live there.
Omo Valley tribes have lived there for centuries, but their
future is uncertain. A massive hydro-electric dam, the largest
in Africa, is under construction on the Omo. When completed,
it may destroy the environment and the livelihoods of
the tribes, which are closely tied to the river and its annual
flooding.
As globalization advances, much of our unique world is
rapidly disappearing. It is a world with strict rules and rituals,
where wars are fought out of necessity and where justice and
honor are natural components.
The famous photographer Jimmy Nelson wisely said, “When
you look at people - whatever and wherever they are in the
world - the truth is often very different from what the eye sees.
Now more than ever before, with the global pandemic, our eyes
will need to open wider and brighter to observe others who may
not have received the respect they deserve in the past. With this
humble perspective, perhaps we can now find answers about
how to reconnect with ourselves, each other, and the natural
world.”
I sincerely hope these photos will enhance our respect for
what we may call the origins of man.
Ι made this trip in October 2012, and I am afraid that a lot
of what I have seen has already vanished. Upon returning, I
prepared the book in electronic form in English. The link is:
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/55631913/
omo-valley-the-vanishing-tribes-of-ethiopia. When I first
asked for details about this trip, I was told that “do remember
that you probably have never been anywhere quite as remote
and inhospitable as the Omo River. If you are inconvenienced
by Spartan accommodations, intense human contact, or are
apprehensive in unfamiliar situations, then I’m sorry, but this
expedition is not for you.” However, on the other hand, today’s
greatest luxury is to return with unique experiences. Our small
traveling group had been walking from dawn until evening’s
first mosquito bite, observing ancient customs, rites, everyday
activities, and of course, taking pictures. We were on a safari
where people – not wildlife – were the attraction. We didn’t
come to see the wildlife (the dry and pestilent terrain supports
abundant birdlife, but not much else), but to photograph
some of the most extraordinary tribes in Africa as they go
about their daily lives.
Omo tribe members have adopted the practice of demanding
money for each picture taken, another way for the community
to share resources, and nowdays to buy guns and bullets as
well. They take this money/ photo exchange very seriously.
There is a set price: 5 birr (about 30 cents) for an adult, and 2
birr for a child. (The market rate for a bullet is fifteen birr, which
is the price of three photographs.) For two weeks, we walked
around feeling rich with large amounts of birr. Everyone is
in on the deal, and if you take a photo of someone’s back
without them noticing, you can be sure that he or she will
be told that you did so, and that a payment will be claimed.
And since most tribesmen walk around with an AK-47 on their
shoulders, it’s wise not to risk it. If we wanted to take a picture
of someone, we had to “ask for permission” and then pay.
When we were invited to events such as dances, our guide
would pay to compensate for each of us being there.
Visiting this remote area and experiencing their culture
was a trip of a lifetime. Staying at two different camps over
two weeks, I had the opportunity to meet the Surma (also
known as Suri), the Kara (Karo), the Nyangatom (also called
Bume), and the Hamer (Hamar) tribes - all very distinct, both
physically and culturally.
An early morning charter flight from Addis Ababa transported
us to Tulgit, located in the remote Surma homeland of the
Upper Omo Valley.
Known only to a small segment of the outside world, primarily
for the incredible lip plates worn by women, the ritual stickfighting
called Donga, and the fantastic clay facial and
body painting. We spent the next day camping near their
settlements and observing their daily activities. We also hiked
to meet them. Small family settlements branch off on narrow
tracks from the central roadway near camp, so hiking was an
essential part of visiting Surma villages.
The second week, we took another charter flight to Murulle
in the Lower Omo Valley. Then we drove to Lumale Camp,
adjacent to the Kara Village Dus, which is seldom visited by
other travelers and is also the seat of their government. The
Omo river, is full of ferocious
looking crocodiles. Deadly
accidents are very common,
when children go to the river
to fetch the daily water for the
village.
Nyangatom men courtship
dance, and jump to impress the
ladies. They also decorate their
legs in white, forming various
patterns.
Heavy necklaces and long skirts
from goat skins, which are richly
decorated, are a characteristic
amongst Nyangatom women,
also signaling their social status.

Aerial view of Nyangatom
homesteads (bomas) in the
Lower Omo valley. The nomadic
ways of herdsmen do not allow
for the development of any
material culture.
Hamer mothers carry their
babies in a leather back sling.
The general belief is that a baby
left alone, may be taken by evil
spirits.
Hamer women are considered
the most beautiful of all tribes.
They are very elaborately
dressed, with goatskin skirts
and colorful necklaces and iron
jewellery.
second Kara village we visited was Lebouk. The Kara tribe is
renowned for their ritual body scarification, vibrant beadwork,
and elaborate body painting. With fewer than 2,000 members,
the Kara are the smallest tribe in the Omo Valley. Men scar
their chests to represent enemies they have killed from
rival tribes; women with decoratively scarred abdomens are
considered sensual and desirable, but they are also known for
their exuberant and photogenic dancing.
The third tribe to visit was the Nyangatom, who live across the
river from our camp and are the archenemies of the Kara. To
get to Lokulan, the closest Nyangatom village to us, we cruised
on the Omo River in a small boat, among numerous ferociouslooking
crocodiles, magnificently large herons, and colobus
monkeys clambering in the fig trees. Deadly accidents are
prevalent when children go to the river to fetch water for their
village daily. From the shore, we walked about 3.5 km to reach
their homes. The Nyangatom today are approximately 14,000,
and they are considered the most feared warriors in the Omo
Valley, while they are the first ones to have used automatic
weapons. Heavy necklaces and long, richly decorated skirts
from goat skins are the women’s characteristic, signaling also
their social status.
The fourth tribe to see was the Hamer. Occupying a
mountainous region in the eastern part of the Lower Omo
Valley, they are currently the largest Omotic language
group in the area, with approximately 20,000 members.
Hamer women are considered the most beautiful and most
elaborately dressed of all the tribes. We visited the Turmi
weekly market and also had the opportunity to witness
the unique Bull Jumping ceremony. This ritual determines
whether a young male is ready to make the social transition
from youth to adulthood. This is an initiation rite of passage
for boys coming of age in the Hamer tribe. Ritual leaping over
bulls is a motif in Middle Bronze Age figurative art, especially
in Minoan art, in the island of Creta in Greece, but it is also
sometimes found in Hittite Anatolia, the Levant, Bactria and
the Indus Valley. It is often interpreted as a depiction of a rite
performed in connection with bull worship.
I thought the best way to illustrate the similarities and
differences among the four tribes I observed was to present
them separately on the following pages.
My special thanks to Joseph Van Os Photo Safaris, and my
gratitude to Steve Turner, the best tour leader and founder of
Origins Safaris. Due to his special contacts with tribal groups,
we gained access and insight into these marvels. I am also
grateful and deeply indebted to the authors of the books
I used for my research. Their deep knowledge has provided
me with invaluable insights regarding these unique tribes - in
fact, the completion of this book would have been impossible
without their contribution.
I close with the rich legacy left by the famous primatologist
and anthropologist, Jane Goodall (1934-2025), the remarkable
woman who redefined the relationship between humans and
animals through her groundbreaking discoveries.
“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact
on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and
you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.
You may not find it. But your life matters. And I just hope that the
reason will become apparent as you live through your life”.
Dimitra Stasinopoulou
December 2025
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
VAN OS PHOTO SAFARIS TOUR INFORMATION
VANISHING CULTURES OF ETHIOPIA’S OMO VALLEY
ORIGINS SAFARIS
GUIDELINES TO CULTURALLY SENSITIVE TOURISM
–REMOTE TRIBES OMO
TOUCHING ETHIOPIA by Javier Gonzalbez and Dulce Cebrian
ETHIOPIA - PEOPLES OF THE OMO VALLEY
HANS SILVESTER, Copyright: 2006 Editions de la Martiniere - English
edition copyright: Thames & Hudson, London and Abrams, New York
BEFORE THEY PASS AWAY
BY JIMMY NELSON, October 2013
FRANCE LECLERC, World travel and photography blog
Ethiopian tribes
DISCOVERING WOMANHOOD THROUGH FIELDWORK
By Jean Lydall Contribution to the seminar “Frauen und
Forschung: Feld - Fantasie - Fortschritt” Heidelberg 1994
TWILIGHT OF THE TRIBES: ETHIOPIA’S OMO RIVER VALLEY
CONDE NESTE TRAVELLER ARTICLE BY SUSAN HACK, JANUARY 2012
FACES OF AFRICA
CAROL BECKWITH & ANGELA FISHER
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EDITION
THE LAST FRONTIER: ETHIOPIA’S REMOTE OMO VALLEY
FORBES ARTCLE (March 2013) By David Hochman
BBC TRAVEL Articles
CNN : Is the tide turning against the killing
of ‘cursed’ infants in Ethiopia?
By Matthew D. LaPlante, Nov 2011
“Lip plates and the people who take photographs
Uneasy encounters between Mursi and tourists in
Southern Ethiopia” Article by David Turton
Think Africa Press (Kenya):
Ethiopia’s Controversial Gibe III Mega-Dam
16 January 2013
ETHIOPIA’S OMO VALLEY | AFRICA’S LAST FRONTIER
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE, BY RANDY OLSON
WIKIPEDIA
VARIOUS INTERNET SOURCES
During the Bull Jumping
ceremony, Hamer women are
volunteering to be whipped as
a sign of commitment to the
young man who is about to be
initiated.
A Hamer “first wife” must always
wear a “burkule”, a necklace
made of leather and metal that
has a distinctive detail in the
front.
The Bull Jumping ceremony
(Ukuli Bula) is the way to
determine whether a young
Hamer male is ready to make
the social jump from youth to
adulthood.

THE SURMA TRIBE
The Surma (also known as Suri) is a subcategory of the Mursi, numbering
approximately 4,000. They are pastoralists and cultivators. Violent
confrontations with other tribes, aggravated by the use of automatic
weapons, are responsible for a decrease in their population.
The Surma have elevated the custom of body painting to an outstanding/
excellent art form. They regard a healthy body as a gift to be celebrated
without shyness or shame. Men paint every inch of their bodies. They draw
lines with their fingertips after having washed first their bodies in the river
water. Then they scrape chalk from the riverbank and mix it with water to
form a thick paste, which they slather over their bodies, while their friends
begin drawing intricate linear designs using their fingertips to expose the
dark skin beneath. From start to finish, the process is one continuous flow.
The additional application of local plants, fruits, and feathers enhances
the effect. Young girls also paint their faces and bodies, highlighting their
designs with red ochre paint made from pulverized rock containing iron.
In anticipation of maturity, a girl draws white chalk designs around her
breasts. These innovative face and body patterns are designed to attract the
opposite sex. The spotted guinea fowl inspires the pattern of dots.
The most distinctive characteristic of the Surma is the labial and lobular
plates borne by the women. An incision is made in the lower lip and ear
lobes of a young girl during initiation rituals. A small wooden or ceramic
disc is inserted into the incision and gradually replaced by larger ones until
the full-sized disc can be worn. Having a lip plate is a sign of beauty, and
the bigger the plate, the more cattle the woman is worth. One theory says
lip plates were used to discourage enslavers from taking the women who
had them.
The Suri pride themselves on the number of scars they carry. Women
perform scarification by slicing their skin with a razor blade after lifting
it with a thorn and leaving it open to make a scar eventually. Men, on the
other hand, scar their bodies after killing someone from an enemy tribe.
They are also expert in a form of stick-fighting called Donga, a highly
prestigious event, at which men demonstrate their strength and skills.
The lives of the Surma tribe members revolve around cattle. Cows (and
goats) are some of the most prized possessions, and men spend a lot of
time with them. They very rarely eat the meat of their cow; they breed
them for their milk and blood, which they both drink. The average male
owns somewhere between 30 and 40 cows. These cows are not usually
killed, unless they are needed for ceremonial purposes. Every young male
is named after his cattle, which he is responsible for looking after. To praise
their cattle or mourn their deaths, they sing songs for them.
Young warriors often spend many weeks or even months away from the
village with their herds. At those times, they eat only milk mixed with
blood. To draw the blood, they shoot a short arrow into a cow’s neck,
opening a vein. They also paint each other’s naked bodies with white clay,
mainly because they want to look menacing and command respect.

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THE KARA TRIBE
The Kara tribe is the smallest ethnic group in the Omo Valley, with
fewer than 1,500 members remaining. They reside on the eastern side
of the Omo River, practicing flood-retreat cultivation and a traditional
pastoralist lifestyle. According to their oral tradition, they believe their
roots lie in the herding traditions of the Hamer and Banna peoples,
who emigrated to the mountains. They lived there for some time until
one day their livestock disappeared in search of water. The livestock
eventually returned, but when they disappeared again, they followed
them, discovering the Omo River and settling on its banks. However, the
tsetse fly wiped out their herds, and they ended up dedicating themselves
to agriculture to survive (sorghum, corn, and beans).
A part of Kara’s small accumulation of livestock (goats and sheep) is
looked after by the Hamer tribe. In return, they receive sorghum. This is
all connected by a series of links and alliances between the two groups, and
the shared belief that they all share a common genealogy. Nowadays, they
supplement their subsistence economy with beekeeping and fishing, which
was previously taboo but has become necessary in recent years. Only single
young men are allowed to fish, but they must complete a purification ritual
immediately afterwards.
The most important ceremony in the life of a Kara is the Pilla, or Jumping
over a group of oxen, marking the passage to adulthood and allowing the
young man to marry. The ceremony is similar to that of the Hamer; however,
the Kara only have four chances to jump over the oxen without falling. The
dowry is fixed at 125 goats and is generally made up after marriage. Similar
to other groups of the region, sexual relationships between young, single
people are open, but produce serious social problems if any children result
from these relationships. Such children are considered bad luck, or “mingi,”
or cursed. The custom, still practiced, is for elders to take the infant from
the parents, as soon as it’s born, and kill it, so its bad blood won’t pollute
the tribe, cause misfortune, and disgrace the family. The same happens to
any child who is born with a deformity or does not attain predetermined
expectations, such as the growth of the upper teeth before the lower
ones, or in the case of twins. The government’s efforts have faced strong
opposition. It remains easy to deny a newborn food until it starves, telling
the government worker it died naturally, or, to slip into the bush, stuff its
mouth with dirt and leave it for the hyenas, or just fling it into the river.
The most striking aspect of the Kara people’s symbolic and ornamental
expressions is their use of painted body and face decorations. This is an
elaborate process that ranges from delicate and exquisite details to rough,
but striking paintings traced with the palms or fingers. The most beautiful
expressions are in the facial and chest paintings that combine chalk, black
(coal, yellow, ochre, and red (minerals). They also decorate their lower lips
with flowers. In the villages, people reside in conical huts. Their neighbors,
the Nyangatom tribe (on the other side of the Omo River), are their main
enemies.

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THE NYANGATOM TRIBE
The Nyangatom tribe lives in the dry, semi-desert lands of Southwest
Ethiopia and southern Sudan, where their lives revolve around their herds
of zebu cattle and the cultivation of crops, including sorghum, maize,
and tobacco. Today, there are approximately 14,000 of them, and they
are considered the most feared warriors in the Omo Valley, while they
are the first ones to have used automatic weapons. The 20-year civil war
in neighbouring Sudan meant automatic rifles replaced the traditional
weapons of spears, bows, and arrows in the 1980s (AK-47S).
The tribes are fighting over the diminishing resources they need to run
their herds: water and land. Cattle raids are frequent, bloody feuds
commonplace, and death a real prospect. The men guarding cattle are
armed with guns against attacks by neighbouring tribes. Should they
attempt to take animals, the Nyangatom will either stop them or die in
the process, and counter-raids often follow raids. When these warriors
kill an enemy, they scar their upper bodies to release the bad blood. They
are called by the pejorative exonym “Bume,” meaning “the smelly ones”
by their neighbors. They were once referred to derisively as “Elephanteaters”
(nyam-atom), which they turned against their enemies by a clever
pun, transforming it into “Nyang-atom” (literally “yellow guns”).
Heavy necklaces and long, richly decorated skirts made from goat skin are
characteristic features among women, also signaling their social status.
A single woman will wear necklaces with colorful beads, while a married
woman will wear only neutral colors. The women also decorate themselves
with ornamental scarification on their faces, chests, and bellies.
The main form of social organisation is by generation-set. The men of one
generation father the men and women of the next, while each one is given
a name. The earliest ancestors are called the Founders; their sons were the
Wild Dogs, then the Zebras, the Tortoises, the Mountains, and so on. The
oldest generation set still living now are called the Elephants; then come the
Ostriches and the Antelopes, or the Birds and the Ibex. The youngest are
now known as the Buffaloes. Fathers and sons always socialise separately.
The Elders remain in the village, while the boys’ job is to herd the goats,
which browse on bushes around the town, and the women milk the livestock.
As part of their initiation, the sons must prove they can look after their
Elders. In a ceremony witnessed by the whole village, the young men
each attempt to kill a bull with their spear, demonstrating their ability to
provide for the tribe. Once they are initiated, they will become the village’s
dedicated fighting force. It’s their job to defend the tribe and the cattle.
They will be the ones to spend their days out with the herds, risking their
lives to protect them.
The Nyangatom are famous among the tribes for their storytelling and
singing. Neighbours of other language families also use their cattle songs.
Reciprocally, the Nyangatom appreciate and acquire pots from Mursi and
Karo women, because their own wives have not mastered the skill of pottery.

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THE HAMER TRIBE
The Hamer tribe occupies a mountainous region in the eastern part of the
Lower Omo Valley. They have integrated with many of their neighbors
and currently comprise the largest Omotic language group in the area
(approximately 20,000). They are peaceful and friendly. Honey collection
is their primary activity, and their lives are centered around their cattle.
There are at least 27 words for the subtle variations of colors and textures
of cattle, while each man has three names: a human name, a goat name, and
a cow name.
Women are very beautiful and the most elaborately dressed in the
region. Their goatskin skirts are almost always decorated with coloured
glass beads; the rear of the skirt has its own amusing touch – its longer
pointed cut strongly resembles the tail of a gazelle. Their girdle belts are
adorned with cowry shells, while their heads are decorated with the bala,
a band featuring an oval-shaped metal plaque. Solid metal necklaces
called esente are worn and are never taken off. The status of married
women is indicated by a third necklace of leather and metal, which also
features a distinctive detail protruding from the front. The profusion of
metal bracelets on their arms and legs also adds to their ornamentation.
Women’s hair is thoroughly covered in a mixture of grease and red ochre
colouring. In comparison, male decoration is simpler; by applying clay
and honey on their tight curls, they can stick small feathers on them.
The Bull Jumping ceremony (Ukuli Bula) is their most important ceremony,
marking the transition from youth to adulthood and the responsibilities
of raising a family. While the boys walk on bulls, Hamer women
accompany them: they jump and sing in circles, blowing their trumpets
and whistles, while they volunteer to be whipped until bleeding, to
show their courage and their commitment to a relative. The young man
is called Ukuli. Once the ritual is completed successfully, he becomes a
Cherkali, and after eight days have passed, a Maz. The ceremony takes
place in clearings in the countryside and is attended by the family, relatives,
and close friends of the Ukuli.
The more common practice is matrimonial commitment. Hamer marriages
often involve the transfer of a substantial dowry to the family of the
chosen girl. This dowry is negotiable; the high price of goats and sheep is
the reason why there is not a set age for the Ukuli bula. This all depends
on the wealth of the young man’s family, as well as the number of brothers
he has.
The weekly markets in Dimeka and Turmi serve as meeting points, not
only for the Hamar but also for the neighbouring groups, where purchases
and exchanges of fruit, honey, butter, sorghum, and coffee take place. The
livestock market is in a separate area where they display their goats, sheep,
and a few cows. The transactions are small based on the daily or weekly
needs. A morning market guarantees survival for the next week and creates
social links and friendships.

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ETHIOPIA
OMO RIVER VALLEY
THE VANISHING ANCIENT TRIBES
A photographic testimony
DIMITRA STASINOPOULOU
Athens, December 2025
PRIVATE EDITION – NOT FOR SALE
EDITING/PRODUCTION: Dimitra Stasinopoulou
DESIGN: Phoebe Skotida
COLOR SEPARATIONS/MONTAGE: Nikos Alexiadis
PRINTING: DOTLESS – Quality Printing Solutions
BINDING: George Iliopoulos