Tribes of the Omo Valley, Ethiopia

Ethiopia was a unique experience. We chose to do a cultural tour visiting the tribes living in the southern Omo Valley but did not realize in the beginning that just by being there we were contributing to the problem of 'westernizing' their culture. Our guide figures that within a few years the tribes could be indistinguishable and may have neglected much of their cultural identity & traditions. It was already quite noticeable; the traditional dress (or lack thereof, in some cases) has been replaced by Nike tshirts, denim jeans, even hockey jerseys because the tribal people are apparently becoming ashamed. Cell phones are abundant which was no more apparent than during a fire dancing ceremony we attended where the leader’s phone started ringing and he excused himself to take the call.
While the people obviously do not have very much, they seemed to us to be happy and have been surviving by their unique traditions for generations. Still, they have begun counting on donations and income from tourists; at each village we visited we had to pay an entrance fee and were expected to tip everyone who gave us a glimpse at their lifestyle. One night we were supposed to attend a bull jumping ceremony, performed when a boy from the Hamar tribe enters manhood or gets married; unfortunately the ceremony was cancelled when they didn't have enough paying tourists in attendance and therefore would not be profitable. Whenever kids saw our 4x4 vehicle coming down the road they would start dancing and yelling, asking for money, shoes or clothes. Our guide had a philosophy for addressing those who beg which we thought was appropriate; he only gives to the elderly or disabled/dismembered and any other donations should be given to teachers or people who run orphanages/hospitals to disburse as is needed.
Here is an account of our trip and a map to try and tie it all together:

We started our trip in Awassa where we visited a fish market and a small park inhabited by hundreds of monkies then drove to Arba Minch where we stayed the night. The next morning we took a boat ride on Lake Chamo to see hippos, crocs and flamingos.

On our way to the next destination we stopped at the home of a family from the Konso tribe. Their homes consist of three structures: one that is raised to keep the food, one for the animals and one for the family to sleep & cook in.

We also stopped in Dimeka to visit a market where three local tribes (Hamar, Tsamai and Banna) gather to exchange goods such as jewelry, pottery and spices among other things. In the photo below you can spot the Hamar people by their distinctive red hair dyed by red clay, and beaded/metal jewelry.

That evening we attended a 'bazaar' in a town called Turmi; it was basically a party being passed off as an auction to raise money for charity. There was plenty of music and dancing and alcohol, which was entertaining to watch. The next day was a long day of driving but on the way we stopped to see men from the Hamar tribe working together to build a house/hut and walked around one of their villages.

All along the way the kids were pretty creative in their methods to entertain tourists in exchange for money, from walking on stilts to dancing on the side of the road.

From our base in the town of Jinka we drove through Mago National Park which is home to the famous Mursi tribe, known for the women with the disc in their lip. We had to hire a 'scout' to accompany us through their village who was essentially a peace-keeper or go-between as the people are known for being a bit aggressive. For any photo taken you must pay them money so the people really hassle you to take a picture of them.

sunrise in Mago National Park

This photo is of a little boy from the Mursi tribe and is probably my favorite photo from the trip :)

Us and our armed 'scout':

The Mursi women typically only wear the lip plate when serving meals to their husbands, for ceremonial events and nowadays,  for tourist visits; otherwise their bottom lips are left hanging loose.

Back in Jinka we visited a museum where we learned a lot about the Omo Valley tribes and especially the difficult life of the women in these tribes. We were then guided around an Ari village in Jinka where we saw women making clay pottery, alcohol from scratch, and the traditional food staple 'injera' as well as a blacksmith making knives to sell at the market.
We covered a lot of ground on the trip and saw much of the pretty, green countryside. Our landcruiser, however, had seen better days; it broke down many times and incurred two flat tires from the rough roads.

Our guide Golden on the roof, and Jimmy our driver on the left - another flat!

The next day we visited a Konso village which was, in our opinion, the most interesting and impressive. Konso was recently named a UNESCO World Heritage Site for their terracing style of agriculture. The people are hard workers and such a great example of sustainable living.

children from the Konso tribe

Our last stop was to stay with the Dorze people atop the Guge Mountain in Chencha. They are known for their weaving talents but especially interesting was their style of housing, which was uniquely built to be 12 meters tall. Termites gnaw away at the base of their bamboo houses so over the years the houses get shorter and they simply raise the height of the doorway. In the photo below the taller house is only a few years old where the one on the left is about 50.

We stayed in a similar hut that night and joined in a fire dancing ceremony complete with animal pelts, people chanting and protective swords and shields - it was kind of hilarious watching Jody be forced to participate.

It took two days to drive back to Addis Ababa, during which we ate as much Ethiopian food as we could while we still had the chance - it was so good, especially the Tibs - and took in a bit of the Olympics whenever there was a TV nearby. While we had a good experience in Ethiopia it was also a bit frustrating at times with the constant begging and feeling like everyone wanted something from us. Not to mention it was also a difficult country to travel in so we were more than ready for the upcoming beaches of Zanzibar for some R&R...