Timekeeping device in South Omo, Ethiopia

Tucked into his loincloth a young Hamar carries a boko, a phallic symbol showing that he will soon perform the bull jump, a ritual making him eligible to marry, in South Omo, Ethiopia. The knots on the string mark the number of days until the young man's jump. The 40,000-strong, cattle-herding Hamar are among the largest of the 20 or so ethnic groups which inhabit the culturally diverse Omo region in south-west Ethiopia.

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Filename: 5400.jpg
Copyright: Copyright © 2006 Anders Ryman. All rights reserved.
Image Size: 3672x5573 / 13.8MB; Africa African ethnicity Bull Jump Close Up Coming of Age Ethiopia Hamar Hamer Life Cycle Ritual Loincloth Male Initiaton Manhood Marriage Matrimony Navel Orange Phallic Symbol Pre-Marriage Ritual Rite de Passage Rite of Passage South Omo Time Tribespeople Vertical Young Adult Young Man indigenous people
Contained in galleries: Hamar bulljumping, Ethiopia

Tucked into his loincloth a young Hamar carries a boko, a phallic symbol showing that he will soon perform the bull jump, a ritual making him eligible to marry, in South Omo, Ethiopia. The knots on the string mark the number of days until the young man's jump. The 40,000-strong, cattle-herding Hamar are among the largest of the 20 or so ethnic groups which inhabit the culturally diverse Omo region in south-west Ethiopia.