Hamar man with painted face in South Omo, Ethiopia

A young Hamar man with painted face who takes part in a bull jump, a ritual at which a man runs across the backs of a row of bullocks in order to become eligible for marriage, in South Omo, Ethiopia. The man is a maz, somebody who has completed the bull jump but has yet to marry, and the painted rings around his eyes show that he performed the jump eight days ago. 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: 5413.jpg
Copyright: Copyright © 2006 Anders Ryman. All rights reserved.
Image Size: 5363x3557 / 10.0MB; Adornmet Adults Africa African ethnicity Body Decoration Bull Jump Close Up Coming of Age Contrast Ethiopia Eyes Face painting Facial Paint Hamar Hamer Horizontal Life Cycle Ritual Looking at Camera Male Initiaton Marriage Matrimony Outdoors Portrait Pre-Marriage Ritual Rite de Passage Rite of Passage South Omo Tribespeople Young Man indigenous people one person
Contained in galleries: Hamar bulljumping, Ethiopia

A young Hamar man with painted face who takes part in a bull jump, a ritual at which a man runs across the backs of a row of bullocks in order to become eligible for marriage, in South Omo, Ethiopia. The man is a maz, somebody who has completed the bull jump but has yet to marry, and the painted rings around his eyes show that he performed the jump eight days ago. 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.