Hamar female dancer at bull jump in South Omo, Ethiopia

A Hamar female dancer at a bull jump, a ritual at which a young man runs across the backs of a number of bullocks in order to become eligible for marriage, in South Omo, Ethiopia. The antelope skin and metal necklace indicate that she is married, while her belt studded with cowry shells shows she is a mother. Her hair and neck are coated in butter and red ochre and she has scarifications on her arms and shoulders. 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: 5403.jpg
Copyright: Copyright © 2006 Anders Ryman. All rights reserved.
Image Size: 3579x5429 / 11.8MB; Adornmet Africa African ethnicity Bull Jump Butter Celebration Coming of Age Cowries Dancing Dreadlocks Ethiopia Hairstyle Hamar Hamer Headband Leather Life Cycle Ritual MId Adult Woman Male Initiaton Marriage Matrimony Necklace Ochre Outdoors Portrait Pre-Marriage Ritual Rite de Passage Rite of Passage Shells Side View South Omo Three Quarter Length Traditional and Ethnic Costume Traditional and Ethnic Dress Tribespeople Vertical indigenous people one person
Contained in galleries: Hamar bulljumping, Ethiopia

A Hamar female dancer at a bull jump, a ritual at which a young man runs across the backs of a number of bullocks in order to become eligible for marriage, in South Omo, Ethiopia. The antelope skin and metal necklace indicate that she is married, while her belt studded with cowry shells shows she is a mother. Her hair and neck are coated in butter and red ochre and she has scarifications on her arms and shoulders. 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.