A Hamar infant is blessed by spraying it with a mouthful of coffee in South Omo, Ethiopia

During a galekana ceremony, an elderly Hamar man blesses an infant by spraying it with a mouthful of coffee, in South Omo, Ethiopia, in October, 2006. After this ceremony the parents can resume their sexual relation and bring more children into the world. The 40,000-strong, cattle-herding Hamar are among the largest of the 20 or so ethnic groups which inhabit the culturally diverse South Omo region in south-west Ethiopia.

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Copyright: Copyright © 2006 Anders Ryman. All rights reserved.
Image Size: 5512x3661 / 21.5MB; Africa African ethnicity Baby Bare Blankets Blessing Boy Child Coffee Ethiopia Generations Hamar Hamer Homes Horizontal Human Relationships Infant Life Cycle Ritual Men Naked Naked Nude Nudity Religion Rite de Passage Rite of Passage South Omo Spraying Three People Traditional Clothing Tribespeople baby child indigenous people indoors infant
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During a galekana ceremony, an elderly Hamar man blesses an infant by spraying it with a mouthful of coffee, in South Omo, Ethiopia, in October, 2006. After this ceremony the parents can resume their sexual relation and bring more children into the world. The 40,000-strong, cattle-herding Hamar are among the largest of the 20 or so ethnic groups which inhabit the culturally diverse South Omo region in south-west Ethiopia.