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  • Young Xhosa initiate, who is going through the traditional Xhosa male initiation rite, in Knysna, South Africa, in December 2006. He has been circumcised and is now spending a month in seclusion in a special initiation camp. His face is painted white to ward off attacks by witches and a vial with magic potion around his neck offers extra protection.
    5432.jpg
  • Two young Xhosa, who have recently become men by going through the traditional Xhosa male initiation rite, are going for a walk in Khayalethu South Township, Knysna, South Africa, in December, 2006. As signs of their manhood they are wearing red facial paint, long trousers, a shirt, a jacket and a cap, and, following local customs, they will continue to do so for about six months.
    5440.jpg
  • A young Xhosa initiate’s head is shaved the day before returning home after one month in seclusion in a special initiation camp. December 2006 in Knysna, South Africa. The boy is going through the traditional Xhosa male initiation rite. He has been circumcised, and his face is painted white to ward off attacks by witches.
    5433.jpg
  • Xhosa male initiates light a fire, fuelled by car tires, around which they will dance before returning home after one month in seclusion in a special initiation camp. December 2006 in Knysna, South Africa. The boys are going through the traditional Xhosa male initiation rite. They have been circumcised, and their faces are painted white to ward off attacks by witches.
    5434.jpg
  • Young Xhosa initiates, who spend about a month together in a special initiation camp, play traditional games with their guardian in Ciskei, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, in December, 2006. The initiates go through the traditional Xhosa male initiation rite, which transforms them into adult men. They have been circumcised, and they wear white body paint to ward off attacks by witches.
    5442.jpg
  • Two young Xhosa male initiates, who have just returned home as men after one month of seclusion, are having their faces painted red by their guardian and teacher in Khayalethu South Township, Knysna, South Africa, in December, 2006. As initiates they were first circumcised, and they then spent one month in a special initiation camp, away from the normal living areas. For one week they will now wear red facial paint, a turban, long trousers, a shirt and a jacket, all signs that they have become men. When the week is over, the turban will be changed for a cap, which will then be worn for another six months.
    5439.jpg
  • Without looking back, Xhosa initiates leave the initiation camp, where they have spent about a month in seclusion. December 2006 in Ciskei, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The camp is set on fire after their departure as a symbolic farewell to childhood. The traditional Xhosa male initiation rite, which transforms the teenager into an adult man, starts with circumcision. The initiates then spend about a month in a special initiation camp, away from settled areas.
    5445.jpg
  • A young Xhosa initiate, going through his homecoming ritual after a month in seclusion, is swathed in a blanket and holds a stick that has been blackened by the smoke in the initiation hut. December 2006 in Ciskei, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. He keeps the stick for the rest of his life as proof that he has attained manhood. The traditional Xhosa male initiation rite, which transforms the teenager into an adult man, starts with circumcision. The initiates then spend about a month in a special initiation camp, away from settled areas.
    5444.jpg
  • Xhosa women sing and dance while welcoming home young male family members, who have spent one month in an initiation camp, where they have been circumcised and initiated into manhood. The township Khayalethu South in Knysna, South Africa, in December 2006.
    5436.jpg
  • A shanty town at the outskirts of the black township Khayalethu South in Knysna, Western Cape Province, South Africa, in December, 2006. Many different ethnic group live here but the majority are Xhosa whose original home territory lie in the Eastern Cape Province.
    5461.jpg
  • Young Xhosa initiate, who is going through the traditional Xhosa male initiation rite in Knysna, South Africa, in December 2006. He has been circumcised and is now spending a month in a special initiation camp just outside the township Khayalethu South. His face is painted with white clay to ward off attacks by witches.
    5431i.jpg
  • Xhosa male initiates at a homecoming ritual celebrating their return after one month in seclusion. December 2006 in Ciskei, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. They have received turbans to cover their shaven heads and have had red ochre mixed with butter – a symbol of masculinity – applied to their skin. The traditional Xhosa male initiation, which transforms the teenager into an adult man, starts with circumcision. The initiate then spends about a month in an initiation camp, away from settled areas.
    5446.jpg
  • Young Xhosa initiate, who is going through the traditional Xhosa male initiation rite, is painting his face with white clay to ward of attacks by witches. December 2006 in Knysna, South Africa. He has been circumcised and is now spending a month in a special initiation camp just outside the township Khayalethu South.
    5430.jpg
  • Xhosa male initiation camp in a small forest area just outside the township Khayalethu South in Knysna, South Africa, in December, 2006. The young initiates, who are going through the traditional Xhosa male initiation rite, have been cricumcised and are now spending a month in seclusion in a special initiation camp. Their faces have been painted white to ward off attacks by witches.
    5429.jpg
  • Xhosa male initiates dancing and singing beside a fire the night before returning home after one month in seclusion in a special initiation camp in Knysna, South Africa, in December 2006. The boys are going through the traditional Xhosa male initiation rite, after which they will be accepted as men by the Xhosa society. They have been circumcised, and their faces are painted white to ward off attacks by witches.
    5435.jpg
  • A group of young Xhosa initiates in Ciskei, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, in December, 2006. Clad in blankets and with their faces painted white to ward off witches, they spend more than a month together living outside their communities. After the initiation period is over, and their circumcision wounds have healed, they return home as real men.
    5441f.jpg
  • A young Xhosa woman helps a male relative, who has just returned home after one month in seclusion in an initiation camp, to adjust his turban. December 2006 in Khayalethu South Township, Knysna, South Africa. The young man, and his cousin seen in the background, have been circumcised and initiated into manhood. Following local tradition, they will wear red facial paint, a turban, long trousers, a shirt and a jacket for one week after returning home. Then they will change the turban into a cap.
    5437.jpg
  • Young Ait Haddidou woman at the Imilchil Brides' Fair, the High Atlas, Morocco. The fair, or moussem, which is held by the local Berber tribe, is an annual event consisting of trading goods, praying at a marabout, the grave of a local saint, and searching for a suitable marriage partner. The way in which the woman wears her headdress tells that she is or has been married before.  Divorce is common in the area. Her clothing, e g the striped, woollen cloak, is typical of the Hait Haddidou women.
    3534.jpg
  • Dirt road and mud and brick houses, colored by the red soil of the Madagascan highlands, south of the capital of Antananarivo, Madagascar.
    5463.jpg
  • A Hamar man sits on his stool while waiting for a bull jump to begin in South Omo, Ethiopia. The bull jump is ritual at which a young man runs across the backs of a number of bullocks in order to become eligible for marriage. The man is a maz, somebody who has performed the bull jump but has yet to marry, and he is recognized as such by the strip of bark around his head. 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.
    5406.jpg
  • 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.
    5413.jpg
  • The male members of the family enter the grave and wrap the remains of the dead in new shrouds during a reburial ceremony in Belaveno, Bezanozano Ethnic Area, Madagascar. The famadihana, the Madagascan reburial ceremony, is a custom in the highlands of Madagascar. The purpose of the ritual is to induce the ancestors to impart their blessings to their descendants, as without those blessings one cannot have a good life. The famadihana is held during the cooler half of the year, when the dead are said to be freezing in their graves and therefore need new clothing.
    5101.jpg
  • Guests attending a reburial ceremony in Belaveno, Bezanozano Ethnic Area, Madagascar, are served food by the host family. The famadihana, the Madagascan reburial ceremony, is a custom in the highlands of Madagascar. The purpose of the ritual is to induce the ancestors to impart their blessings to their descendants, as without those blessings one cannot have a good life. The famadihana is held during the cooler half of the year, when the dead are said to be freezing in their graves and therefore need new clothing.
    5093.jpg
  • Sisters and female cousins of a young Hamar man who will to perform the bull jump, a ritual making him eligible for marriage, show their devotion to him by dancing and singing about their excitement about his forth-coming jump in South Omo, Ethiopia. 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.
    5402.jpg
  • 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.
    5403.jpg
  • The male members of a family check the remains of the dead inside a grave opened for a reburial ceremony in the highlands south of the capital of Antananarivo, Madagascar. The famadihana, the Madagascan reburial ceremony, is a custom in the highlands of Madagascar. The purpose of the ritual is to induce the ancestors to impart their blessings to their descendants, as without those blessings one cannot have a good life. The famadihana is held during the cooler half of the year, when the dead are said to be freezing in their graves and therefore need new clothing.
    5114.jpg
  • While men hold a row of bullocks still a Hamar initiate runs over their backs at a bull jumping ritual, in South Omo, Ethiopia. By successfully completing the bull jump a Hamar man becomes eligible for marriage. 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.
    5419.jpg
  • A female member of her fiancé's family applies red ochre and butter to a bride-to-be's hair, shoulders and chest at a Hamar couple's betrothal ceremony, in South Omo, Ethiopia. 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.
    5425.jpg
  • A Hamar bride-to-be takes of her fiancé's bark headband and hangs it in a tree during the couple's betrothal ceremony, in South Omo, Ethiopia. The ceremony is supervised by the young man's uncle. 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.
    5423.jpg
  • Scarifications on the shoulder of a Hamar man, in South Omo, Ethiopia. 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.
    5412.jpg
  • A young Hamar man shortly before his bull jump, a ritual making him eligible to marry, in South Omo, Ethiopia. The milk calabash in his hand will be useful in the months ahead as he is only allowed to drink milk and eat meat and honey until he is engaged to be married. 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.
    5401.jpg
  • A family grave is opened at a reburial ceremony in Belaveno, Bezanozano Ethnic Area, Madagascar. The famadihana, the Madagascan reburial ceremony, is a custom in the highlands of Madagascar. The purpose of the ritual is to induce the ancestors to impart their blessings to their descendants, as without those blessings one cannot have a good life. The famadihana is held during the cooler half of the year, when the dead are said to be freezing in their graves and therefore need new clothing.
    5100.jpg
  • A Hamar bride who following local traditions lives alone in the loft of her parents-in-law's home for three months before consummating the marriage, in South Omo, Ethiopia. She is covered from top to toe in red ochre and butter to ward off evil.  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.
    5426.jpg
  • Two bark headbands hang in a betrothal tree in Hamar territory, in South Omo, Ethiopia. During the Hamar betrothal ceremony, the bride takes off her fiancé's headband and hangs it in a special tree used for the purpose. 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.
    5424.jpg
  • Young Hamar men and women take part in a courtship dance after a bull jumping ritual, in South Omo, Ethiopia. The bull jump is a ritual at which a man runs over a row of bullocks in order to become eligible for marriage, and the erotic dances that follow continue all night and into the following morning. 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.
    5421.jpg
  • While men hold a row of bullocks still a Hamar initiate runs over their backs at a bull jumping ritual, in South Omo, Ethiopia. By successfully completing the bull jump a Hamar man becomes eligible for marriage. 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.
    5418.jpg
  • Hamar men hold bullocks still during a bull jump, in South Omo, Ethiopia. The bull jump is a ritual at which a man runs across the backs of a row of bullocks in order to become eligible for marriage. 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.
    5417.jpg
  • A Hamar man’s face is painted before taking part in a bull jump, in South Omo, Ethiopia. The bull jump is a ritual at which a man runs across the backs of a row of bullocks in order to become eligible for marriage. 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.
    5411.jpg
  • A Hamar man’s face is painted before taking part in a bull jump, in South Omo, Ethiopia. The bull jump is a ritual at which a man runs across the backs of a row of bullocks in order to become eligible for marriage. 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.
    5410.jpg
  • A double rainbow arches over a Hamar village and a Hamar girl who carries and infant on her hip, in South Omo, Ethiopia. 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.
    5466.jpg
  • The final part of a reburial ceremony in Belaveno, Bezanozano Ethnic Area, Madagascar. When the dead have been restored to their resting place, their closest relatives go down to talk to them and bid a final farewell. Then they are covered in a new shroud and the tomb is sealed. The famadihana, the Madagascan reburial ceremony, is a custom in the highlands of Madagascar. The purpose of the ritual is to induce the ancestors to impart their blessings to their descendants, as without those blessings one cannot have a good life. The famadihana is held during the cooler half of the year, when the dead are said to be freezing in their graves and therefore need new clothing.
    5110.jpg
  • The day before a reburial ceremony in Belaveno, Bezanozano Ethnic Area, Madagascar, a ritual is held at the tomb to inform the deceased to be ready. Rum is poured on the grave as an offering. The famadihana, the Madagascan reburial ceremony, is a custom in the highlands of Madagascar. The purpose of the ritual is to induce the ancestors to impart their blessings to their descendants, as without those blessings one cannot have a good life. The famadihana is held during the cooler half of the year, when the dead are said to be freezing in their graves and therefore need new clothing.
    5094f.jpg
  • Before his bull jump a Hamar initiate wanders naked among the herd, in South Omo, Ethiopia. The bull jump is a ritual at which a man runs across the backs of a row of bullocks in order to become eligible for marriage. Nudity represents his death and rebirth, as he is about to assume a new social role. 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.
    5416.jpg
  • A Hamar woman participating 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, gets help from a female friend to soothe her scars with butter, in South Omo, Ethiopia. The woman, who is a close relative of the initiate, has been ritually whipped by maz, men who have performed the bull jump but have yet to marry. The Hamar view a scarified back as proof of a woman's love and devotion to her brothers. 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.
    5409.jpg
  • A Hamar woman bugling and dancing 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. Her hair and neck are coated in butter and red ochre. 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.
    5405.jpg
  • Hamar man with painted legs, ostrich-feather hairdo and a stool in his hand posing for a photograph, in South Omo, Ehtiopia. The 40,000-strong, cattle-herding Hamar are among the largest of the 20 or so ethnic groups which inhabit this culturally diverse region in south-west Ethiopia.
    5414.jpg
  • A Hamar man taking part in a bull jump in South Omo, Ethiopia. The bull jump is ritual at which a young man runs across the backs of a number of bullocks in order to become eligible for marriage. The man is a maz, somebody who has performed the bull jump but has yet to marry, and he is recognized as such by the strip of bark around his head and his painted face. 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.
    5407.jpg
  • 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.
    5400.jpg
  • 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.
    5427f.jpg
  • Dancing with the dead at a reburial ceremony in Belaveno, Bezanozano Ethnic Area, Madagascar. The family roll the bodies in straw mats and then carry them aloft in a dance round the tomb. The famadihana, the Madagascan reburial ceremony, is a custom in the highlands of Madagascar. The purpose of the ritual is to induce the ancestors to impart their blessings to their descendants, as without those blessings one cannot have a good life. The famadihana is held during the cooler half of the year, when the dead are said to be freezing in their graves and therefore need new clothing.
    5107f.jpg
  • A bull slaughtered to feed the guests attending a reburial ceremony in Belaveno, Bezanozano Ethnic Area, Madagascar. The famadihana, the Madagascan reburial ceremony, is a custom in the highlands of Madagascar. The purpose of the ritual is to induce the ancestors to impart their blessings to their descendants, as without those blessings one cannot have a good life. The famadihana is held during the cooler half of the year, when the dead are said to be freezing in their graves and therefore need new clothing.
    5091.jpg
  • After dancing with the dead at a reburial ceremony in Belaveno, Bezanozano Ethnic Area, Madagascar, the bodies are returned to the family tomb which is then sealed until the next burial or reburial. The famadihana, the Madagascan reburial ceremony, is a custom in the highlands of Madagascar. The purpose of the ritual is to induce the ancestors to impart their blessings to their descendants, without which they cannot have a good life. The famadihana is held during the cooler half of the year, when the dead are said to be freezing in their graves and therefore need new clothing.
    5109.jpg
  • Hamar man with clay hairdo topped by an ostrich plume, in South Omo, Ehtiopia. The 40,000-strong, cattle-herding Hamar are among the largest of the 20 or so ethnic groups which inhabit this culturally diverse region in south-west Ethiopia.
    5415.jpg
  • Hamar women serve millet porridge at a feast held after a bull jump, in South Omo, Ethiopia. The bull jump is a ritual at which a man runs over a row of bullocks in order to become eligible for marriage. 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.
    5420.jpg
  • A Hamar man ritually whips a young woman at 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 initiate's sisters and female cousins ask the maz, men who have performed the bull jump but have yet to marry, to whip them, an act which shows the young women’s love and devotion to their brothers. To protect their breasts from stray strokes, the women nowadays wear cotton singlet’s during the ritual. 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.
    5408.jpg
  • Two Hamar women dance 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. Their hair and neck are coated in butter and red ochre and they have scarifications on their arms and shoulders. A blue cotton singlet and safety-pin necklace add a touch of modernity to the dress of one of the women. 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.
    5404.jpg
  • A Hamar bride-to-be visits her fiancé's village for the betrothal ceremony, in South Omo, Ethiopia. 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.
    5422.jpg
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Anders Ryman

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