Ari tribe and Banna tribe, Lower Omo Valley, Day 314

The Lower Omo Valley is virtually unique not only in Africa, but in the world in that so many different peoples inhabit a tiny (and remote) area and we continue to meet new tribal groupings each day. Today it’s the Ari and the Banna. Indeed, it is this remoteness that has for the most part allowed these different tribes to retain their cultural integrity, although the interest shown by the modern world will no doubt erode this. New roads are being built funded by the Chinese, while large dam and irrigation projects are planned by the Ethiopian government (and boy is it wet down here) that could permanently change the lifestyle of the indigenous peoples that call the Lower Omo Valley home. From an outsiders perspective you wonder why the central government is so ambivalent about this unique cultural heritage. But it only takes a second to remember that throughout history and continuing to this day minority groups from around the world have always been persecuted by the majority. Native Americans in the USA, the Jews in Europe, and any number of examples in Africa – perhaps most infamously the Tutsi minority by the Hutu majority in Rwanda. Okay, enough moralizing, Christi and I are here to embrace this cultural crossroads (and let us not forget that one of the oldest examples of man’s ancestors – the skeleton of Lucy, a 3.2 million-year-old hominid – was found in northern Ethiopia).

The Ari inhabit the area around Jinka. They number about 100,000 (compare this to the Mursi who number only about 5,000) and are the group that have become most assimilated into the modern world. We visit the nearby Ari village of Rocky on our way to Turmi (in Hamer territory). It is another wet and cold day, but the Ari are very friendly and inviting and Christi and I are welcomed into the village. I think our driver-guide Fekade pays an entrance fee to the village chief, but I never see any money change hands. I have to give Fekade yet more praise here, because while Christi and I explored Jinka market yesterday, he scoured the town looking for 1 Birr notes to pay for the hundreds of photos I am taking. I think you could spend an entire lifetime in this area taking photos and learning about the various tribes and their cultures. You probably won’t be surprised to learn that this trip to the Lower Omo Valley already rates as my favorite experience in Africa. The Ari are happy to show us some of their traditional lifestyle activities (I wonder what the locals think about our interest in these things. I mean would anyone pay to watch me wash my car or Christi vacuum our apartment in San Francisco?). We wander around the rain-sodden village (in the company of another large crowd – it’s hard not to feel a little like a celebrity) stopping at different huts to watch a pottery demonstration, a blacksmith at work, and preparation of injera (the national dish).

Later we leave Ari lands and continue through Banna territory, stopping for lunch in Key Afar, to Turmi the main Hamer town. The Banna number around 40,000 and mostly practice agriculture, but supplement this some opportunistic hunting. The women in particular are distinguishable from the Ari and the Mursi in that they fashion their hair into cords. We see several Banna men and women along the side of the road. They are not immediately friendly, but when the 1 Birr notes appear their attitudes soften. The road is good in places, but a bog in others. Fekade negotiates these challenges with consummate ease. Christi and I are amazed to find a quite delightful lodge, the Turmi Lodge, on the outskirts of the town. It has clearly been built for tourists (and for tonight at least that means Christi and I) and again features large comfortable beds with mosquito nets, sit-down toilets (in the depths of the Lower Omo Valley people!!),showers, and comfy chairs. There is even a restaurant on site, which is where we end another perfect day in this remote part of the world.