I think a little context is in order to explain why Christi and I are so excited by the prospect of exploring the remote south-west of Ethiopia beyond Arba Minch and down to the Omo valley. First and foremost the reason we are going is because we tried and failed in the past to find one of the most iconic tribes in Ethiopia if not Africa generally, the Mursi, who inhabit the Omo valley area. (And … [Read more...]
Dorze tribe, southwest Ethiopia, Day 311
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Today Christi and I will start visiting some of the incredibly diverse ethnic groupings that call southwest Ethiopia home. In fact, it is only within the last few decades that some of these tribes realized they lived in a country called Ethiopia. For most of their history, these tribes have been oblivious to geopolitical events unfolding around them. Their main concern was inter-tribal warfare … [Read more...]
Mursi tribe, Omo valley, Day 312
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I suppose the accompanying image renders any attempt at a suspenseful blog moot. So instead I'll shout it loud and clear from the roof tops that Christi and I (with a little help from our marvellous driver-guide Fekade) made it one of the Mursi villages in the Omo river valley. And I was able to photograph to my heart's content. I'm guessing these Mursi people have been photographed before because … [Read more...]
Jinka market, Lower Omo Valley, Day 313
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Jinka is a market town in the Lower Omo Valley with a population of some 22,000 - a number that swells during the weekly market as folks from the different tribes head into town from the remote villages in the area. There are no public buses and these indigenous tribes do not have access to private vehicles so it's either walk or perhaps ride on the back of a donkey. And these people are walking … [Read more...]
Ari tribe and Banna tribe, Lower Omo Valley, Day 314
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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 … [Read more...]
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