Breath taking ceremony that I saw in January 2015 in Omo Valley, Ethiopia. Hammer tribe initiates a youngster to a man during few hours ceremony. Family and villagers gather, women drink and get into trance by dancing.
The main hero has several friends who help him. Women ask these friends to whip them. This was the most difficult part of ceremony to observe. They cry not because of pain, but when they think that whipping is too gentle. The end of ceremony is when the main hero jumps over bulls and cows all set in one line. He has to do it three times. After that he can marry and own cattle.
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Hammer girls
They already got some clothes from tourists.
Ready for dance
Women wear short shirts to leave naked backs.
Hair
Traditional hair “style”
Hammer women
Traditional dressed elder women
Decorations
Special things for dancing
Hero of Bulls jumping ceremony
Friend
Friend of the main hero. He is decorated.
Tribal dance
Relatives of the ceremony’s hero start to dance.
Trance
Women get into trance.
Woman askes to whip her
Please whip me
Please whip me more
Bulls jumping
Culmination of ceremony
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