Bana tribe, key Afer, omo valley, Ethiopia

Benna tribe are an indigenous tribe of 40, 000 people, of the lower Omo Valley. Their neighbors are the Hamer tribe and it is believed that the Bena actually originated from them centuries ago. They are really similar to them and are for that reason often called : Hamer-Bena.
The Banna People are a friendly people and they look fantastic, especially the women with their many decorations but also the proud men with a clay or braided hair style as they get when they honour a slain enemy or wild animal. They live mostly on agriculture in upland areas to the east of the Omo Valley, adjacent to the area of Ari and Tsemai. You can meet them in the markets of Key Afer.
Just like most of the tribes the Bena practice ritual dancing and singing. The men often have their hair dressed up with a colorful clay cap that is decorated with feathers. Women of the tribe wear beads in their hair that is held together with butter. Both the men and women wear long garments and paint their bodies with white chalk.
Common rituals and traditions of other tribes are shared by the Bena. For example the boys in the tribe participate in bull jumping, commonly called cow jumping or even bull leaping. When it is time for the boy to become a man, he must jump naked over a number of bulls without falling. If he is able to complete this task, he will become a man and be able to marry a woma.