Omo Valley South Ethiopia

 Omo valley south Ethiopia
The Omo Valley is the area around the Omo River in
southern Ethiopia near the borders of Kenya and Sudan. The
area is divided into East and West on Both Sides of the Omo
. River
OMO VALLEY LANDSCAPE
The landscape of the Omo Valley is very diverse: vast
savannah with mountains on the horizon, beautiful views,
the arid semi-desert, acacia bushes, hills and forests on the
banks of the Omo River. Then the Omo river itself With its
deep canyons and rapids, dense vegetation on the banks
Where monkeys, colorful birds, crocodiles and hippos reside.
This is a beautiful river for wild water rafting.
In the Omo Valley are the Mago and Omo National
Park Which are separated by the Omo River.
TRIBES IN THE OMO VALLEY
In the Omo Valley are more than 10 tribes to share Relatively
small area. Regardless of the modern technology They walk
around as (semi-) nomads territories in Their Own With Their
cattle, with only a few goods like a spear (or gun), knife and
small wooden stool, the Burkito, Which is Also used as a
pillow . Each of the Omo Valley tribes Has Its own unique
costumes, hairstyle, tattoo or body painting, jewelry, dance,
music and social structure: a paradise for anthropology
research and study. In several places like Jinka in the Omo
Valley, Key Afer, Turmi Dimeka and you can visit the colourful
premises (cattle) Where you can find markets locally the people
buying and selling agricultural products Their Own and
different goods Such as cloth, household items and so on.
Contact us to get more information or book a tour to get in
touch With the tribes of the Omo Valley
Read Also our tour program Tribes and Lakes
Many people in the Omo valley still live the traditional way
of life. The elders Still Have much power and They are the
greatest authority for Their own people. But the Central
government tries to bring (economical) development into the
area. More and more schools are built and the government
is trying in many ways to Convince People that it is
Necessary to send Their children to school. Because
traditionally children grow up in an age old pattern Where
everything is predestined and Where Already boys as well as
girls unavailable to perform different tasks and duties, it is not
easy to convinces the parents That it is Important and
Necessary To Send Their children (and specially girls) to
school. They Also educated young people experience That
Will Easily reject some practices and traditions Cultural
Which causes a generation gap and endangers Their Identity
as a member of Their tribe. Indeed esta fear is not
unfounded. Young People Who Often are educated are in
conflict With Themselves and Their tribe Because of the new
values ​​and understanding of life style; They will no longer
Easily follow the traditional values ​​of Their tribal way of life.
THUS, it is a great task to the government, non government
Organisations and Other People Who are Involved in the
development work to help and give guidance for the tribal
people.
Another problem in the Omo Valley are the tribal wars, the
motives of ware are due to looting of cattle's and
agricultural land. This kind of ware Among the different
tribes for example Between the hammer and Dassanech, and
Nyangatom, Mursi and Surma has-been going on for
centuries.
IMPACT OF TOURISM IN THE OMO VALLEY
Though Usually tourists value and respect the traditional
lifestyle of the various tribes in the Omo valley and They are
eager to learn about the manners and customs of different
tribes. But tourism has Also a negative side effect. In
several villages in the Omo valley Which are Often visited by
tourists, the population just see a white tourist as someone
from Whom something can be earned, Especially by
charging fees for making pictures or selling souvenirs. In
Such Often village's tourists are overwhelmed by many
inhabitants insist WHO to be photographed. Especially the
Mursi in the tourist towns May behave quite intrusive and
even aggressive Sometimes. To avoid this kind of
Behaviour, When you enter the village it is better to put the
(video) camera in your bag, take some more time in the
village, walking around with a first Local guide and try to
make contact With the people and Their show true interest in
culture. Local Than finally ask the guide if you can make
photos, let the guide first negotiate the price per photo With
the residents. If possible it is better to go to somewhat more
remote villages in the Omo Valley, Which are not often
visited by tourists. In overall, we advise our guests to go by
walking (or With land cruiser) to remoter and non touristic
villages. If possible, you can spend one or more nights
camping by a village. If you stay a longer time in a village,
you will be Able to Meet the People in Their normal daily life
and They are going to Consider you as a guests Instead of a
tourist and esta Makes the contact more naturally and
spontaneous.
SOME OF THE TRIBES IN OR NEAR THE OMO VALLEY
The Who Live northeast Konso people of the Omo Valley life
are Known for Their wooden Especially serious sculptues, the
Waga's and Their beautiful traditional villages surrounded by
a stone wall defense. They live in a very dry mountainous
area Where They Maintain the scarce fertile land by making
terraces on Which They sow sorghum, maize, beans and
coffee plant.
They try to get more from Their Land as much as possible by
sowing alternating crops, using animals manure and hard
work. Their orderly villages with beautiful huts built very
close together and Their fields are surrounded by stonewalls
to protect Against erosion and floods, wild animals and
enemies. Each village is divided into different Communities
(Neighbourhoods) Each Have Their Own Community House
Where the Boys from 12 years and older sleep Until They get
married. This is a habit from the Time That the Konso people
Often Been Attacked by NEIGHBOURING tribes and the young
men Were always ready to fight. Near by the town of Konso
there are several lodges, hotels and Campsites.
The Tsemai people: (About 5000) grow sorghum and corn in
the area at the east of Weito of the Omo River Valley. They
are cattle owners and everywhere you see hanging beehives
for honey production. Their language is related to the
Cushitic language of the Konso and That Is Because Their
ancestor Asasa meat to the surrounding area of the river
Weito from Konso About 200 years ago. They Also have
much in common With Their neighbors, the Arebore people.
Marriages Between members of the Hamer tribe and Tsemai
take place regularly. In the village there is a simple Weito
bamboo bedroom hotel and camping facilities.
The Arebore people live in the southeast of the Omo valley
and are neighbors of the Tsemai and Hamer people.
Through intermarriage, They are closely Associated With
Hammer and even Borena. These make them remove
Often They are multicultural and intermediating in trade and
Conflicts Between different tribes. On the Saturday Arebore
colorful market you will see not only people of esta tribe but
Also the Arebore Hamar, Tsemai and Borena. It is possible
to camp near the village Arebore.
The Hammer people (About 35,000) live in the center of the
Omo Valley and Have a remarkable hair and body painting.
The women are gorgeous with Metal straps around upper
arms and ankles, various colorful necklaces , leather skirts
decorated with shells and beads and hairbraids made ​​with
red clay. When a man kills a wild animal or an enemy, His
hair is decorated with a painted clay cap in various colors
and adorned With an ostrich feather. Also known is the Bull-
jumping ceremony Where to prove That young man must have
is matured for marriage. I have to run 3 times over the
backs of a row of bulls without falling. If I falls and the test
is unsuccessful, I will be beaten and ridiculed by the girls
and I try again May after one year. The girls who are
family of the boy (sisters, nieces etc_, let Themselves be
beaten on Their backs With whips by a group of young men
(the Maz) to show Their love and dedication for the Boy Who
in return will always be ready to support and help them. This
ceremony Usually Takes Place Between late February and
early April or mid-August and September and is Attended by
tourists. The traditional "Evangadi dance" is danced early in
the evening by the young people. During This Dance, the
Their young boys show interest in one of the girls and Gives
young girls the opportunity to get in contact With the boy of
Their choice. Nearby there are several Campsites Turmi and
a lodge.
Dassanech people ("Dassanech means" people of the Delta ")
These people live in the delta of the Omo River Where it
flows into Lake Turkana in the south of the Omo Valley.
Their main property is Their cattle. When a man Loses cattle
by
drought, disease and raids by other tribes, I and his family
are now in the "Dies" meaning it is "poor people". The Dies
live on the shores of Lake Turkana, Where They fish and hunt
crocodiles; They are Considered to be as outcasts by the
Dassanech. In times of famine They share Their fish and
crocodile meat with the rest of the tribe.
The Karo people (About 1500), the smallest of the Omo
Valley tribes, live near the Omo River in the southwest. They
are related to the Hammer and like them, specialists in body
painting for special celebrations. They use mostly white chalk and then a paint in there face and bod and If They use some white
feathers as a headdress.
There is a campsite near the village of Kolcho so You have
the opportunity to get in close contact With the people and
see the everyday life. The Murill lodge / camp is Also close
to this area. Half an hour drive further south on a sandy
track, you can visit Karo village Dus Which is less touristic.
It is possible to pitch your tent in the forest at the shores of
Omo river near to Dus.
The Nyangatom people (About 6000) Which Have the
nickname "Bume" live mainly in the southwest side of the
Omo Valley, near the Omo river, though They Also roam With
Their livestock in search of pasture. They are a formidable
warriors WHO Regularly make War with the Hamer, Karo and
Mursi. They speak a Nilotic language and are closely related
to the Kenyan Turkana tribe. They make incisions in Their
bodies to Enhance Their beauty and fighting spirit, and as
identification of the tribe.
The Mursi people (About 7000) are renowned for the large
lip plate That the women wear. The origin and purpose of
esta rooms are not clear. Probably it is just a way to
differentiate from other tribes Themselves. The Widespread
notion That the size of the dish Indicates how big the bride
price must be for the woman is PROVED to be wrong Because
Often married a girl is stretching before her lip and insertion
of a dish Begins (around the age of 15). The stick fighting
Between large groups of men are Known and serve as the
bull-jumping Among the Hammer people, as a test of
manhood. The Mursi people live in the northwest of the
Omo valley, partly in Mago NP.
The Ari people (morethan100, 000) inhabit a large area
around Jinka in an elevated area north of the Omo Valley
and speak a language closely related to South Omotic, the
language of the Hammer. They grow cereals, coffee; keep
livestock and beehives for honey production. In the smaller
villages in the countryside you see the women traditionally

dressed in skirts made ​​of leaves and Koisha Enset and
colourful bracelets on Their upper arms.
The Banna People (around 45,000) are a friendly people and
They look fantastic, Especially the women With Their many
decorations but Also the proud men with a clay cap or
braided hair style Which They use When They Have Killed an
enemy or wild animal. Both man and women like to
decorate Themselves in many different ways with. They live
mostly on agriculture in upland areas to the east of the Omo
Valley, adjacent to the area of Ari and Tsemai. On Thursday
you can meet them on the famous market in Key Afer in the
heart of the Banna area.
The Surma people (About 25,000) speak a Nilotic language
and live on the west side of the Omo River on the borders of
the Omo NP. Their bodies They paint with white paint (made
from A Certain Kind of clay) in fantastic patterns, giving them
a ghosty look. The main purpose is to intimidate enemies.
They Have Regularly War Against the Nyangatom giving
priority to extend Their territory and steal cattle. Also In This
tribe the women wear clay plates in Their lower lip and a
young man to prove That I have is worth of marriage I have to
win to Donga stick fighting. It is still not possible to cross
with Land-cruiser by the Omo River Between Mago and Omo
NP. To visit Surma and other tribes west of the Omo River in
the valley is only possible-through western Ethiopia.
Contact us to get more information or book a tour to get in
touch With the tribes of the Omo Valley.