Category: Cultural Attractions

TribeThe Mursi are a nomadic cattle herder ethnic group located in the Debub Omo Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region in Ethiopia, close to the Sudanese border. According to the 2007 national census, there number is estimated 7,500.   The Mursi people are the most popular in Ethiopia's Omo Valley.  They are well known for their unique lip plates.  They are settled around the Omo River and in the Mago National Park.  Due to the climate, they move twice a year between the winter and summer months.  They herd cattle and grow crops along the banks of the Omo River.   The Mursi women paint their bodies and face in white.  They also are the ones who wear the lip plates. Women of the Mursi tribe may have their lips cut at the age of 15 or 16.  A small clay plate is then inserted into the lip.  Through the years, larger plates are inserted into the lip causing it to stretch.  The larger the clay plate, the more the woman is worth before she gets married.  It is said that the clay plates were originally used to prevent capture by slave traders.  Although very unique and part of their tradition, the Mursi women only wear the plates for a short time because they are so heavy and uncomfortable. Men of the Mursi also use white paint for their bodies and faces.  Just like any other ethnic tribe in the lower valley, the men must pass a test before they can get married.  A Mursi man is given a stick called a Donga and must face one opponent.  The men then battle it out, beating each other with the sticks. The first fighter to submit loses and the winner is taken by a group of women to

Suri or Surma TribeSuri, also known as the Surma people live in the southwestern plains of Ethiopia.  They raise cattle and farm when the land is fertile.  Cattle are important to the Suri, giving them status.  The more cattle a tribesman has, the wealthier they are. In order for a man to marry a woman in the Suri tribe, he must own at least 60 cattle.  Cattle are given to the family of the woman in exchange for marriage.  Like the other tribes, the Suri will use the milk and blood from the cow.  During the dry season, the people will drink blood instead of milk.  Blood can be drained from a cow once a month.  This is done by making a small incision in its neck. The Suri are very much like the Muris tribe and practice the same traditions.  The women wear lip plates that are made out of clay.  The men in the tribe fight with sticks called Dongas.  Both the men and women scar their bodies.  If you see a Suri man with a scar, it usually means that he has killed a member of a rival tribe.

Tsemay TribeAlso spelled Tsamai, they are found living in the semi-arid region of the Omo Valley.  These people are agro-pastoralist and use both livestock herding and agriculture to survive.  Common crops grown by the tribe are sorghum, millet and of course cotton plantation by irrigating the Weyto River. Like the Hamer tribe, the Tsemay boys have to successfully complete a bull jumping event.  This is a ceremony where the boy runs across multiple bulls.  If the boy can make it across four times without falling, he becomes a man.  To prove a boy has accomplished a bull jumping, he is outfitted with a band that has feathers on it.  It is worn on his head and it shows that he is now looking for a wife. Unlike any other tribe in Ethiopia, the Tsemay have arranged weddings. The parents of the woman pick who she will marry with or without her consent.  Even if the marriage is arranged, the man must still be able to afford to pay for his future wife.  Payment of cattle, honey, grain and coffee beans are accepted.  Women of the tribe, who are not married, wear a short leather skirt with a v-shaped apron attached.  Married women wear long leather dresses with an apron that have an apron covering their front and back side.  The men in the tribe are found carrying small wooden seats to sit with.