BACK FROM "THE BUSH"
July 29, 2013
The sun, a great orange ball, seemed to hang above the horizon and then freed itself and floated up over Ethiopia's mighty Omo River. This was the view from my tent...minus the vervet monkeys that I could hear far above in the treetops! "Assa waz uh dey, Abby" said my friend as she walked past me, making one of her many trips to the river for water. "Good morning," I called back in my language, pleased that she remembered me.
Once again, in the Omo River Valley in southern Ethiopia for my annual visit (for the past 9 years,) I was anxious to see my two adopted Kara families and village friends. The Kara tribe numbers about 3,000 people. They mainly practice flood retreat cultivation on the banks of the river. Sorghum, a grain that they grow, is a staple in their diets along with maize and beans. They make a weak coffee from the husk of the coffee bean. Many of the women make clay pots for trading with other tribes as well as with people at the market, for products that they want or need.
Too, the Kara keep livestock.
They excel in face and body painting...they pulverize locally found white chalk, yellow mineral rock, red iron ore and black charcoal for their painting. Their artistic practices in their daily lives are for self-pleasure, pride, respect and symbolic recognition within their society... and as a means of attracting the opposite sex during their rituals and ceremonies.
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Yours truly dancing with Buno's Abby as Walla looks over her shoulder* |
The Omo River Valley tribes are considered by many to be the most primitive tribes on earth... they're unspoiled, isolated and unique, living in much the same way their ancestors lived centuries ago. Little has changed, but change IS coming...
Most of my time in the Omo was spent with my families...let me introduce them (again...to those of you who know me or read my blog regularly.)
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| l to r: Aarma (2nd wife of Dido,) Dido, Dido's Mom, my dear friend Walla and yours truly. The children are (l to r) Munte (in Aarma's arms), Gallipo, little Hailo (held by Walla,) Abby and Stevie (in the yellow shirt)* |
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| Walla and Dido's Abby |
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l to r: Dido, Walla, yours truly*
l to r: little Abby, my other dear friend, Buno, yours truly, and in front of me, Mimi (with the teddy bear) and Mark*
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Here are some more views of the people of the Omo... some are Kara, some are Hamar and some are Nyagatom people.
Before I left the African continent for home, I spent a couple of days on safari in Kenya...a quick animal fix! Here's a bit of what I saw with my Maasai warrior guide, Legei...
Legei and I came across two abandoned ostrich eggs...not cracked, open or damaged in any way...very unusual!
Speaking of Legei, we took a long, bumpy ride to his very remote village...I was the first white person they'd ever met- that's how remote it was. Here's the road we had to travel...all rocky and bumpy...more a path than a road... You can see why they don't entertain tourists!! After 2 1/2 hours of bumping along and clearing the road of livestock... we arrived.
I had the pleasure of meeting his family... I loved his 90+ year old grandmother most.
I'm happy to be home now, but I do miss my Kara families. I wish I didn't have to wait a year to see them...that they lived closer!
I'll end this looooong posting with one of those legendary African sunsets...
Please do check back as I get back to "normal" with my challenge art and other chatter. Thanks for joining me as I relive my African memories.
Big Hugs,
Abby
* indicates photos taken by my friend and fellow traveler, ANNE LECUIRE
