Life...The Vivere

ANCIENT TRIBES...ETHIOPIA

September 4, 2014  

It's been quite a while since I've posted...been traveling!! Hope you've enjoyed your last several weeks in whatever season you've been experiencing. I've experienced nothing but hot, hot, hot days and slightly less hot nights!! 

I returned to Ethiopia for my annual sojourn to visit my families. But first, had a real "roughing it" camping experience northwest of where I usually go in southern Ethiopia. It was my first-time visit to the Suri (Surma) people, famous for their body painting

 

as well as their lethal stick-fighting or Donga. Generally, outsiders are not permitted to watch an actual stick fight that occurs between tribes... it can get very violent. Often, those not involved in the tribal fighting use their guns as the fighting gets more heated and the viewers, more inebriated. This was just practice...

Before they actually fight, the warriors bond together and bathe their bodies so that they're very wet and can then be painted on...their warrior stripes, so to speak! Then they gather, practice and do their version of prayer and encouragement.

The Suri are a cattle culture as they're a store of wealth to be traded and a source of milk and blood...blood used during the dry season when there's less milk. They're not generally sold or killed for meat... they're treated with reverence and love.When a cow or bull dies, however, it's a feast for all.

Cattle keepers...ready to move their camp to better grazing land...taking a break

The Suri have some very painful traditions including lip plates (as do the Mursi... another southern Ethiopian tribe we've met before,)  scarification and often lethal stick-fighting. But they're shy, gentle family people who are welcoming and happy to share their culture with the interested traveler. We spent time at our campsite, where the locals were both curious and friendly...this is a very remote place, so they don't see many tourists! We had many visitors...and we visited a young chief's home as well...slices of Suri life!

There were a handful of guards around our campsite...more to keep our privacy than to avoid danger.

This is our campsite...note the toilet tent, shower tent, kitchen tent where our meals were prepared... and my sleeping tent...

There was a very small village near our campsite...where some of the locals live and shop...

After bidding a fond farewell to our new Suri friends, we drove south for several bumpy hours to my beloved Lumale and my "adopted" families in the Duss community along the Omo River. 

 It's so much fun to see how the children grow, develop and mature...and meet the newest ones. 

The little Abbys are lovely and fun...happy children, all.

Walla and Buno are always welcoming, warm and happy to share their lives with me. I feel so blessed to have them in my life...as well as other Kara friends...

Walla and family...

 Buno and family...

This is Kaka,  grandmother. She's scraping an animal skin to get the fur off and make it pliable enough to be a skirt.

I soooo look forward to my next visit with my loved ones. There's always something going on...dancing, grinding grains, singing, playing, following the goats, gathering water at the river, cooking, beading neck pieces or bracelets, chatting about local politics...daily life! 

 

All for now! Sending love and hugs to you... readers... family and friends.

 

Til the next,

abbyj