Omo Valley: Mursi ethnic group

We spent the last 8 days traveling through the beautiful Lower Omo Valley in southern Ethiopia, an area of diverse landscape ranging from dry, open savannah plains to large lakes (some filled with hippos and crocodiles) to gorgeous mountainous forests. It's an area inhabited by some of Africa's most fascinating ethnic groups whose ancient traditions, customs, lifestyle and manner of dress still constitute the fabric of their daily life. We had the fantastic opportunity to visit the villages and markets of many of the sixteen ethnic groups that reside in this region, to interact with them, witness their lifestyle, step inside their homes and learn about their way of life. 

Among the ethnic groups whose villages we visited were the Mursi, a tribe that now numbers only about 5,000 - 7,500 people. The Mursi men and women paint their bodies and face in white. Their most famous traditions include fierce stick fighting between the men and the lip plates worn by women.

Women of the Mursi tribe have their lips cut at the age of 15 or 16. A small clay plate is then inserted into the lip. Over the years, larger plates are inserted causing the lip to stretch. The larger the clay plate, the more the woman is worth before she gets married. Although a unique tradition, the clay plates are worn for only a short time because they're so heavy and uncomfortable.

 

 In order to marry, the young Mursi men must pass a test. They must be victorious at ceremonial duelling, which is a fight against an opponent with 6 foot long poles. The men 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 determine whom he will marry.

Until about 30 years ago, the Mursi men were hunters, but now they raise cattle. Because they live in a lush and fertile region, the group has been very successful and are said to want for nothing. 

The Mursi seem to be only minimally affected by the outside, modern world. Because they can buy inexpensive textiles made in China that are sold in the local markets, they no longer weave the fabric for their clothing. Additionally, when tourists come to visit their village, they have begun to charge 5 Ethiopian birr per photo. About 25 cents. 

Included with this blog are two of the many photos that we took of the Mursi during our tour of the Lower Omo Valley. We'll have more stories and photos about the other ethnic groups in a future post.