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Cultural tour of Ethiopia |
Cultural tour of Ethiopia enable onto understand the harmonious diversity of the nation. There are 83 languages and 200 dialects spoken throughout Ethiopia. The culture in Ethiopia is truly exotic, untouched and authentic. Far from the modern life, the people in far field are with natural and rustic life style that feels our origin. Ethiopia is a mosaic of cultures for cultural tourists. There are several and diverse ethnic groups with their unique costumes, hairstyles, dressing and so on; each different in theithat makes one to feel that he/she is travelling from one country to another, rather than is in the same region. The untouched nature and culture of this area will keep any visitor on a constant surprise. |
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The Ari inhabit the northern border of Mago National Park and have a population of around 120,000 people. They keep large numbers of livestock and produce large amounts of honey, often used for trade. The women wear skirts made from the enset tree.
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The Benna are believed to number around 45,000; they inhabit the higher ground to the east of Mago National Park. Most practice agriculture, though their diet is supplemented by hunting. If they manage to kill a buffalo, they decorate themselves with clay and put on a special celebration and feast for the whole village.
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The Bodi – numbering around 3500, are agro-pastoralists and their language is Nilo-Saharan in origin. They inhabit the northeast edge of Omo National Park.
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The Buna, numbering around 8000, inhabit the land south of the Omo National Park, but sometimes invade the southern plains when fodder or water is scarce. Like the Bodi, the Bume are agro-pastoralists, growing sorghum by the Omo and Kibish Rivers as well as fishing and rearing cattle. They also hunt in the park and smoke bees out of their hives for honey. They are known as great warmongers and at war with almost everyone, particularly the Karo, the Hamer and the Surma. The Bume use scarification for cosmetic purposes, tribal identification and as indications of prowess in battle. Both men and women use little pointilles or dots to highlight their eyes and cheekbones. The women also scarify their torsos with curvilinear and geometrical designs.
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Inhabiting the northwest edge of Omo National Park, the Dizi are sedentary agriculturists, cultivating sorghum, root crops and coffee. They also practice terracing on the mountain slopes.
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The Hamer who number around 50,000, are subsistence agro-pastoralists. They cultivate sorghum, vegetables, millet, tobacco and cotton, as well as rearing cattle and goats. Wild honey is an important part of their diet. The people are known particularly for their remarkable hairstyles. The women mix together ochre, water and a binding resin, rub the mixture into their hair, then twist strands again and again to create coppery-colored tresses known as goscha. These are a sign of health and welfare.
If they have recently killed an enemy or a dangerous animal, the men are permitted to don clay hair buns that sometimes support magnificent ostrich feathers. The buns – with the help of special headdress (borkotos) for sleeping – last from three to six months, and can be ‘redone’ for up to one year.
The Hamer are also considered masters of body decoration. Every adornment has an important symbolic significance; earrings for example, denote the number of wives a man has.
The women wear bead necklaces, iron coils around their arms, and decorate their skin with cowry shells. The iron torques around their necks are known as ensente and are worn by married or engaged women only. They indicate the wealth and prestige of the woman’s husband. Young, unmarried girls wear a metal plate in their hair that looks a bit like a platypus’ bill.
The iron bracelets and armlets are an indication of the wealth and social standing of the young girl’s family. When she gets married, she must remove the jewellery; it is the first gift she makes to her new family. The Hamer territory stretches across the plains of the Lower Omo to Chew Bahir in the east, almost to the Kenyan border in the south, and to the territory of the Benna in the north. |
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