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Young Pokot men and women dancing to celebrate an Atelo ceremony. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language.
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A Pokot warrior wearing a cheetah skin jumps high in the air surrounded by young women to celebrate an Atelo ceremony. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language.
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Pokot women and girls dancing to celebrate an Atelo ceremony. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language.
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Pokot women and girls dancing to celebrate an Atelo ceremony. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language.
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Pokot men, women, boys and girls dancing to celebrate an Atelo ceremony. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language.
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Pokot women wearing traditional beaded ornaments and brass earrings denoting their married status. celebrate an Atelo ceremony. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language.
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An old Pokot woman dancing during an Atelo ceremony. The cow horn container usually contains animal fat. Kenya
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Pokot women wearing traditional beaded ornaments and brass earrings denoting their married status. celebrate an Atelo ceremony. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language.
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A Pokot woman wearing the traditional beaded ornaments of her tribe which denote her married status. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language.
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Pokot warriors celebrate an Atelo ceremony. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language.
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A Pokot warrior wearing a leopard skin cape celebrates an Atelo ceremony, spear in hand. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language.
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A young married Pokot woman wearing the traditional beaded ornaments of her tribe which denote her married status. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language. Kenya
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A young married Pokot woman wearing the traditional beaded ornaments of her tribe which denote her married status. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language.
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A young Pokot girl wearing a traditional broad necklace made of hollow reed grass that denotes her uninitiated status. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language.
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The ornaments of a Pokot warrior including a ring of goat skin which would have been slaughtered for a ceremony. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language.
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A striking old Pokot woman wearing the traditional beaded ornaments of her tribe which denote her married status. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language.
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During a Ngetunogh ceremony, the mother of a Pokot initiate sings and dances holding high the cowhorn container she used to smear fat over the masks of her son and other boys as a blessing.
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At the conclusion of a Parpara ceremony when a pregnant woman is blessed for a successful birth, Pokot women tie grass necklaces round each other using the grass which she had sat on during her blessing.
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The Pokot have a small ceremony called Koyogho when a man pays his in-laws the balance of the agreed dowry for his wife. This may take place many years after he marries her. At the conclusion of the ritual, his father-in-law blesses him.
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Hamar women dance around cattle at a Jumping of the Bull ceremony as a rainbow gives colour to a threatening sky overhead.The Hamar are semi nomadic pastoralists of Southwest Ethiopia whose women wear striking traditional dress and style their red ochre hair mop fashion.The phallic protrusion of the women's chokers denote they are their husbands first wives.The Jumping of the Bull ceremony is a ri
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A young Pokot girl wears large necklaces made from the stems of sedge grass,which are then plastered with a mixture of animal fat and red ochre before being decorated with buttons and beads.
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A close-up of a Pokot woman's earrings,hairstyle and beaded ornaments. Only married women wear brass earrings and glass-beaded collars. The band over her head supports the weight of her heavy earrings.
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A young married woman of the Pokot tribe. Her married status is denoted by her large brass earrings and broad beaded collars and necklaces that are smeared with animal fat to glisten in the sun.
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At the start of a Ngetunogh ceremony, the mothers of Pokot initiates will smear animal fat on the boys masks as a blessing. The boys must wear goatskins, conceal their faces with masks made from wild sisal (sansevieria) and carry bows with blunt arrows until this ceremony is over.
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The Pokot have a small ceremony called Koyogho when a man pays his in-laws the balance of the agreed dowry for his wife. At the conclusion of the ritual, his wife is given a large gourd of milk which she carries home on her back with her youngest child.
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In Pokot custom, when someone has a prolonged ailment, he may call his friends and relatives to chase away the disease. A goat is speared and its entrails checked before roasting. This traditional ceremony is called Kikatat.
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In Pokot custom, when someone has a prolonged ailment, he may call his friends and relatives to chase away the disease. A goat is speared whereupon people form a semicircle around the sick person to pray and chant for his good health.
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Watched and assisted by Warriors, a goat is speared by a Pokot elder to rid himself of an ailment the traditional way. This ceremony is called Kikatat and is often preferred by the elderly to Western medicinal cures.
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A lively Nyangatom dance is enjoyed by villagers in the late afternoon.The elevated houses in the background are both homes and granaries, which have been built to withstand flooding when the Omo River bursts its banks The Nyangatom are one of the largest tribes and arguably the most warlike people living along the Omo River in Southwest Ethiopia.
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A Hamar woman dances around cattle while she blows a tin trumpet at a Jumping of the Bull ceremony.The Hamar are semi nomadic pastoralists of Southwest Ethiopia whose women wear striking traditional dress and style their red ochred hair mop fashion.The Jumping of the Bull ceremony is a rite of passage for young men.
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Hamar women dance at a Jumping of the Bull ceremony.The Hamar are semi nomadic pastoralists of Southwest Ethiopia whose women wear striking traditional dress and style their red ochred hair mop fashion. The Jumping of the Bull ceremony is a rite of passage for young men.After the ceremony, the initiate attains full manhood and is permitted to marry.
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A group of Hamar women at a Jumping of the Bull ceremony.The Hamar are semi nomadic pastoralists of Southwest Ethiopia whose women wear striking traditional dress and style their red ochred hair mop fashion.The Jumping of the Bull ceremony is a rite of passage for young men.
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A Hamar woman implores a man to whip her at a Jumping of the Bull ceremony.Female friends and relatives of the initiate are willing whipped with pliable sticks to show their solidarity and love for him. They do not flinch or show any sign of pain.The semi nomadic Hamar of Southwest Ethiopia embrace an age grade system that includes several rites of passage for young men.
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A Hamar woman being whipped by a man at a Jumping of the Bull ceremony.The semi nomadic Hamar of Southwest Ethiopia embrace an age grade system that includes several rites of passage for young men.
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A Hamar woman holds a tin trumpet at a Jumping of the Bull ceremony.The Hamar are semi nomadic pastoralists of Southwest Ethiopia whose women wear striking traditional dress and style their red ochred hair mop fashion.The Jumping of the Bull ceremony is a rite of passage for young men.
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A Hamar woman blows a tin trumpet at a Jumping of the Bull ceremony.The Hamar are semi nomadic pastoralists of Southwest Ethiopia whose women wear striking traditional dress and style their red ochred hair mop fashion.The Jumping of the Bull ceremony is a rite of passage for young men.
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A Hamar woman blows a tin trumpet at a Jumping of the Bull ceremony.The Hamar are semi nomadic pastoralists of Southwest Ethiopia whose women wear striking traditional dress and style their red ochred hair mop fashion.The Jumping of the Bull ceremony is a rite of passage for young men.
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A Hamar woman at a Jumping of the Bull ceremony.The Hamar are semi nomadic pastoralists of Southwest Ethiopia whose women wear striking traditional dress and style their red ochred hair mop fashion.The Jumping of the Bull ceremony is a rite of passage for young men.
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A Hamar woman blows a tin trumpet at a Jumping of the Bull ceremony.The Hamar are semi nomadic pastoralists of Southwest Ethiopia whose women wear striking traditional dress and style their red ochred hair mop fashion.The Jumping of the Bull ceremony is a rite of passage for young men.
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A young Pokot girl in traditional attire. Girls wear leather skirts and capes made from home-tanned goatskins. Her broad necklaces are made from small segments of sedge grass. Her ears have already been pierced in four places,ready to insert the large brass earrings she will acquire after marriage.
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At the conclusion of a Ngetunogh ceremony, Pokot initiates rush to a sacred tree and crouch briefly while women and girls hurl abuse at them. After disbursing, they meet that evening to feast on a bull. The following day they return home and remove their ceremonial attire.
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Song is an art form ingrained in Turkana culture. At the end of a dance session,the participants invariably enjoy the Song of the Bulls. Each young man will take centre-stage to extol the praises of his favourite ox. He will explain how it came into his possession,its distinguishing traits and with outstretched arms,imitate the shape of its horns.
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Song is an art form ingrained in Turkana culture. At the end of a dance session,the participants invariably enjoy the Song of the Bulls. Each young man will take centre-stage to extol the praises of his favourite ox. He will explain how it came into his possession,its distinguishing traits and with outstretched arms,imitate the shape of its horns.
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Song is an art form ingrained in Turkana culture. After months of separation,young men and girls gather together during the rains when grass is abundant and life is relatively easy for a while. The Turkana have a rich repertoire of at least twenty dances,most of which are quite energetic.
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Song is an art form ingrained in Turkana culture. At the end of a dance session,the participants invariably enjoy the Song of the Bulls. Each young man will take centre-stage to extol the praises of his favourite ox. He will explain how it came into his possession,its distinguishing traits and with outstretched arms,imitate the shape of its horns.
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During Samburu wedding celebrations,warriors resplendent with long Ochred braids dance with young girls who have put on all their finery for the occasion. Both warriors and girls smear their faces,necks and shoulders with red ochre mixed with animal fat to enhance their appearance. Two spears are tipped with ostrich-feather pompoms.
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Kenya, Samburu District. Young Samburu girl in traditional beaded necklaces.
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Kenya, Samburu District. A tourist attempting to jump as high as a Samburu warrior, in the dry river bed of the Ewaso Nyiro.
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Kenya, Samburu District. Samburu warriors and young girls sing and dance in the dry river bed of the Ewaso Nyiro River.
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Towards the conclusion of a Ngetunogh ceremony, an initiate must put on his mothers jewellery for a day before removing the wild sisal face mask he has worn for 2-3 months.
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An old Turkana woman wearing all the finery of her tribe.In a hole pierced below her lower lip, she wears an ornament beautifully made from twisted strands of copper wire.Leaf shaped ear ornaments are typically worn by married women of the tribe and the tiny amber coloured rings hanging from her earrings are made from goats hooves.
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In the late afternoon, Nyangatom villagers enjoy singing and dancing. As groups of men take centre stage to jump high in the air, women and girls sing, clap to a rhythm, and move slowly towards the men. Children enjoy the excitement in the background.The Nyangatom are one of the largest tribes and arguably the most warlike people living along the Omo River in Southwest Ethiopia.
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With oiled and blackened bodies, a group of young men who have already completed their initiation ceremony participate in a Hamar Bull Jumping ceremony of a friend by circling the cattle before the climax to the ceremony takes place.After the ceremony, the initiate attains full manhood and is permitted to marry
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Hamar men line up steers at a Jumping of the Bull ceremony.The semi nomadic Hamar of Southwest Ethiopia embrace an age grade system that includes several rites of passage for young men.After the ceremony, the initiate attains full manhood and is permitted to marry
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With whipping sticks in their hands, men crouch as they bless an initiate who is about to perform his Jumping of the Bull ceremony.The Hamar are semi nomadic pastoralists of Southwest Ethiopia who embrace an age grade system that includes several rites of passage for young men.
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Karo men excel in body art. Before a dance, they will decorate their faces and torsos elaborately using local white chalk, pulverised rock and other natural pigments. While older men style their hair with clay, young men prefer to braid theirs.Every man carries a wooden stool, which doubles as a pillow at night.The Karo are a small tribe living in three main villages along the lower reaches of the
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Karo men excel in body art. Before a dance, they will decorate their faces and torsos elaborately using local white chalk, pulverised rock and other natural pigments. While older men style their hair with clay, young men prefer to braid theirs.Every man carries a wooden stool, which doubles as a pillow at night.The Karo are a small tribe living in three main villages along the lower reaches of the
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Karo men excel in body art. Before a dance, they will decorate their faces and torsos elaborately using local white chalk, pulverised rock and other natural pigments. While older men style their hair with clay, young men prefer to braid theirs.Every man carries a wooden stool, which doubles as a pillow at night.The Karo are a small tribe living in three main villages along the lower reaches of the
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A Dassanech man in full tribal regalia participates in a dance during a month long ceremony. He wears a cheetah skin draped on his backs and a black ostrich feather headdress. He dances holding a long stick and a simulated shield.His face is smeared with mud giving him a singular appearance.
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Men and women dance during a month long Dassanech ceremony. The men wear leopard, cheetah or serval cat skins draped on their backs and black ostrich feather headdresses. The women, dressed in skins, hang a single black and white colobus monkey skin down their backs.
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A young Pokot woman sings to celebrate the opening of a new pre primary school at Ngaini, a remote area of the Kerio Valley. Despite her youth, her jewellery denotes she is already married.
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A beaded neck ornament of a married Pokot woman decorated with tortoise shells.
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Towards the end of a Sapana ceremony, the initiate will have his hair styled in a traditional clay bun and then dance with young women to celebrate.
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A Samburu woman wearing a mporro necklace,which signifies her married status.These necklaces,once made of hair from giraffe tails,are now made from fibres of doum palm fronds (Hyphaene coriacea). The beads are mid-19th century Venetian glass beads,which were introduced to Samburuland by early hunters and traders.
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Gabbra women dance at a gathering in the village of Kalacha. The Gabbra are a Cushitic tribe of nomadic pastoralists living with their herds of camels and goats around the fringe of the Chalbi Desert.
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Gabbra women dance at a gathering in the village of Kalacha. The Gabbra are a Cushitic tribe of nomadic pastoralists living with their herds of camels and goats around the fringe of the Chalbi Desert.
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Gabbra women sing and dance to celebrate a wedding. The traditional metal ornamentation on their heads is called malmal.
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Gabbra women sing and dance to celebrate a wedding. The traditional metal ornamentation on their heads is called malmal.
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Two jovial Pokot girls set off with leather bags in search of edible berries. Pokot girls and women traditionally wore leather skirts and capes made from home-tanned goatskins. The necklaces of young girls are made from small segments of sedge grass.
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A Maasai warrior blows a trumpet fashioned from the horn of a Greater Kudu. The strap is decorated with cowrie shells. Kudu-horn trumpets are only sounded to call men to arms or on ceremonial occasions.
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Kenya,Kajiado,lpartimaro. Two Maasai warriors in full regalia. The headress of the man on the left is made from the mane of a lion while the one on the right is fringed with black ostrich feathers. Their traditional weaponry includes long-bladed spears and shields are made of buffalo hide.
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The invited guests at a Samburu wedding gather together to sing in praise of the couple and to dance. Celebrations will go on late into the night.
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During Samburu wedding celebrations,married women congregate apart from the warriors and young girls to sing in praise of the couple and to dance.
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During Samburu wedding celebrations,married women congregate apart from the warriors and young girls to sing in praise of the couple and to dance.
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Detail of a Maasai warrior's ear ornaments and other beaded or metal adornments. The Maasai practice of piercing ears in adolescence and gradually elongating the lobes is gradually dying out. This warrior's body and his long braids have been smeared with red ochre mixed with animal fat.
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In the early morning, a Pokot woman milks her familys goats in the stock pen of her husbands settlement. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language.
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A young Pokot warrior with large round earrings. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language.
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In the early morning, a Pokot warrior checks his family s goats in the stock pen of his fathers settlement. The Pokot are pastoralists speaking a Southern Nilotic language.
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Samburu girls are given strings of beads by their fathers when they are still young. As soon as they are old enough to have lovers from the warrior age set, they regularly receive gifts from them.Over a period of years, their necklaces can smother them up to their necks.
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