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A Maasai warrior in full regalia. He has stuck a porcupine quill in his beaded headband to add to his other decorations. His long,Ochred plaits have been drawn forward from the crown of his head and tied in three bunches.
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A Datoga young man,spear in hand,has decorated the edges of his check cotton wrap with old zips.The Datoga (known to their Maasai neighbours as the Mang'ati and to the Iraqw as Babaraig) live in northern Tanzania and are primarily pastoralists.
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A Maasai warrior speaks on his mobile phone from the saddle of his camel near Lake Magadi in Kenyas Rift Valley Province.Mobile phones are a popular method of communicating with family and friends in remote areas of Kenya.
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A young Maasai herdsboy controls his family's cattle at the Sanjan River to prevent too many animals watering at the same time.
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Kenya,Chalbi Desert,Kalacha. A Gabbra herdsman presents a lonely figure standing under a flat-topped acacia tree on the edge of the Chalbi Desert at sunset. 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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Black clothing,Black ostrich feathers and the intricate white patterns on the face of this Maasai youth of the Kisongo section signify his recent circumcision.
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A proud Turkana father and his young daughter. Both their hairstyles are typical of tribal custom in the west of Turkanaland.
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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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Kenya, Samburu District, South Horr, Samburu District, Kenya. A ritual helper of a Samburu boy makes him new sandals the day before he is circumcised which he will wear for a month and then discard.
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Maasai men ride camels in the dry bush country at Olorgasailie,situated between Nairobi and Lake Magadi.
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A Pokot man with scarification on his right arm. This form of body art is quite common among his tribe. The cicatrices are raised by rubbing charcoal or the sap of a plant into them when the wounds are still fresh.
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A Samburu warrior resplendent with his long braids of Ochred hair. His round ear ornaments are made of ivory. Samburu warriors are vain and proud,taking great trouble over their appearance. They use ochre extensively; it is a natural earth containing ferric oxide which is mixed with animal fat to the consistency of greasepaint.
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Scattered bands of Batwa pygmies hunt and fish in the Semliki Forest of Western Uganda,an extension of the vast Ituri rainforest of the Congo DRC. Rarely more than five feet tall,the Batwa are of mixed ancestry,being on average six inches taller than their Bambuti pygmy cousins who live deep inside the Congo rainforests.This old man uses a wild banana leaf to shelter from the rain.
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A Wa-Arusha warrior carries home a yoke. His brown necklace is made from aromatic wood. The Wa-Arusha are closely related to the Maasai and speak the same maa language. Unlike the Maasai,however,they till the land. In the past,this has brought them into conflict with their pastoral neighbors who disdained cultivation.
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Black clothing and the intricate white patterns on the face of this Maasai youth of the Kisongo section signify his recent circumcision.
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Chad, Chari Baguirmi, Bachoum. A Peul herdsman drives his long-horned cattle to water.
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Maasai men lead a camel caravan laden with equipment for a 'fly camp' (a small temporary camp) close to Lake Magadi in beautiful late afternoon sunlight.
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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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The traditional weaponry of the Turkana warriors consisted of a long-shafted spear with a narrow blade,a small rectangular shield made of giraffe or buffalo hide,a wrist knife worn round the assailant's right wrist and one or two finger knives for gouging out an enemy's eyes. They must have been an awesome sight in full battle cry. Modern arms have now replaced the old ways of fighting.
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Old and new. Dressed traditionally and carrying familiar wooden staff,two young men give hints that the lifestyle of younger Maasai generations is changing gradually in Tanzania.
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Camels are milked in the early morning by Turkana herdsmen. In the best season of year,camels can be milked up to five times a day making them the most important livestock resource the Turkana own. However,these animals do not have the same cultural and emotional value to the Turkana as cattle.
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Karo people with body painting, made from mixing animal pigments with clay, dancing, Kolcho village, Lower Omo valley, Ethiopia, Africa
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Two young Dassanech boys sport elaborate clay hairdos at their settlement alongside the Omo River. Much the largest of the tribes in the Omo Valley numbering around 50,000,the Dassanech (also known as the Galeb,Changila or Merille) are Nilotic pastoralists and agriculturalists.
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The proud father of a Samburu boy who has recently been circumcised. For each son who has been initiated into the warrior age-set,a father will tie a strip of lion skin below his knees,hang two copper ornaments normally worn by women in his pierced earlobes and places a string of pale green beads round his forehead. A ceremonial leather cape is slung over his shoulder.
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A Maasai warrior and a young herdsboy draw water for livestock from the deep wells at Naberera where cattle paths are cut deep into the soil to allow livestock nearer to the source of water.
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Turkana elders wear decorative ivory lip ornaments,secured in position by a spigot which is inserted in a hole pierced below the man's lower lip after initiation. This singular form of decoration was once widespread but is rarely seen today. Likewise,the traditional clay hairdo is gradually dying out.
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Two Mursi men with singular hairstyles play a game of bau as a young boy watches them. Most men possess rifles to protect their families from hostile neighbours.Body art is an important aspect of Mursi culture.They live in a remote area of southwest Ethiopia along the Omo River.
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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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Two Datoga men participate in a mock stick fight. The Datoga (known to their Maasai neighbours as the Mang'ati and to the Iraqw as Babaraig) live in northern Tanzania and are primarily pastoralists.
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A tourist accompanied by a retinue of children in a Dassanech settlement along the lower Omo River. Much the largest of the tribes in the Omo Valley numbering around 50,000,the Dassanech (also known as the Galeb,Changila or Merille) and Nilotic pastoralists and agriculturalists.
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Karo men excel in body art. They decorate their faces and torsos elaborately using local white chalk, pulverised rock and other natural pigments. Their braided hairstyles are typical of young men from the tribe.The Karo are a small tribe living in three main villages along the lower reaches of the Omo River in southwest Ethiopia.
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A bushman,or San,collapses in a trance during a sing-song round their campfire. The men have rattles wound round their legs to help the rest of them keep rhythm during their dances.These NS hunter gatherers live in the Xai Xai Hills close to the Namibian border. Their traditional way of life is fast disappearing.
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A Maasai warrior drives his family's cattle to the Sanjan River in northern Tanzania
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A Dassanech man stands on one leg in typical pose while looking after his familys cattle in the Omo Delta, one of the largest inland deltas in the world. The extensive scarification on his chest and shoulders denotes that he has killed an enemy.They practice animal husbandry and fishing as well as agriculture.
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Deep Maasai wells at Loibor Serrit where cattle paths are cut deep into the soil to allow livestock nearer to the source of water. Despite this immense amount of manual labour.Four fit, young men are necessary to bring water to the stock troughs about 30 feet above the water level at the bottom of the hand dug wells.
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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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Two Samburu warriors converse,their long braids of Ochred hair distinguishing them from other members of their society. Samburu warriors are vain and proud,taking great trouble over their appearance. An ostrich feather pompom decorates the top of a spear.
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Dressed in his black goatskin cloak,a Samburu boy puts his bundle of sticks,staves and gum on the roof of his mother's house. He has collected these with other boys from a special type of Commiphora tree during an arduous journey on foot of up to 200 miles. After his circumcision,he will make them into bows,blunt arrows and clubs.
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A Samburu warrior resplendent with long,braided,Ochred hair. The braids at the front have been fashioned in a protruding fringe rather like a sunshade. The cloth on top keeps the braids in place. The round ear ornaments of the warriors are made of ivory. Samburu warriors are vain and proud,taking great trouble over their appearance.
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Ole Senteu Simel,grandson of the famous Maasai Laibon Mbatian (after which the highest peak of Mount Kenya is named),was the most respected laibon of the Maasai until his death in 1986. This photograph was taken three weeks before he died. Maasai Laibons are the soothsayers and clairvoyants of the tribe and control all ceremonial occasions.
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Maasai warriors stride across the golden grass plains at the foot of Ol doinyo Lengai, the Maasais Mountain of God. Ol doinyo Lengai is the only active volcano in the Gregory Rift, an important section of the eastern branch of Africas Great Rift Valley system that stretches from northern Kenya into Northern Tanzania.
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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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Up to a year before his circumcision,a Samburu boy will style his hair in a distinctive 'pudding bowl' shape and often rub charcoal and fat into it.Uncircumcised boys are considered children whatever their age. They have no standing in the tribe and do not belong to an age-set.
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Kenya, Turkana District. An old Turkana man holding his carved wooden stool cum headrest in his right hand.
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The distinctive hair style of this Dassanech man, achieved using a combination of clay, animal fat and ochre, signifies that he has killed a man recently. Much the largest of the tribes in the Omo Valley numbering around 50,000, the Dassanech, also known as the Galeb, Changila or Merille, are Nilotic pastoralists and agriculturalists.
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The day before Samburu boys are circumcised in their lorora,(a purpose-built circumcision encampment),senior elders will bless the sharp instruments of every household,such as pangas and axes,by pouring a little milk over them as they intone a blessing. The instruments must be laid out on the oxhide upon which the boy of each household will be circumcised.
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Tsemay man in colourful clothing at weekly market, Key Afir, Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia, Africa
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An elder of the Karo tribe,a small Omotic tribe related to the Hamar,who live along the banks of the Omo River in southwestern Ethiopia. The Karo are renowned for their elaborate body painting using white chalk,crushed rock and other natural pigments. This man also has a clay hairdo typical of tribal elders. Like most adult males he carries a rifle.
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Two Turkana men in traditional attire relax in the heat of the day under a shady tree. Every man will have a wooden stool,which doubles up as a pillow at night to protect his clay hairdo. Men will never sit on the ground; only women and children are permitted to do so.
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A Samburu youth is carried by his sponsors into his mother's house to rest just after he has been circumcised in the early morning. Boys are not allowed to show any sign of fear or pain. Even the blink of an eyelid is frowned upon. It takes a good circumciser a minute to finish the operation and move quickly on to his next customer.
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Samburu initiates sing during the month after their circumcision. As their wounds heal, their dances become more energetic. Before long, they imitate the dances of the warriors which, hitherto, they have been forbidden to perform.They spend much of their time wandering in the countryside attempting to kill as many birds as they can with a club and four blunt arrows. When a bird is killed, it is sk
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Africa,Kenya,Kajiado District,Ol doinyo Orok. A large gathering of Maasai warriors dance in line as they return from daubing themselves with white clay during an Eunoto ceremony when the warriors become junior elders and thenceforth are permitted to marry.
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A bushman,or San,dances during a sing-song round their campfire. The men have rattles wound round their legs to help the rest of them keep rhythm during their dances.These NS hunter gatherers live in the Xai Xai Hills close to the Namibian border. Their traditional way of life is fast disappearing.
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Young Datoga men jump high in the air during a dance. The Datoga (known to their Maasai neighbours as the Mang'ati and to the Iraqw as Babaraig) live in northern Tanzania and are primarily pastoralists.
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A Samburu warrior drinks blood straight from the fold of skin cut in a goat's neck.During every Samburu ceremony,livestock is slaughtered and meat is roasted over wood fires. Warriors will never eat meat in the presence of married women.
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Africa, Kenya, Narok County, Masai Mara. Masai men and women dancing at their homestead.
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The ritual sponsors and friends of a Samburu initiate make him a bow,blunt arrows and a club from the sticks,staves and gum he collected before he was circumcised. He will use these weapons to kill birds for a month following his circumcision. Initiates are forbidden to carry knives during this time.
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A small band of Bushmen,or San,sing round their campfire. These NS hunter gatherers live in the Xai Xai Hills close to the Namibian border. Their traditional way of life is fast disappearing.
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An old Borana man at Chew Bet in southern Ethiopia. His unbleached cotton wrap and turban are typical of the older generation of his tribe.The pastoral Borana live either side of the southern Ethiopian/northern Kenya border and form a large and important group of the Oromo-speaking cluster of tribes.
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A man and wife of a San community dance during a sing-song round their campfire. The men have rattles wound round their legs to help the rest of them keep rhythm during their dances.These NS hunter gatherers live in the Xai Xai Hills close to the Namibian border. Their traditional way of life is fast disappearing.
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A Dassanech girl leaning against a bale of cattle fodder on a raised platform is silhouetted against the evening sky at a settlement alongside the Omo River. Much the largest of the tribes in the Omo Valley numbering around 50,000,the Dassanech (also known as the Galeb,Changila or Merille) are Nilotic pastoralists and agriculturalists.
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Two Samburu warrior of Northern Kenya in all their finery. The ostrich pompom on the spear was formerly a sign of peace.
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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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A Dassanech man shows off his distinctive clay hairdo. The central pannel consists of tightly packed coils of sisal thread extracted from grain sacks that allow the scalp to breathe underneath the clay. Much the largest of the tribes in the Omo Valley numbering around 50,000,the Dassanech (also known as the Galeb,Changila or Merille) are Nilotic pastoralists and agriculturalists.
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Maasai livestock watering at the seasonal Sanjan River,which rises in the Gol Mountains of northern Tanzania.
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A Dassanech elder wearing a traditional clay hairdo, topped with ostrich feathers. His broad beaded necklace is unusual for its size but his five brass earrings are a common decoration of both men and women.The Dassanech people live in the Omo Delta of southwest Ethiopia, one of the largest inland deltas in the world.
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A Colourful Maasai livestock market near the towering extinct volcano of Kerimasi.
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A Samburu warrior resplendent with long braids of Ochred hair. His round ear ornaments are made of ivory. Samburu warriors are vain and proud,taking great trouble over their appearance. They use ochre extensively; it is a natural earth containing ferric oxide which is mixed with animal fat to the consistency of greasepaint. By tradition,warriors always used to carry two spears.
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A Samburu youth,his head freshly shaved,has milk poured over him from a wooden gourd-like container decorated with green grass prior to his circumcision. Milk and green grass are blessings to these pastoral people and feature in all important ceremonies.
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Warriors of the nomadic Afar tribe carry large curved daggers, known as jile, strapped to their waists.Proud and fiercely independent, they live in the low lying deserts of Eastern Ethiopia.
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A Kereyu man with his fuzzy,well-oiled hair fashioned in a semi-circular shape. He wears unbleached cloth made from local cotton.
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A Dassanech man shows off his distinctive hairdo and ornamentation. Much the largest of the tribes in the Omo Valley numbering around 50,000,the Dassanech (also known as the Galeb,Changila or Merille) are Nilotic pastoralists and agriculturalists.
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Two Maasai men stride through acacia woodlands in their traditional red attire,Masai Mara,Kenya
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The adornments of Samburu warriors change from generation to generation. In the 1990's cheap plastic flowers from China became fashionable. This warrior is wearing several bracelets,which bear the Kenyan coat of arms.
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Face painting with a mixture of clay, oils and plant pigments, Hamer Jumping of the Bulls initiation ceremony, Turmi, Lower Omo valley, Ethiopia, Africa
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Samburu moran (warrior) tries the feel of a shotgun at the end of a bird shooting safari.
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Maasai warriors take enormous trouble over their appearance especially their long hair,which is braided,Ochred and decorated with beaded ornaments. This singular hairstyle sets them apart from the rest of their community.
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A young Samburu herdsman drives goats towards a Waterhole along the Milgis - a wide,sandy seasonal watercourse which is a lifeline for pastoralists in the low-lying semi-arid region of their district. The hair style of the young man denotes his status as an uncircumcised youth.
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Kenya. Traditionally dressed junior Maasai elders leave their home near the Masai Mara Game Reserve.
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Karo men excel in body art. They decorate their faces and torsos elaborately using local white chalk, pulverised rock and other natural pigments.While young men prefer to braid their hair, older men style their hair with clay, which they colour and decorate with ostrich feathers.The Karo are a small tribe living in three main villages along the lower reaches of the Omo River in southwest Ethiopi
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Scattered bands of Batwa pygmies hunt and fish in the Semliki Forest of Western Uganda,an extension of the vast Ituri rainforest of the Congo DRC. Rarely more than five feet tall,the Batwa are of mixed ancestry,being on average six inches taller than their Bambuti pygmy cousins who live deep inside the Congo rainforests.
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An expert hairstylist smears clay on the crown of a man's head,then fashions it into an elliptical bun before colouring it with natural pigments. The elliptical clay bun,so characteristic of the Turkana,is now dying out.
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A Maasai warrior resplendent with his long ochred braids tied in a pigtail watches over his family's cattle,spear in hand. The singular hairstyle of warriors sets them apart from other members of their society.
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