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Dassanech men dressed in ceremonial regalia with long sticks participate in a Dimi dance, Ethiopia
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Surma boy with body paintings, Kibish, Omo River Valley, Ethiopia, Africa
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Young Maasai girls decorate their faces with ochre and clay in preparation for a dance.
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Dassanech men and their wives dressed in ceremonial Dimi regalia participate in a dance, Ethiopia
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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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A young Maasai girl wearing a wooden plug in her pierced ear to elongate the earlobe. It has been a tradition of the Maasai for both men and women to pierce their ears and elongate their lobes for decorative purposes. Her two lower incisors have been removed - a common practice that may have resulted from an outbreak of lockjaw a long time ago.
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During an eunoto ceremony when Maasai warriors become junior elders,their heads are shaved and they daub themselves with white clay.
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Dassanech men dressed in ceremonial regalia at sunset after participating in a Dimi dance, Ethiopia
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A back view of a Maasai warrior resplendent with long ochred braids tied in a pigtail. This singular hairstyle sets him apart from other members of his society. His beaded belt is of a style only worn by warriors. The little copper bell-shaped ear ornament hanging from his elongated and decorated earlobe is also peculiar to the Maasai.
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Kenya,Kajiado,Maparasha. A Maasai warrior resplendent with long,ochred braids. This singular form of hairstyle distinguishes warriors from the rest of their society. This man has looped his elongated and decorated earlobes over his ears - a common practice when walking through thorn scrub country to prevent the loops being snagged by thorns.
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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 young Maasai girl keeps the holes in her pierced ears from closing with grass and rolled leaves. She will gradually stretch her earlobes by inserting progressively larger wooden plugs. By tradition,both Maasai men and women pierce and elongate their earlobes for decorative purposes.
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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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A Maasai warrior has daubed himself with red ochre mixed with animal fat to participate in a dance. His long ochred braids have been drawn forward from the crown of the head and tied in three places. This singular hairstyle sets warriors apart from the rest of their society.
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A Maasai warrior,his face and body decorated with red ochre and clay,wears an ostrich feather headdress. This singular adornment was once worn by warriors going into battle and was likely designed to frighten an enemy.
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Young Samburu girls dance during a wedding celebration. By arching their backs and thrusting out their chests,they flick their beaded necklaces up and down while dancing silently to the songs of the warriors. Their bodies and necklaces have been smeared with red ochre.
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A young Maasai girl wears a headband decorated with chains and cowrie shells that signifies her recent circumcision. Clitodectomy was commonly practiced by the Maasai but it is now gradually dying out.
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A Maasai warrior with his long braids and body coated with red ochre mixed with animal fat. He has put ochre dust round his eyes to enhance his appearance ready for a dance. The singular hairstyles of Maasai warriors sets them apart from other members of their society.
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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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A Mursi woman wearing a large wooden lip plate. Shortly before marriage, a girls lower lip will be pierced and progressively stretched over a year or so. The size of the lip plate often determines the quantum of the bride price. They live in a remote area of southwest Ethiopia along the Omo River.
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A Maasai warrior resplendent with long ochred braids tied in a pigtail at the back,puts red ochre on his friend's plaits. Red ochre is anatural earth,which is mixed with animal fat to the consistency of greasepaint.
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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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Karo men with body painting, made from mixing animal pigments with clay, at dancing performance, Kolcho village, Lower Omo valley, Ethiopia, Africa
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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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Dorze boys with body painting on stilts, Chencha mountains, Ethiopia, Africa
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Portrait of Nani, Kara Tribe, Duse Village, Omo Valley, Ethiopia, Africa
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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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A portrait of a Dassanech man dressed in ceremonial Dimi regalia, Ethiopia
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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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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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A Maasai warrior resplendent with long ochred braids. His body has been smeared with red ochre mixed with animal fat while parts of his face have been covered with ochre powder.
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Kenya,Trans-Mara,Lolgorien. The Maasai do not eat game meat or birds. Consequently,the wildlife in their vast grazing areas has been left relatively undisturbed. The warriors do hunt lions,however,when their cattle are killed. The warrior who spears a lion to death will make a busby-style headdress from its mane.
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A young Maasai girl in all her finery pauses at the entrance to her mother's home. The wall and roof of the house are plastered with a mixture of cow dung and soil.
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Before the Donga stick fight, the Surma warriors apply a body paint made of clay and mineral on their bodies, Surma tribe, Tulgit, Omo River Valley, Ethiopia, Africa
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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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Kenya, Marsabit County, Lasien. A Samburu girl in all her finery. She has neat body scarification as a sign of beauty.
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Dassanech men dressed in ceremonial Dimi regalia march in single file to dance, Ethiopia
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A young Maasai girl wears face paint and numerous beaded ornaments in preparation for a dance with warriors.
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Samburu girls paint each others faces with abstract designs in readiness for a dance. Already,their necks and beaded necklaces have been coated with red ochre. Only girls and warriors decorate their faces; the orange powder they use is called blue.
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A young Samburu girl dances during a wedding celebration. By arching her back and thrusting out her chest,she flicks her beaded necklaces up and down while dancing silently to the songs of the warriors. Her body and necklace have been smeared with red ochre,and her eyebrows blackened with charcoal dust mixed with animal fat.
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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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Maasai warriors draw water from a deep well. The depth of wells is measured by the number of men required to bring water to the cattle troughs at the top of them. A three-man well will be about 24 feet deep since the buckets are thrown between the men in a rhythmic chant.
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Africa,Kenya,Kajiado District,Ol doinyo Orok. A large gathering of Maasai warriors daub themselves with white clay during an Eunoto ceremony when the warriors become junior elders and thenceforth are permitted to marry.
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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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Karo man with body painting, made from mixing animal pigments with clay, at dancing performance, Kolcho village, Lower Omo valley, Ethiopia, Africa
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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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Hamer man, Hamer Jumping of the Bulls initiation ceremony,Turmi, Lower Omo valley, Ethiopia, Africa
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Dassanech men and their wives dressed in ceremonial regalia participate in a Dimi dance, Ethiopia
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Maasai girls in all their finery and with bells tied round their legs wait at the entrance to a house before dancing with warriors.
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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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Africa,Kenya,Kajiado District,Ol doinyo Orok. A large gathering of Maasai warriors being blessed by women who sprinkle milk on them from gourds during an Eunoto ceremony when the warriors become junior elders and thenceforth are permitted to marry.
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A Mursi woman wearing a large clay lip plate. Shortly before marriage, a girls lower lip will be pierced and progressively stretched over a year or so. The size of the lip plate often determines the quantum of the bride price. They live in a remote area of southwest Ethiopia along the Omo River, the country's largest river.
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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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Shaded from the hot sun, a Karo woman grinds sorghum using large flat stones.It is customary for females of the tribe when in their teens to make a small hole in the flesh below their lower lips into which they put an ornament, this woman has used a small nail. Numerous heavy metal bracelets are worn by married womenThe Karo are a small tribe living in three main villages along the lower reaches o
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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. Older men often wear clay hairdos but braided hairstyles are typical of the younger generation.
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One of the most important Maasai ceremonies is the eunoto when warriors become junior elders. Early one morning before the cattle are taken to pasture,their mothers shave their long ochred locks,which makes their appearance very different. One initiate can be seen blowing a Kudu horn trumpet.
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A Hamar man in a mix of traditional and modern dress.The Hamar are semi nomadic pastoralists who live in harsh country around the Hamar Mountains of Southwest Ethiopia.Their whole way of life is based on the needs of their livestock. Cattle are economically and culturally their most important asset.
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Karo man with body painting, made from mixing animal pigments with clay, Kolcho village, Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia, Africa
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Three Karo tribesmen with face and body decoration in chalk, imitating the spotted plumage of the guinea fowl, Omo river, Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia, Africa
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Africa,Kenya,Kajiado District,Ol doinyo Orok. A large gathering of Maasai warriors wait instructions from the elders after 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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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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Karo people with body painting, made from mixing animal pigments with clay, dancing, Kolcho village, Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia, Africa
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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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Chad, Elikeo, Ennedi, Sahara. Two bichrome figures with decorated bodies and headdresses, one carrying a bow.
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A young Karo girl has decorated herself with face paint,an intricate braided hairstyle and layers of beads. 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.
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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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Kolcho village, Karo man with body painting, made from mixing animal pigments with clay, with kalashnikov slung over his shoulder, Lower Omo valley, Ethiopia, Africa
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Karo man with body painting, made from mixing animal pigments with clay, at dancing performance, Kolcho village, 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.
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Karo man with body painting, made from mixing animal pigments with clay, at dancing performance, Kolcho village, Lower Omo valley, Ethiopia, Africa
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The Karo excel in body art. Before dances and ceremonial occasions, they decorate their faces and torsos elaborately using local white chalk, pulverised rock and other natural pigments. Young men like their hair braided in striking styles.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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The Karo excel in body art. Before dances and ceremonial occasions, they decorate their faces and torsos elaborately using local white chalk, pulverised rock and other natural pigments. Young men like their hair braided in striking styles.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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Karo men excel in body art. They decorate their faces and torsos elaborately using local white chalk, pulverised rock and other natural pigments. Braided hairstyles are typical of the young men.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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The Karo excel in body art. Before dances and ceremonial occasions, they decorate their faces and torsos elaborately using local white chalk, pulverised rock and other natural pigments. Young men like their hair braided in striking styles.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 Hamar man with an unusual hairstyle decorates a girls face before the start of 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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Nyangatom men decorate themselves with white chalk, pulverised rock or other natural pigments before a dance.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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Africa,Kenya,Kajiado District,Ol doinyo Orok. A large gathering of Maasai warriors dance with raised sticks after 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 Nyangatom girl with unusual body scarification.The Nyangatom are one of the largest tribes and arguably the most warlike people living along the Omo River in Southwest Ethiopia. They form a part of the Ateger speaking people a cluster of seven eastern Nilotic tribes to which the Turkana of Northern Kenya and the Karamajong of Eastern Uganda belong.
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A Mursi woman wearing a large clay lip plate and ear ornaments to match.Shortly before marriage, a girls lower lip will be pierced and progressively stretched over a year or so while some of her teeth will be removed for the plate to fit snugly.The size of the lip plate often determines the quantum of the bride price. The reason for this singular practice is not fully understood but Mursi women
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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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