Hamar

The Hamar people live among the bush-covered hills on the eastern side of the Omo Valley. They are a tribe with unique rituals, such as a cattle-leaping ceremony that men go through in order to reach adulthood, whereupon young Hamar women get whipped to prove their love for their kinsmen.

The 15,000 to 20,000 members of the Hamar make their living as successful cattle herders and farmers. The land isn’t owned by individuals; it’s free for cultivation and grazing, just as fruit and berries are free for whomever collects them. The Hamar move on when the land is exhausted or overwhelmed by weeds.

There is a division of labour in terms of sex and age. The women and girls grow crops. They are also responsible for collecting water, doing the cooking and looking after the children – who start helping the family by herding the goats from around the age of eight. The young men of the village work the crops, defend the herds or go off raiding for livestock from other tribes, while adult men herd the cattle, plough with oxen and raise beehives in acacia trees. Sometimes, for a task like making a new roof or getting the harvest in, a woman will invite her neighbours to join her in a work party in return for beer or a meal of goat, specially slaughtered to feed them.