Ethiopia is a museum of peoples, a rich and varied mix
of ethnicities with 83 different languages and over 200 dialects. But even in
this crowded cultural mosaic, the tribal diversity of the Omo River Basin is
unparalleled: the Hamar, the Konso, the Borana, the Bumi, the Surma, the Anuak,
the Nuer and the Bodi all belong to the world of ‘primitive’ Africa. Some like
the Morsi – the subject of recent documentaries – have grown rapacious after
contact with outsiders. Others like the Karo, who number only about 1,000
souls, may be heading for extinction. A few have never seen a white face. Most
are cattle people or pastoralists who maintain huge herds of pale, long-horned
cows, too precious to be butchered for food. They lack almost any form of
material culture beyond personal adornment, yet they inhabit a richly symbolic
universe.
Stanley Stewart (to
be continued)
photo: Janin
