Omo Valley

The southern Omo Valley is an area located in African Great Rift Valley of the southern Ethiopia. The area is undoubtedly one of the most unique places on earth because of the wide variety of people and animals that inhabit. The 16 different ethnic groups that lives in Omo Valley is believed to be among the fascinating on the African continent and our planet. Its estimated that over 300,000 tribal people call the Omo Valley home. In this isolated corner of the world, these tribes have lived for centuries developing their own distinct and rich customs.

They are namely known as Arbore, Ari, Banna/Bena, Bodi, Bume/Gnagatom, Dassanech/Geleb, Dorze, Hammer, Kara/Karo, Konso, Mursi, Kuwegu/Muguji, Suri/Surma, Tsemay, Turkana.

 These people have lived there for centuries with a simple life, hunting, bee keeping, raising cattle’s as well as practicing flood treat cultivation using the famous Omo river (which is a primary source of life for entire Omo Valley people) growing: Sorghum, Maize, Millet as well as Tobacco.

And each of these dozen tribes has different culture, way of life, body markings, clothing, hairstyles, beliefs are unique to one another. Such as like, both the Hammer and Banna with their Bull Jumping ceremony, the Kara/Karo with body painting, the Mursi with lip cut, the Bume with body scarification, the Dorze with their Bee-hive shaped Bamboo House, the Konso with terracing agricultural practice and so on…