Sinclair's birthday drinks, Omo Eco Resort, Jinka, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014
Butterfly #1, Omo Eco Resort, Jinka, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014
Frangipani, Jinka Eco Resort, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014 (1)
Safari tents, Jinka Eco Resort, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014
Sentry at Pill Box, Jinka Eco Resort, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014
Picnic, Mago National Park, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014
Colobus monkeys, Mago National Park, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014
Colobus monkey, Mago National Park, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014
Mursi Tribe panorama, Mago National Park, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014
Mursi Tribe woman grinding corn, Mago National Park, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014
Mursi Tribe hut, Mago National Park, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014
Mursi Tribe village, Mago National Park, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014
Woman #2 from Mursi Tribe, Mago National Park, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014
Woman from Mursi Tribe, Mago National Park, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014
Bird, Mago National Park, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014
Vultures, Mago National Park, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014
Baboons, Mago National Park, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014
After yesterday being a late finish we had a somewhat slower start today with “heading off” time being 8.30 am. We had a 70km drive up and down steep hills on a very rough and dusty road to an area comprising the Mago National Park. On the way we photographed baboons and bush-bucks plus a number of birds. We finally arrived at a tribal village belonging to the Mursi Tribe.
The people are famous within the Omo Valley region for their piercing and progressive enlargement of the women’s lower lip to hold a (usually) circular clay disc some of which were the size of large saucers. The supposed story behind this extraordinary custom relates to the slave trade three or so centuries ago when ugly women were not seen as desirable as potential slaves. To increase their ugliness some women would progressively stretch their lower lip. This custom has taken an unexpected turn as today, this self-inflicted deformity is seen as a sign of extreme beauty and even young girls wish to participate in the practice.
Some of the Mursi women no longer get involved but because the clay plates are quite heavy they remove them when they’re going about their everyday tasks. This leaves a thick black rubbery extension hanging on their chin which believe me is most definitely unattractive. The large clay discs are best inserted with the two middle lower front teeth removed. We’re not sure who or how they pull these teeth out!
In addition to the lower lip, many women and girls also enlarge both of their lower ear lobes and insert objects like sections of cow horns or other circular objects. Many photos were taken and the usual price was 5 birrs for adult photos and 2 or 3 for children. We were pestered relentlessly by the Mursi women for us to photograph them. Not many men were on site as most would have been out in the adjacent regions attending their herds of cattle. Some men who were there to greet us were adorned with colourful head bands and body painting. Many don’t wear any clothing at all. A custom amongst men that is now forbidden is stick fighting where two metre long sticks are used somewhat like swords to render your opponent injured or dead! Youths were sighted carrying these duelling sticks but they are not used now so we’re told.
After leaving the Mursi Village we drove through a section of the Mago National park to where we had a picnic lunch in a secluded and shady area next to a small river. In the National Park the only wildlife we saw apart from lots of birds were dik-diks (a tiny antelope), bush-bucks and a family of black and white colobus monkeys that we managed to approach sufficiently to take photographs before they scurried off through the tree-tops. On the track into the river we saw several piles of large animal droppings that Bini assured us were from elephants but unfortunately, none was sighted but there’s always tomorrow!
We then returned to the Jinka Resort and once more had cold showers before preparing to join in on celebrations for Sinclair’s birthday.