The day we spent with the Hamar Tribe made me feel quite disconnected from the world we are used to live in. READ MORE BELOW.
A visit to this community can be a surreal, out of this world experience: this time, we were surrounded by hundreds of people who were celebrating the bull-jumping ceremony, one of the most impressive cultural happenings we witnessed in Africa. It’s a day attended by local men, called the Maza, who have recently come of age and are ready to be married. They have jumped the cows on a previous ceremony and are now all sitting together, drinking and waiting for the next future-maza-boy to jump the cows too, later in the afternoon.
As the men gathered, women were dancing and singing, hitting their feet on the sand. Later on, those same women would be asking these men to be whipped (over and over again), as a sign of love and loyalty towards their male relatives.
It was disconcerting, fascinating, electric, anguishing. Our feelings were all over the place. And this is what a journey in Ethiopia is like: always intense only because observing these people practising such unique traditions can be deeply disturbing and yet, able to make you question your perspective on humanity.
Certain images and frames stayed imprinted in our sensorial memory. The sunset, for once, was unbelievable: it was a fireball falling in the sky, tangled in particles of golden dust and beige sand. Also, the view from the top of the hill was spectacular: we were surrounded by an orange light and it was painting the endless acacia trees that spread across the hills and plains in front of us.
Throughout the day, our interaction with the young Hamar was friendly and not intrusive. They were curious with our cameras, not so much with us. A young girl grabbed our hands and with her index finger followed the line of our veins, fascinated with the colours in our skin. But it never went beyond that. And so we found ourselves at ease to take pictures, quietly standing close by.
The hours passed, and we could observe the life around, camera resting on our laps. One of the most striking feelings one gets when spending time with these people is the sense of Community: they always do things together. They stand close, they sit in groups, they chat in circles, they follow each other anywhere. Bonds are strong within the Hamar communities and no one is left in loneliness. It’s so strikingly different from the way we live and act in the western world. Undeniably, in here, there was a lot to be inspired from.
We know that for this tribe, this was just a ceremonial ritual, and we were clearly seen as visitors. For us, however it was one day to remember, our eyes constantly glued to the people’s adornments, and the bright contrast on their dark skin. We felt so humbled to be part of this moment and take these pictures.
On again, Africa was giving us a gift: the people, the landscape and the light, matched perfectly together at the same time. The experience, however, took our thoughts far into our species beginnings, making us more aware of our own existence.
All pictures published were taken and belong to LovingJune Travels.
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