Sunday 17 August 2014

HAMAS TRIBE OF ETHIOPIA.

There is a tribe in Africa that practice tradition and culture that are very unique but extreme. They are the Hamer tribe of Southern Ethiopia. Bull jumping; the traditional rite passage for men coming of age is a huge ceremony in Hamer. Seven (7) to ten(10) castrated bulls are lined up and each man must jump over each bull four(4) times completely nude without falling. When he has successfully completed the jumping, the man now is eligible to join the ranks of the Maza.
During this ceremony, the women come out in their numbers to witness the bull jumping, blowing their horns, calling on the men to whip them on their bare buttered backs. In all honesty, i believe in keeping traditions and cultures alive but this is quite hard to accept. Surprisingly, these women even fight over who will be whipped first, who can endure the pain and who will be the strongest bride for the bull jumpers. They believe that the scars from the whipping are a symbol of devotion to the men.
Well, what more can I say, other than, this is Africa with its people, culture and places.

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