- Place of residence: Omo Valley, Mago National Park
- Number of the tribe: 7,500.
- Language: Mursi
- Religion: animism
- Related peoples: Anouac, Niloths
In one of the hard-to-reach places of Ethiopia , in the middle of the Mago National Park , one of the most popular nationalities of the Omo valley is the Mursi tribe. Many tourists are attracted here by the opportunity to make unique photos and videos with women of the Mursi tribe who decorate their faces with plates.
In one of the hard-to-reach places of Ethiopia , in the middle of the Mago National Park , one of the most popular nationalities of the Omo valley is the Mursi tribe. Many tourists are attracted here by the opportunity to make unique photos and videos with women of the Mursi tribe who decorate their faces with plates.
This popularity does not benefit the residents of the Mursi tribe in Africa. In order to protect themselves from sometimes too intrusive attention of visitors, Mursi becomes aggressive and spiteful. When tourists arrive, the members of the tribe put on their best clothes, and for the opportunity to take a picture with them they take a lot of money from the guests. At the same time most of the Mursi men have Kalashnikov assault rifles, so no one refuses to pay them. Begging to beg even the children of the tribe.
Lifestyle of the Mursi tribe
Leadership of the whole tribe is the council of elders - barra - consisting of men. In the case of a poor crop or a disease of cattle, the barra determines where and when the tribe should migrate. If a crime is committed by one of the members of the tribe, then the head of the clan identifies with the help of a spear. Everything happens as follows: a spear lies on the ground, and all the men of the family must step through it in turn. So they prove their innocence. But Mursi is sure: if the one who committed the offense, also crosses through the spear, then it awaits a terrible death within a week.
All men of the Ethiopian Mursi tribe, depending on their age, are divided into several groups:
- dongo - young boys;
- terra - middle-aged men;
- rorro - veterans, helping to maintain order in the tribe;
- barra - members of the council of elders.
The basis of Mursi people's beliefs is the combination of pagan rituals with the cult of death. There is an oracle in the tribe that predicts the future of the stars. She is also a doctor, using her fellow tribesmen herbs, conspiracies, and magical passages of hands.
The strength of each member of the African tribe Mursi is the number of goats and cows. Every man who wishes to marry a girl of a tribe must give it to his parents in the form of a ransom of 30 or more heads of cattle.
Traditions of women Mursi
The standard of beauty of the bride girl is the presence of a special disc-plate in her lower lip. A girl who has reached 12-13 years old, make an incision on the lower lip and insert a small wooden washer into it. The same incisions are made in the ears. Gradually, the size of the puck is increased, as a result of which the lips and lobes of the girl's ears are stretched. Later, instead of a disk, a clay saucer "deby" is inserted into the lip. To attach it, the girl is removed two or four lower teeth. The size of this plate is judged on the amount of ransom for the bride.
Women of the Mursi tribe in Ethiopia perform the hardest work:
- construction of houses and their maintenance;
- care for children;
- Cooking;
- delivery of water from a river or other nearby source.
Scarification is a traditional decoration for Mursi
The customs and traditions of the Mursi tribe are very peculiar. So, a common decoration in them is considered to be scars on the body. In men, such a tattoo is made on the left shoulder, which indicates that the young man reached a certain age and became a real warrior.
Women are more often decorated with such scars belly and chest. To create such intricate patterns, cuts on the body are first made, they are sprinkled with ashes or inhabited by insect larvae. These infected wounds first fester, and then the immune system of the human body begins to fight infections and wins. As a result of such peculiar vaccinations , bulging scars remain on the body - an object of special pride among members of the Mursi tribe.
Local sport - fighting on sticks
In such entertainments young men and young men take part. In the course of competitions on sticks called "dongo", they prove their courage, strength and agility. Prepare for the holiday of a man for several weeks. To do this, even observe a special diet, based on milk and blood of cows. Assassination of an opponent is not allowed. The last man who has stood on his feet receives the honorary title of the most powerful warrior.