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The Ethiopian Tribes & Culture of the Lower Omo Valley
GeoEx invited photographer Mariska van den Brink to accompany our Ethiopia: The Island of Africa trip for its visit to tribal lands in the country’s Lower Omo region. We had noticed that taking photos had become a challenging issue in the area. So intent on getting the best photos to commemorate this special experience, travelers often ended up focusing on the photos rather than on engaging with the local people. Conversely, the local people had begun to regard this interaction more as an opportunity to solicit money rather than as a chance for genuine intercultural exchange. To alleviate the resulting tensions, we welcomed Mariska along so that our guests could engage completely with the tribes and still have their interaction captured photographically, thus creating a more meaningful experience for both the guests and the locals. This was wildly successful, and the results—both human and photographic—were beautiful, as these images attest. We are happy to offer the addition of an accompanying photographer as an option on all of our trips!
The Journey Along the Lower Omo River
GeoEx travelers on the Lower Omo River.
Boat expedition along the Lower Omo River.
The tribes’ cattle on the shore of the Lower Omo River.
Arriving on the banks of the Lower Omo River.
Meeting & Dancing with the Kara Tribe
Walking with the Kara tribe.
Kara tribe dancing in the afternoon sun.
Connecting with dance, body language and, of course, laughter!
Kara man in full body paint.
Kara women during body painting ceremony.
Kara man during body painting ceremony.
Kara women during body painting ceremony.
Dancing into the evening with the Kara tribe.
Engaging with the Mursi Tribe
The journey continues onward to the next tribe visit.
Meeting the Mursi tribe.
Learning how to grind flour from the Mursi tribe.
Mursi woman preparing dough.
Mursi woman preparing dough.
Woman from the Mursi tribe preparing greens.
Mursi woman cooking.
Traditional lip plates of the Mursi tribe.
Mursi woman crafting a traditional lip plate.
Mursi woman with traditional lip plate.
Mursi woman with traditional lip plate.
Mursi tribesmen.
The Welcoming Hamar Tribe
Women and children of the Hamar tribe.
Children of the Hamar tribe.
Woman from the Hamar tribe.
Meeting the Nyangatom Tribe
Greeting the Nyangatom people.
Greeting the Nyangatom people.
Nyangatom woman and children standing among their woven twig huts.
Comparing necklaces with the Nyangatom women.
Exploring with the Nyangatom children.
Bloodletting ceremony with the Nyangatom.
Bloodletting ceremony with the Nyangatom.
Child with the tribe cattle.
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To explore the options for your own Ethiopia adventure with GeoEx, give one of our trip designers a call at 888-570-7108.
