Whip scars on the back of a Hamer woman - Ethiopia

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Uploaded:: Mar 14, 2010
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Original date:: Oct 27, 2008

Whip scars on the back of a Hamer woman - Ethiopia — Fotopedia

The Cow Jumping is an initiation rite of passage for boys coming of age in Hamer tribe. Cows are lined up in a row. The initiate with naked body has to leap on the back of the first cow, then from one bull to the next, until he reaches the end of the row. He must do this 4 times to have the right to become a husband. While the boys walk on cows, Hamer women jump , sing and to show their courage, they ask to be whipped to blood by the men. The more scars a Hamer woman has on her back, the higher her status.

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Wikipedia Article

Hamer people — See encyclopedia photos

The Hamer (also spelled Hamar) are a tribal people in southwestern Ethiopia. They live in Hamer Bena woreda (or district), a fertile part of the Omo River valley, in the Debub Omo Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region (SNNPR). They are largely pastoralists, so their culture places a high value on cattle.

The Assistant Administrator of Hamer Bena, Ato Imnet Gashab, has commented that only six tribal members have ever completed secondary education.

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