Turmi, where the Hamer meet in the Omo Valley
The Omo Valley was made notorious after a renowned photographer, Hans Sylvester, portrayed the region’s tribal people, in powerful yet simple natural portraits. The colorful body painting and festival decorations of the people of the Omo Valley have beautifully exposed through the work of Hans and other popular photographers who went to the region, including Sebastiao Salgado.
Haroldo and I don’t intend on doing a similar portrayal of these tribes. They spent months in the region, investing time in villages that have had little contact with the outside world. But the Monday market in Turmi – one of our stops – should serve as a small teaser for those who want to get to know the Hamer tribe, one of the many in the Omo Valley.
The market does not begin early, when it is still cool, as most would imagine. It is already around 10 in the morning by the time people from the surrounding villages can make the long walk to Turmi’s main square. The market only really heats up, around noon, when the sun is at its strongest. The Hamer are pastoralists and gathers. As such, their main products for sale at the market are milk, butter, honey, and firewood. Those who plant tobacco bring the dried leaves. With the money obtained, they buy grains – mainly sorghum- coffee, and salt.
The market happens in the main square of the small Turmi village. Any shade is welcome.
During some four hours Haroldo and I look for some faces that could best represent the Hamer. One tradition that is still common in the tribe is using a red past in their hair and neck. This paste is made from raw butter (remember they are pastoralists) and ground red rock. A pop-quiz for those who have been following the blog: In which other country – and tribe – have we seen the very same practice?
Below are some of the photos we took during the market. You’ll get a good feel for how they are and you might agree with our guide – a young Hamer man learning to speak English – that confessed, “when I finish my studies I will marry a Hamer girl, they are very beautiful”. The last photo is of a man who has his body painted ceremonially. He is a relative of the young man that would be jumping the bulls – a notorious rite of passage of the Hamer – later that afternoon. But we will save those photos and the story for another day….
