We visited and stayed over night at the village of the Hamar tribe. The Hamar are known for their unique custom of “bull jumping”, which initiates a boy into manhood. First, female relatives dance and invite whipping from men who have recently been initiated; this shows their support of the initiation, and their scars give them a right to demand his help in time of need. The boy must run back and forth twice across the backs of a row of bulls or castrated steers, and is ridiculed if he fails.
Again the local inhabitants were eager, but a little less aggressive, since we were staying over night, to get their picture taken for 20 cents. By staying over I guess their windows of opportunity was larger, and they didn’t have to be as aggressive or desperate as the Mursi tribe, whom we only visited for two hours.
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