The Hamer and Benna tribes in Ethiopia’s Omo Valley have a traditional Bull jumping ceremony

The Benna tribe (also spelt as Banna /Bena / Bana) live near Key Afer and are one of the unique tribes of the Omo Valley, Ethiopia. The boys of the Benna tribe have a coming of age ceremony which is called a bull jumping ceremony. The Hamer tribe in the Omo Valley also celebrate boys becoming men with this same traditional bull jumping ceremony.

Most tourists that have seen a bull jumping ceremony in the Omo Valley have watched it with the Hamer tribe. However for this trip on my private Omo Valley photo tour my client and I had the honour of sharing this symbolic and historic cultural event with the Benna tribe. In the wilderness of the Omo Valley it was a wonderful experience on my Africa photo tour and a great day for my client to experience with this tribe in Ethiopia.

this benna tribe village was close to the town of key afer

I’ve been fortunate to have experienced bull jumping ceremonies with both the Hamer tribe and Benna tribe. The Hamer tribe ceremonies often attract more tourists, so unless the location is far away from Turmi (where most tourists are based) then I prefer not to attend. I always prefer to visit more remote places and be away from as many other tourists as possible if possible. Although when you are in the Omo Valley you just have to see what events are happening with the tribes when you are there. Some group tours and tourists that visit the Omo Valley have no etiquette and show little or no respect and I find it hard to watch and witness. However for my client on this trip to experience this traditional cultural event with the Benna tribe was a crazy, but great day and honour. When we arrived to this bull jumping ceremony we were relieved that we were the only tourists.

ALLOW FLEXIBILITY WITH YOUR ITINERARY WHEN TRAVELLING IN THE Omo Valley TO MAKE THE MOST OF OPPORTUNITIES

My most recent experience was with the Benna tribe on my private Africa photography tour. This Omo Valley photo tour was all about cultural photography and tribal photography, so we were fortunate to hear the news of this remote village having a bull jumping. The village was a 20 minute walk from the road not too far from Key After. We were the only tourists for the majority of the day. However later one small group of tourists did come, but it was absolutely awesome having that time by ourselves initially and lovely to only have a few tourists at this ceremony. There were so few tourists that we hardly saw them amongst the celebrations.

THE OMO TRIBES IN ETHIOPIA HAVE ANCIENT TRADITIONS, CELEBRATIONS AND CEREMONIES

Bull jumping days are very loud and chaotic. Sounds from the bells on the women’s ankles and clothing is constant, as is the horns being blowed by the women dancing and wanting to to be whipped. There is lots of homemade alcohol consumed and yelling amongst the tribe. Things can get heated especially amongst the women when they want more whipping sticks!

The women dancing and wanting to be whipped took my arm and gestured me to join them. Not wanting to be disrespectful and show we wanted to share this experience and not just photograph it I joined in. You’ll see the shaky footage of me jumping with them in the video below. My guest on her private tour - the talented Australian photographer Karen Waller also joined in. Always respectful of the people we met and opportunities we had.

THE TRIBAL WOMEN WANT TO BE WHIPPED AT A BULL JUMPING CEREMONY

The women who want to be whipped blow horns and chant at the Maza (men who can whip them). The men can only whip a women if they give them a stick. The Benna tribe whipping was not as harsh as i’ve previously seen in a Hamer bull jumping ceremony. The women also were not as aggressive and demanding to the Maza as I’d seen previously.

The women then take pride in the scars they obtain on their backs. Due to their pain and devotion to the boys on their ceremony the boys then must protect them in return. The boys mothers do not participate in the whipping.

Some women fight because they want to be whipped more…the more sticks they have the more sticks they can give which means the more they get whipped. You can tell by the look on some of the mens faces that they do not want to be whipping the girls/women, but the women demand it and it is expected. When we experience these ceremonies as outsiders we are not there to judge. We are there to learn and to get a better understanding of their traditions and cultures.

THERE ARE DIFFERENT ROLES FOR THE MALES AND FEMALES AT A BULL JUMPING CEREMONY

While the women are dancing, chanting and being whipped all of the Maza continue to get ready. The Maza are the men (and in this village boys) that have had their bull jumping ceremonies and are not yet married. The Maza can choose their wife at anytime after their bull jumping ceremony, but they don’t get married until they are older.

When the younger girls are wanting to be whipped the younger boys of a similar age are the Maza that whip them. The boys below will only whip girls their age and older that want to be whipped.

You can see how young these boys are in the photo above. They have already officially had their “coming of age” ceremony and are now “Maza” and can choose their wife at anytime. However they don’t get married until they are older. Their fathers decide what age they get married.

There are government rules in place to try to protect the women from these traditions, so they must wear ti-shirts to limit the impact the whipping has on their backs. However you can see from a few of the women in the photo above that while they wear t-shirts they tie them up high and usually there is no T-shirt material on their backs. They want the scars. They want to be whipped.

BE RESPECTFUL AND JOIN IN ONLY WHEN APPROPRIATE AND WELCOMED

A couple of the men at the bull jumping ceremony had cheeky smiles on their faces and asked if they could put face paint on me. Whilst I am mindful of their traditions I also think that when you are honoured with sharing these events that immersing yourself in the day is respectful. I could see their smiles on their faces and that they wanted to and so I agreed. I would not ask to join in any of these symbolic moments, but when they are offering I think it can definitely add to the fun and experience of the day. There is not a right or wrong when it comes to participating in these ceremonial days in tribal villages. With every day, every village and every opportunity with the Ethiopian tribes you just need to make sure you are mindful and respectful of what you are doing and any impacts. A good guide and ground team that has mutual respect is really important too.

While anyone that knows me knows that I usually hate selfies…when I’m travelling I do like to capture moments to remember and take the odd selfies on tour! This bull jumping day and evening on my Omo Valley photo tour was such an adrenaline filled day I wanted some selfies so I never could forget our day and smiles.

I love that our loved driver and chef came and joined the events of the day with us. We all had so much fun and being such a unique bull jumping event with its location and being with the Benna tribe it really was so wonderful.

This ceremonial day lasted for many hours. The boys were involved in symbolic traditions and were guided by the men throughout the day.

AS THE DAY UNFOLDS IT GETS CLOSER TO THE BULL JUMPING FOR THE TWO YOUNG BOYS WHO ARE “COMING OF AGE”

After hours of ceremonial proceedings and chaos, the two boys who are having their bull jumping ceremony (in photo below) are moved to a clearing and then the Benna tribe men sing and dance. They even did a special and extremely memorable dance for my private guest. It’s one dance I am sure she will never forget! They certainly have a good sense of humour and whilst times in the bull jumping ceremony are very serious other times are full of jokes and laughter.

WHEN TRAVELLING IN REMOTE AFRICAN AREAS THINGS HAPPEN IN “AFRICAN TIME”

Like many things in Africa time gets lost and things always happen much later than expected - which is why being flexible with your itinerary is so important. The bull jumping was planned for mid-afternoon. However the sun was starting to set and still we couldn't see any bulls. All of a sudden we were following the tribe at a super speedy pace through the bushland and we got back to our car and drove to another location while the rest of the village ran there. Under the light of the full moon (although it was still super dark!!) the cows were lined up and the boys jumped their backs four times each.

They were now welcomed into manhood. They will now become a Maza at the following bull jumping ceremonies as they have completed this rite of passage. The celebrations were going to continue throughout the night and the next day, but after the bull jumping and several hours of throughly enjoying this cultural chaos and adrenaline we drove to our next hotel.

You can see more photos from this bull jumping in Africa in the video below.

Interested in joining me on an African adventure? Click the link below to express your interest.