Chapter Three

Cultural Tourism Resources of Southern Ethiopia

3.1. Culture of the peoples’ in South Omo Valley Villages

South Omo is Ethiopia‟s most culturally and linguistically diverse administrative zone,
supporting 16 different ethnic groups who all loyally keep to their unique traditional costumes,
customs and beliefs. Also in the area is the Lower Omo UNESCO World Heritage Site,
protecting a number of important paleontological sites.

In many respects, this remote region comes across as a kind of living museum. Several of the
tribes place great cultural emphasis on body ornamentation – ranging from the large clay lip
plates worn by the Mursi women, to the more widespread customs of ritual scarification, body
painting and henna-dyed hair.

The Ari: most populous ethnic group in South Omo, the Ari also have the largest territory,
center on the main road to Jinka. They tend to be more westernized than most of their neighbors,
though in rural areas Ari women still wear traditional dress made from banana leaves and hang
beads and bracelets from their arms.

The Hamer : traditional pastoralists who speak one of the Omotic languages unique to South
Omo. The most important event in the Hamer calendar is the bull-jumping ceremony, usually
held over three days between February and April, during which young men jump between the
backs of several bulls lined up in a row. There are also Hamer night dancing which known as
Evangadi.

The Mursi: South Omo‟s most famous ethnic group is the Mursi, whose territory is center on
the Omo and Mago rivers. Mursi women are renowned for the saucer-sized clay lip-plates they
insert into a distended slit between their mouth and lower lip. The size of the plate worn by a
woman will determine how many cattle her husband must pay her family when they marry. The
Mursi, inhabitants of South Omo are remarkable for their body art.
The Tsemai and Arbore: These two affiliated groups both live in the eastern part of South
Omo, having migrated there from Konso two centuries ago, and freely intermarry with their
western neighbor‟s, the Hamer. The Arbore in particular play an important role in facilitating
local trade. The Tsemai are subsistence farmers who practice flood cultivation and keep cattle.

The Karo: Linguistically affiliated to the Hamer, the small Karo group is renowned for its
elaborate body painting, which involves spotting the body with white chalk paint and applying a
rainbow of traditionally made pastes to the face. They live on the east bank of the Omo River.

Besides the Hamer, “bull jumping” is also an important feature of the Karo people while they
call it Pilla. More than other peoples of the omo valley, body painting and scarification
characterize the Karo people.

Surma is a collective name for three ethnic groups (Chai, Timaga, and Baale) mainly living in
Suri woreda, in southwestern Ethiopia. They share many similarities politically, territorially and
culturally, economically but speak different languages (Nilo-Sahara languages family).They are
an agro-pastoral people and inhabit part.
Surma stick fighting or “Donga”: A sport and ritual the suri take seriously is ceremonial fighting
with stick. Each team is comprised of exclusively unmarried men with hope gain respect from
their families and community by proving their bravery. The young men of each villages come to
special Donga site each with a group of young unmarried women “cheerleaders”. As a winner of
a combat from one village has the right to choose one of the cheerleaders from the opposing
village.
Dorze: Belonging to one of the many branches of Omotic peoples of the southwest, Dorze are
famous for huge beehive huts (standing up to 12m high). The huts look fragile but made up of
hard wood poles and can last up to 60 years; they can be easily transported to the new location.
Weaving is a primary profession for a number of Dorze. The Dorze people are also known for
their woven cloth locally called ‟Shema‟. The Dorze are more over known for their colorful
celebration of „Meskel‟.

Chencha: The famous weavers are known by their best woven cotton and it is a place where fine
cotton Shema (cotton Togas), Gabi (thicker Shema) can be bought. So that, there is a colorful
market that displays woven products of Chencha.
Konso: Konso refers to both the land and the people. The town of Konso is the gate way to Omo
valley & beyond. Most of them are pagan societies. The Konso people have a long tradition of
commemorating dead heroes with carved wooden figures known as ‟Waka‟ which literally
means something of the grandfather. Surrounding the villages and fields are sturdy stone walls,
which serve as a defense against straying cattle and flash flooding, as well as against intruders.
Visitors must enter a Konso house on hands & knees, via wooden tunnels. Popular excursion
from Konso is to the village of Gesergio popularly known as „New York‟.

Jinka: located 138km north from Konso, is the nearest town to the Omo and Mago NPs. At
1490m ASL, it feels like a breath of fresh air after travelling in muggy and muddy lowlands.
After a raid in to omo, Jinka can seem like Paris for its standard in addition to services and
facilities.

Ari: they are Omotic people and known for keeping large livestock and produce large amount of
honey, often used for trade. Women wear skirts made from the Enset tree.

Banna: most of them practice agriculture, though their diet is supplemented by hunting. If they
manage to kill buffalo, they decorate themselves with clay and put on a special celebration and
feast for the whole village.

Bumi: they are agro-pastoralists. They are known as war mongers and are at war with almost
every one, particularly the Karo, Hamser and the Surma. The Bumi use scarification for cosmetic
purposes, tribal identification and as indication of prowess in battle.

Dizi: they are sedentary agriculturalists. They also practice terracing on the mountain slopes.

Koygu: they are also known as Muguji. They are known for fishing and for hunting of the hippo,
which they eat. They use both guns and traps for hunting.

The Gurage (: ጉራጌ) are a sematic-speaking ethnic group inhabiting Ethiopia. The Gurage
are mainly Christian members largely of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Muslim.
Settled agriculturalists, the Gurage center their lives on the cultivation of their staple crop, the
Ethiopian, or false, banana (Ensete ventricosum), prized not for its “false” (or inedible) fruit but
for its roots.
A normal Gurage diet consists primarily of kocho, a thick bread made from Ensete, and is
supplemented by cabbage, cheese, butter and grains. Meat is not consumed on a regular basis,
but usually eaten when an animal is sacrificed during a ritual or ceremonial event.

Wolaita people: owned indigenous culture (beliefs, traditions, rituals, civilization) and social
identities that define them and make them distinct from other people in Ethiopia. The people of
Wolayta are known for their more than fifty kings within three dynasties. The kings of Wolaita
got the title Kawo. The people of Wolayta are known for their more than fifty kings within three
dynasties. The kings of Wolaita got the title Kawo. Kawo Tona as a king of the kingdom of
Wolaita

Kawo Tona Gaga was the last and most powerful king of the Kingdom of Wolaita. Tona Gaga
was the 17th Kawo, or king, of the Tigre dynasty, the last independent dynasty of the Wolaita
people. Upon succeeding his grandfather in 1890 he quickly built ties with the Kingdom of
Jimma, a tributary of the Ethiopian Empire, marrying the daughter of Abba Jifar II. However, he
refused to pay tribute to Shewa (unlike his predecessors, who were more of diplomats than
warriors.)

Gamu-Gofa was a province in the southern part of Ethiopia, named after two of the ethnic
groups living within its boundaries, the Gamo and the Gofa. First incorporated into Ethiopia by
Emperor Menelik II in the 1880s], its capital was first at Chencha, then around 1965 the capital
was moved to Arba Minch.

Kambaata people are a Cushitic ethnic group that inhabit the Southern Nations, Nationalities,
and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. They speak the Kambaata language, It was a province of
Ethiopia beginning in the early 15th century through to the mid-17th century; Ethiopian rule was
once again established in the late 19th century under Emperor Menelik II. During this first
period, Kambaata province was largely Christianized. The former province is contained within
the contemporary Kambaata Tembaro Zone of SNNPR. The Kingdom of Kembata was ruled by
long line of its own kings known as Woma. King Dagoye, from the Oyeta clan, was one of the
famous kings known for expanding Kambaata territories. The last independent king of Kambaata
was king (Woma) Delbato Degoye.
Bench people (also known as Gimira) are an Omotic-speaking people indigenous to
southwestern Ethiopia. Bench language is the ancestral language of Bench people and belongs to
the Northern Omotic languages. Bench people are subsistence farmers who
cultivate maize, sorghum, and root crops such as taro and yam as their major staple crops,
though coffee and Ethiopian cardamom are also cultivated as the main cash crops. In some
highland areas, Bench people cultivate barley, wheat, beans, peas and teff.

3.2. Festivals in southern Ethiopia

Fiche Chambalala: This Sidama People New Year festival is selected from 35 cultural heritages
by fulfilling the required criteria on the 10th UNESCO meeting held in Namibia, and inscribed
on December 2, 2015. The colorful festival annually celebrated in the first week of July at
Hawassa,

Gifata Wollaita people’s New Year : "Gifata" is celebrated from the 24th to the 30th of
September, and its meaning is „beginning‟ or „crossing‟. This describes the transition from the
old year to the new, from darkness to light. There is no document that indicates the exact time
when and how the festival started and grew.

Yahode: Hadiya ethnic group’s New Year: Among the Hadiya ethnic group, Yahode Meskela
marks the beginning of the New Year, which is celebrated on September 24. The Yahode (Ole
Ole) dances, mostly performed by young boys, are not danced any other time of the year. The
dances are accompanied by music –mainly led by a flute like traditional instrument
called Gambaabbuya. This flute is a unique item only belonging to the Hadiya.

Mashkaro of the Kaffa People: Kaffa is the place where coffee was believed first discovered by
the goat herder, Kaldi. Kaffa people celebrate their New Year, Mashkaro, on September 22nd
and 23rd. On this day, the Kaffa people give thanks to the Creator. It is an eagerly awaited
celebration as relatives living in different places come together.

Serra Holy Day Celebration in Halaba: Halaba Serra Holy Day is an occasion in which all
Halaba demonstrate their unity, solidarity, and integrity. Sera" which means law, principle, rule
and regulation and in the community all cultural issues and living conditions are guided by this
system.
Since 1996 E.C, the Halaba Serra has been celebrated as a big Cultural Holy Day every two
years at the woreda level in Kulito town and every year at the local and at the beginning of The
Halaba New Year at January or “Wotoota”. The main objective of the Serra Holy Day
celebration is to promote the social, cultural, economic and political developments of the
Nationality.

Dance in Southern Ethiopia

Evangadi: The groups of men in a semicircle sing striking up music where there are no
instruments but only voices. The first moment is all male, they sing, jump, dance as the women
slowly arrive to form the group, the sensual and somewhat promiscuous dance of the night
begins.

3.3. Monuments (obelisks of Tiya)

It is best known for its archaeological site its large stone pillars, many of which bear some form
of decoration. The pillar sites contain large stelae (monuments) of three types anthropomorphic,
phallic, and non-anthropomorphic/non-phallic. Anthropomorphic stelae are those which are
given a human form. Phallic stelae are tall, thin shafts. The final stelae are flat monuments that
take on neither an anthropomorphic nor phallic form, yet still take on the same basic form as the
other megalithic.

The archeological site was designated a World Heritage Site in 1980, due to the unique nature of
these monolithic monuments. The menhir or stelae at the site, "32 of which are engraved with
enigmatic symbols, notably swords," likely mark a large, prehistoric burial complex. A German
ethnographic expedition had visited the site in April 1935, and had found at one hour's journey to
the south of the caravan camp the stone monoliths with sword symbol, which had been seen
earlier by Neuville and Père Azaïs. Surface finds at Tiya contained a selection of Middle Stone
Age tools (MSA) that are technologically similar to tools found at Gademotta and Kulkuletti.
Because of a unique production process that uses what are called “tranchet blows”, Tiya tools
might also belong to the same time span as these other two sites. Additionally, archaeological
excavations at Tiya have yielded tombs. Local residents refer to the stelae as Yegragn Dingay ,
Gragn‟s Stone.

3.4. Archaeological and paleontological sites (Omo valley)

The pre-historic site of the Lower Omo valley is well documented owing to the research
undertaken during the 1930‟s by Professor Camille Aramburg and from 1968 to 1976 by a team
of paleontologists and pre- historians. The discoveries of humanoid fossils in the valley include
jaw bones, quantities of detached teeth and fragments of the australopithecines.

The site has been listed as a world heritage site in 1980. It extends over an area of 165 2km. The
age- old sedimentary deposits are now world renowned for the discovery of many hominid
fossils, that have been of fundamental importance in the study of human evolution. Researched
evidence from the site has established bio-strati graphical, radiometric and magneto-
stratigraphical scales spanning between one and 3.5 million years.

The discoveries of ancient stone tools or achuelian tools in an encampment also offer evidence of
the oldest known technical activities of the pre-historic human beings. Although excavation in
the area was known beginning 1890‟s through Kenya it is after 1966, that the scientific research
has proved the sites‟ significant contribution to the prominent archaeological, geological, paleo-
anthropological and paleo-environmental studies. It also bears exceptional witness to important
developments in the field of cultural development and draws many visitors.

The most important and known sites for Paleo-anthropological study: Shungura (Between3.3-
0.8milion years ago), Usno & Mursi (about 4.1mya), Kibish (younger sediments), formations.
All these formations are found within the lower-Omo in Debub Omo Zone.

The bones found include two partial skulls, four jaws, a leg bone, approximately two hundred
teeth, and several other fossilized parts. Because of the very limited fauna and the few stone
artifacts that were found at the sites when the original Omo remains were discovered, the
provenance and estimated age of the Kibish hominids are uncertain. In 2008, new bone remains
were discovered from Awoke's Hominid Site (AHS).
Omo I Skeleton

Omo Kibish I, or simply Omo I, is the partial skeleton found from Kamoya‟s Hominid Site
(KHS), named after the Kenyan archaeologist who discovered Omo I, Kamoya Kimeu. The
human fossils recovered in the 1960's and in the early 21st century include a skull, several pieces
from the upper limbs and shoulder bones, several bones of the right hand, the lower end of the
right leg, a piece of the left pelvis, fragments of both lower legs and the right foot, and some rib
and vertebrae fragments.

Artifacts with Omo I

Stone and bone artifacts were found in association with Omo I. They included a variety of
vertebrate fossils, dominated by birds and bovids. Nearly 300 pieces of flaked stone were found
in the vicinity, predominantly fine-grained crypto-crystalline silicate rocks, such as jasper,
chalcedony, and chert. The most common artifacts are debris (44%) and flakes and flake
fragments (43%).

Excavation History

Excavations in the Kibish formation were first conducted by the International Paleontological
Research Expedition to the Omo Valley in the 1960's led by Richard Leakey. They found several
ancient anatomically modern human remains, one of them the Omo Kibish skeleton.

In the early 21st century, a new international team of researchers returned to Omo and found
additional bone fragments, including a femur fragment which conjoined with a piece collected in
1967. This team also conducted Argon isotope dating and modern geological studies that
identified the age of the Omo I fossils as 195,000 +/- 5,000 years old. The Lower Valley of the
Omo was inscribed to the World Heritage List in 1980.