Охидыг сорвиор чимдэг

Scary Scarifications Seeing a scarification ceremony in the Surma tribe from the Omo valley in Ethiopia is a tough time. Not for the girl who is going to be scarified but for the foreigner who needs to see blood running, flies going into the wounds, under a hard sun. The girl, who was 12, did NOT say any word during the ten minutes ceremony, and did NOT show any pain. Her mother used a spine to pull the skin and a razor blade to cut the skin. At the end, i asked her if it was not too hard to have her skin cut with a razor blade, and she answered that she was close to collapse! It was incredible as she did not show any sign of pain on her face. It would be a shame for the family she confessed. A girl's eagerness to tolerate pain†is also an indication of her emotional maturity and willingness to bear children. The kid chooses to do it, nobody obliged her. Scarifications are a beauty sign in the tribes. This is the tradition in Surma tribe. But for years now, the kids who go to school or who convert to christian, are told not to do it anymore. The men say the lack of scars on the skins make them looking ugly. The skin of the tribes in this area has a special reaction to cutting: the cicatrisation creates raising scars. Ash and certain organic saps might be added to a wound to make the scarring more prominent and or embellished. Not far from the Surma area, the Bodi women also make scars, some even have coil scarifications on the shoulders. It is very painful as they use some metal to do this, like when they do it to their cows to mark them on the fur and the skin! Pain seems unknown in the area. I met Ana who lives in the small village of Hana Mursi. She now hides her scarifications she had at 12, as she has gone to Arba Minch town to study at the Police school. People wearing scarifications are seen as ´†primitives†ª by many urban ethiopians and they suffer from this. She is proud to introduce me to her best friend, a bodi teenager who has made a heart on her arm to show her love to her boyfriend. She did it by herself with a blade she told me. For them, there is nothing related with fear or pain when they decide to mark their skin for life. The tradition in Karrayyu tribe is to make scarifications on the checks, making them look like cats! Men also do it. But the teens ask more and more not to do them as they are too easily recognized by the other tribes or ethnies when they travel in the country. As they are sometimes in war with the Afar tribe, it may cause them lot of problems. In the Menit tribe, women do not use blades to make scarifications, but scratch their skins with stones to decorate it. The wounds are deep and change the color of their skin. In Mursi tribe, scarifications served as a symbol of strength, fortitude and courage in both men and women. Scars were used to enhance beauty and society's admiration until now. Dassanech women from Omorate village, just in front of Ethiopian Kenyan border, scarify their shoulders to enhance their beauty. They believe that the skin texture of a scarified woman holds a sensual appeal for men. In Sudan, the parallel lines of scarification identify the men as Nuer. This tradition is no more done in the urban areas as religion changed the mind of the people. It is also a too visible sign of tribal belonging in this area which had a lot of disputes, leading to lot of deaths for years. In the south of Sudan, Toposa women, once married, have impressive and geometric scarifications on their bellies. You can see the designs from far away and know for sure the social statut of the woman. One of the most impressive scarifications in Africa can be seen in the Toposa men tradition. The complete scarification of a manís chest indicates that he has killed an enemy. He is a hero for his community and will not try to hide himself. He is proud of this. And you can see many men with those very special scars†! It happens often as they steal each others cattle in this area which suffers from drought. In Tanzania, on the Serengeti Plateau, the Datoga tribe women have strange scarifications around their eyes. It is supposed to make them more beautiful. Using shared blades is a huge problem in tribes. Hepatitis is starting to be widely spread as many infected workers from others part of Ethiopia are coming to work in the new giant plantations. Aids is also a new threat. This may quickly means the end of those traditions. ©Eric lafforgue/Exclusivepix Media