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Kara Youth in Beads
Although the Kara people of the Lower Omo Valley love their face and body paint, one of my favourite pictures from their village is this one of a clean-skinned youth, free of clay paint and ritual scarring.
Ethiopia is a big country: at 1,104,300 sq km, it is number 28 in the world in terms of area. And, it remains – despite recent progress in alleviating extreme poverty – one of the poorest countries in the world (CIA World Factbook).
So, local infrastructure is not what it might be, and the country is not particularly easy to get around!
This inaccessibility has to be a help to the 16+ distinctive ethnic groups who live in the far reaches of Ethiopia’s Omo Valley. I was there on a Piper Mackay photographic tour with a small group of photo-enthusiasts under the tutelage of photographer Ben McRae. We had taken a short flight into the Great Rift Valley from Addis Ababa some days before, and had visited the Dorze people (see: Roadside and Village Portraits) before overnighting in Arba Minch. From there, we enjoyed the scenic drive south into the beautiful Omo Valley, where our base was in Turmi. Over the next days, we visited Hamar (e.g.: Visit to a Hamar Village, Face in a Hamar Village; Hamar Village Portraits; and Morning Portraits), Daasanach (see: A Visit to the Daasanach) and Arbore (e.g.: Portraits in an Arbore Village; and Arbore Village Portraits) villages.
What continued to amaze me was how distinctive each of these groups was!
On our sixth day in the country, we hopped into four-wheel drives after breakfast, and drove north again, deep into the heart of Kara (Karo) territory. A beautiful, fully equipped campsite had been set up for us (Grand Holidays Ethiopia) in shady forested clearing along the Omo River, not far from Dus Village. This gave us unique access to the Kara people, Ethiopia’s smallest ethnic group, but possibly one of the most popular. They are well known for their decorative face- and body-painting in chalk and ochre.
There are about 100,000 members of the Kara ethnic group, but most live in South Sudan or the Central African Republic. In Ethiopia, there are only about 1400, living across three villages on the left bank of the Omo River. As speakers of an Omotic language, they are loosely affiliated with the Hamar people; this puts them at odd with the more aggressive and more numerous Nilo-Saharan-speaking Nyangatom who live on the other side of the river.
Join me on an excursion into Kara territory.
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Worker – Buska Lodge
After breakfast in Turmi, we farewell the staff there and hit the road. (iPhone6)
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Driving Ethiopian Roads
The roads on the east side of the Omo River into Kara territory are dirt tracks …
Dusty Tracks
… that lead into the jungle. At one point we had to stop and remove fallen trees before we could pass.
Dus Mobile Camp
After a challenging drive, it was lovely arriving at our beautiful campsite, which was set up and ready for us in a shady clearing in the forest along the Omo River in the heart of Kara land.
Home Away from Home
My tent in the Dus Camp was airy and spacious.
Dus Kara Village
When we drove to the nearby Kara village in the afternoon, the rains came …
Escaping the Rain
… and the locals huddled under the eaves of a community building to protect their face- and body-paint. Kara people enjoy decorating their bodies and faces daily with coloured ochre, white chalk, yellow mineral rock, charcoal, and pulverised iron ore.
Kara Man
Kara men paint their faces and bodies in white chalk on special occasions. A brief gap in the rain allows a natural-light shot of a man in his ceremonial paint.
Kara Village
The rains have made little impression on the dry landscape. Although all the homes are the traditional conical huts (ono) we saw on entering the village, there are a few more modern buildings scattered around, …
Looking into the Schoolhouse
… including a simple schoolhouse.
Looking out through the Schoolhouse Windows
With the weather being so chancy, we take shelter in the school and set up a a black cloth and a soft-box lighting system to take some “studio” shots of the youngsters who have gone to so much trouble with their body art.
Kara Girl
Men, women, boys, and girls, all engage in creating and wearing symbolic and artistic body and/or face decorations.
Painted Children
The decorations can be elaborate and detailed, or rough, but striking paintings traced with the palms or fingers.
Kara Youth in Beads and Paint
The patterns can change daily, and there is a vast lexicon of painting motifs to choose from.
Face Paint and Beads
Even so, some common themes emerge.
Dawn in the Dus Village
We returned to the village early the next morning to learn more about the Kara and their customs.
Ceremony House
Only initiated men are allowed into this structure – in fact, only initiated men …
Kara Elder in his Ostrich Feather
… like this elder, are even allowed to touch it! A friendly, but watchful, eye was kept on us, lest we got too close.
Kara Family
Men in Body Paint
With these men side by side, you can see the different body paint patterns in use.
Man in Face Paint
The notch in the man’s left ear was given to him after initiation to symbolise his ability to listen to tribal secrets.
Woman with Flowers
Men and women make an incision below their bottom lip and often insert straw or wood – or in this case flowers – into it.
Pensive Young Woman
Automatic and a Skull Cap
Kara share many similarities with their Hamar cousins. Men who have killed an enemy from another tribe or a dangerous animal are entitled to wear an ochre clay cap with an ostrich feather. All men need to own an AK47 before they marry, so they can prove their ability to protect their village and herds.
Young Woman in a Hut
The huts are hot and dark, even mid-morning. With a helper and an off-camera flash, I manage a few shots of this solemn young woman before we all have to get outside where it is slightly cooler.
The Kara are a beautiful and fascinating people – fortunately, with our tents set up so close, we were able to return to this village several times.
In this era of being confined within my own borders, I look forward to reviewing more of my photos from these visits.
Until then,
Keep Smiling!
Photos: 19-20October2018
[…] of times, and therefore could spend time with the locals as they went about their daily lives (see: Visits to a Kara Village and The Kara of Dus […]
[…] meant we had proximity to the largest of the three Kara villages. We visited it several times (eg: Visits to a Kara Village) and spent some meaningful time with these beautiful people in their own […]