ETHIOPIA - THE SOUTH
A travel report - Part 8 06/07/2019 – From Jinka to the Banna Tribe and
to Turmi (09/30/2011 according to the Ethiopian calendar)
Today
it is time to change your accommodation. This is even further to the
south, in the village of Turmi. For this we have to go back to Key Afer
and there we meet the road to Turmi. The direct route is actually only
about 120 km long, but on the way we hear about a traditional Banna
wedding with a bull jump, which prompts us to take a long detour into
rough terrain.
Our departure is
scheduled for 9:30 a.m. So we have enough time to enjoy our breakfast
in peace and quiet and let the view wander over the garden of the lodge
from the tent terrace. We have already transported our luggage over the
very difficult but beautiful-looking river stone pavement and deposited
it at the parking lot. So we can relax and savor every minute on our
terrace until Mastu and Alex arrive.
Image 654: Eco-Omo Lodge Jinka
We leave the lodge on time and drive towards Turmi through Jinka. At
the end of the village there is the possibility to visit an Ari
Village. The Ari or Aari make up the majority of the inhabitants of
Jinka, where they live a little more modern than their relatives in the
surrounding traditional villages. In Jinka, they usually have square
houses with corrugated iron roofs. The traditional round buildings or
thatched houses can almost only be seen here for granaries, chicken
coops and similar uses. This walk in the village costs 1,000 birr for
all of us. On the edge of the main street, next to the settlement,
there are already some guides on the lookout for tourists. Actually, we
prefer to do such explorations alone and take some presents for the
people with us, but if Mastu already offers it, we of course accept it.
Of course, we don't know how much of the money ends up with the
villagers after the guides have satisfied themselves.
Image 655: Destillation of alcohol
The first stop on our tour is a traditional schnapps distillery run by
many Ethiopians. We don't really feel like having a drink, and
certainly not at this time. Areke or Areki is currently being produced
here. This is distilled from a fermentation product made from powdered
Gesho leaves (African
buckthorn) and Bikil. The taste of the clear end result can
be very different. They're family recipes. The alcohol content can also
vary and be up to around 50%.
In addition to schnapps, you can also find all kinds of other
home-brewed alcoholic drinks in Ethiopia such as Tella (beer), Tej
(honey wine), Borde (based on various types of grain, lactic acid
bacteria), Shamita (based on roasted barley flour, ground flaxseed,
salt, spices), Cheka (base: various types of cereals and vegetables),
Keribo (base: honey, sugar, cereals), Korefe (base: barley and Gesho
leaves), Booka (base: honey, sugar, beef bladder) and others. We had
recently been introduced to Tej at the Dorze Volk and enjoyed it.
Anyone who would like to take a closer look at the various
manufacturing processes can read the International
Journal of Microbiology (only in English).
Image 656 + 657: Tool forge
Furthermore, we see a small tool forge in the village that works under
the simplest of conditions. All occupational safety inspectors in
Germany please look the other way! Even in childhood and barefoot,
people work on the forge fire here to make a wide variety of tools for
market sale from scrap iron.
Image 658 - 660: In the Ari Village of Jinka
In the meantime, some children have discovered us who will accompany us
on our way. They are very happy to take hold of all the hands that are
not busy at the moment. Anyone who is receptive to this can quickly put
together a large kindergarten group. Mastu tries again and again to
limit the rush and grimaces to chase them away. But that doesn't last
long.
Almost all the crops they need for a living can be found in a confined
space between the houses of the Ari. Including coffee, cassava,
vegetables, mango trees, various types of bananas, spices and much
more. In between all sorts of pets from chicken to beef. It's amazing
how it works without damaging the crops.
Pottery and
woodwork.
Hopse is
international – do you remember? :-)
Turn ropes
out of plastic sack scraps.
Pre-cultivation
of crops on the farm. Image 661 - 667: In the Ari Village of Jinka
The vast majority of the Ari are Christians. This can also be easily
recognized by the crosses that are often seen on the neck and the
paintings on the house facades. The children of the Ari of Jinka also
get an education, which is more difficult in the traditional villages
outside the city. However, not all children seem to take advantage of
this offer here either. After all, today is only Friday early in the
morning and the number of children in the village who could already go
to school seems to us to be quite large.
The traditional way of life is not so easy to give up and many children
are still involved in a wide variety of family support tasks.
Image 668 - 673: The children like to pose in
front of the camera and are happy when they can see the result on the
camera right away.
Image 674 + 675: Laborious sorting out of grain.
In the village we can also watch the preparation of injera, without
which nothing works in Ethiopia. We have reported on this national dish
many times before. Today we finally see the baking process on a large
ceramic plate, where the dough is applied in a circle from the outside
in and later covered until it is cooked. The perfectly manufactured
ceramic plate, which is as smooth as a mirror and without any flaws, is
extremely impressive. It's hard to believe that these are made manually.
Image 676 - 680: Injera baking.
Image 681 - 683: Children in the Ari Village of
Jinka
Image 684: Wooden grain mortar
So
much for a
couple of scenes from our walk in the village. Let’s say
goodbye to the crowd and the Ari Village and slowly retreat towards the
main street. Mastu must of course now again exhaust his entire spectrum
of child defense measures and is more or less successful in doing so.
The children take it for fun and are amused.
When we arrived at the car, it was quiet.
Now we continue in the direction of Key Afer, where a traditional
wedding with a bull jumping ceremony is to take place nearby. We get
the offer to participate. We must of course not miss this opportunity.
With 600 birr per person we can participate and later we will be
accompanied by a local guide.
Before the adventure begins, we take the last opportunity of the day to
have a meal and visit the Zarsi
Hotel in Key Afer.
Image 685 + 686: In the Zarsi Hotel in Key Afer
We sit relaxed in the shade of a large mango tree and have fun
"talking" to the chickens and making fun of them. We have never seen
such a busy flock of chickens. You can hardly describe how they rushed
from the adjacent courtyard, cackling loudly, and surrounded the tables
of the guests. Here you shouldn't leave the table unattended as long as
there is something edible on the plates. There is nothing left,
guaranteed. Our food is plentiful but unfortunately sometimes does not
meet our taste. The chickens are of course extremely happy when we come
to them to feed our leftovers, and a "tornado" of chickens arguing
loudly comes running towards us.
Image 687: Can we do that with our
minibus?
Image 688: On the way through impassable
terrain to the Banna and / or Hamer
We don't know exactly where we're going now. After we have agreed to
the deal, a guide gets into our minibus and constantly shows Alex the
way. Alexr is put to a tough test and we are extremely amazed at what
our minibus can withstand. It goes over hill and dale, up and down
complicated stony slopes, through a river and incalculable water holes.
Our initially wide sandy track becomes narrower and narrower after
every turn, until it finally ends completely in the undergrowth. While
Alex is getting beads of sweat on his forehead, our guide is very
relaxed and just shows without a word where Alex should go. Sometimes
you can't even look because the drive is so unsettling. But there is
always a way to go a little further. It is also better not to open the
window if you do not want to be brushed by the bushes. It's much too
difficult to take photos with this wobble anyway.
Image 689 - 691: Now we continue on foot.
We drive about 18 km in less than an hour until we can’t go
any further. Another tourist mobile is already at our parking position
(damn shit :-(), but this vehicle is much better suited for the terrain
than our minibus. But we have no reason to complain, because Alex is a
master driver and our bus is much more spacious and We have to leave
Alex behind because he has to guard the bus and our luggage for
security reasons. Our guide informs us that we have to walk 30 minutes
before we reach the location of the wedding ceremony. We have to go far
too quickly run through very interesting terrain, but our guide sets
the pace. He will know why. We don't want to miss the beginning of the
ceremony.
A few minutes before we reach the scene, we can hear chants, bells and
horns ringing in the distance. So the celebrations have already started.
Image 692 - 705: In a Banna Village
When we arrive in the village, hardly any notice is taken of us. The
people there are used to guests like us. Our guest gift in the form of
an unknown part of our deal that we made with the guide is an
additional and welcome source of income for the tribe. This allows us
to move freely and without hesitation and to take as many photos as we
want.
A group of women with numerous bells on their calves are circling a
tree, stamping, singing and jumping. Small metal horns are always used
to trumpet whatever it takes. Rifles and submachine guns should of
course not be missing again. However, today we see armed women for the
first time.
Is the next
bull jumping ceremony for Mastu?
Image 706 - 716: At the Banna
For us it has still not been sufficiently clear how we can now
distinguish the Banna
from the Hamer.
All jewelry and clothing elements that are familiar to us can be found
in both the Banna and the Hamer. The manufacture of the hairstyle for
women from thin braids, which are twisted with a mixture of red
minerals and butter, can also be found in both tribes. Even the bull
jumping ceremony that is taking place today as a maturity test for
young men and part of a wedding ritual lasting several days is carried
out by both tribes. But as we mentioned earlier, the Hamer are said to
have emerged from the Banna.
Image 717 - 727: At the Banna Tribe
It is noticeable that only a few men are currently in the settlement.
Those who are there are cooking some kind of brew a little apart in
large tin drums. Others, on the other hand, are busy filling the women
with an alcoholic drink from large bottle gourds, which puts them a
little in a trance during their dances and puts others in an exuberant
mood. There is a constant supply and the emptied bottle gourds are
lying around everywhere. This certainly helps a little to better endure
the traditional flogging of women, which is still to come.
Guests'
hairstyles are also of interest.
Image 728 - 738: With the Banna and their guests
After a break, the women look for a new route for their dances, which
are more reminiscent of a march. It goes on like this for hours. March,
pause, march, ... etc .. Their perseverance is remarkable. In the
meantime, more and more men are arriving, who mostly come together in
small groups for a quiet chat or watch the goings-on of the women.
Others engage in ritual body painting in preparation for the bull
jumping ceremony.
Image 739 - 750: A guest of the Banna
The women's marches through the countryside are finally over when the
arrival of the whip man is announced. Anyone who thinks now that the
poor women are being whipped against their will because of some martial
traditions is greatly mistaken. The women are downright crazy about it
and argue who's next in line. We almost have the impression that the
whip man would like to hide from the many requests for flogging. But
the women do not give up. The more scars they will get and the more
blood will flow, the more they can testify of their courage now and
later. It is even said that after the whipping, certain agents are
added to the wounds so that they become inflamed and lead to bulging
scars. The more the scar can be seen, the more beautiful it is.
The whip man
Also a
possibility to accommodate the money.
Image 751 - 760: Flogging and quarrels of women
The official whipping man has a black transparent cloth on his head, as
well as a long, stable and thin whip made of wood about 2 meters long.
It is extremely stable and still breaks every now and then. But there
is no shortage of such whips here. At some point even the women got
hold of some whips, which they apparently would use in an argument
among themselves about the order in which to be flogged. Others even
use clubs. You don't want to get in between. We do not understand why
this is so. Actually, there is enough time and if you want to be
flogged, your turn will come. Especially since other men have also
taken on the task of whip man in the meantime.
During the whipping, the woman stands opposite the whip man, so that
both can look each other in the face and yet the extremely flexible
whip reaches the back. Again and again the whip buzzes through the air
and claps the backs of the women until they are finally all satisfied
and calm down.
Image 761 - 769: Guests of the Banna.
The Banna tribe (also Benna, Bena or Banya) has between 45,000 to
50,000 tribal members and still have their own king. Most of them are
said to be Muslims. But there are also a few thousand Christians among
them. Because of their way of life in the wilderness, the Banna do not
own mosques and churches. But "natural religions" and belief in
different spirits are also widespread. They live mainly in the lower
valley of the Omo. Like all other ethnic groups in Ethiopia, the Banna
have their own language, which is known as Hamar-Banna or
Hamer-Banna.The Banna are mainly engaged in agriculture. They have
numerous goats, cattle and camels and are particularly known for their
honey production. To do this, they hang beehives in the acacia trees,
just as other ethnic groups in Ethiopia do (see part
5, photos 354 + 355).
A banna with
a wooden headrest that is used when sleeping.
Image 770 - 772: Waiting for sunset and the
bull jumping ceremony
Slowly the shadows are getting longer and the number of armed men keeps
increasing. More and more cattle are also coming back to the village
from their pastures. Everyone is now just waiting for the bull jumping
ceremony, which should not take place until after sunset. As we learn,
today's candidate is 18 years old and won't celebrate his actual
wedding until a week later. Today's success in the bull jump is of
course the prerequisite for this. For this purpose, at least 10 bulls
are lined up next to each other, which are pulled and held in the
correct position by the Banna by their horns and tails. Of course, that
takes a while. Every now and then, a bull that is too restless has to
be replaced because he busts out or simply cannot be brought into
position. When all the bulls have finally calmed down, the young man,
who is always completely naked, has to jump from a standing position
onto the back of the first bull and then run over all the cattle lined
up next to one another without falling. He has to do that four times
without a mistake. He is supported by the women who once again circle
the ceremony place with a lot of spectacle and singing loudly with
their bells and horns.
Image 773 - 779: The bull jump is being
prepared.
Before the actual bull jump takes place, a few rituals and spells are
performed in the presence of the bull jump candidate. Bangles are
stacked on top of each other on a clapper stuck between several whips
and overturned by two brightly painted seated Banna according to a
certain scheme (see video). Unfortunately, we don't know for what
purpose or what magic this is. Then a white sticky liquid is splashed
that nobody wants to get off.
While the Banna are still fighting for their position with the bulls,
today's bull jump candidate is ready and has got rid of all clothing.
It seems to him to be visibly uncomfortable to have to wait as the only
naked youth and future man for his commitment among all the other
dressed people. So he is still looking for some cover behind a friend
until the time has finally come.
Image 780 - 783: Now it finally start.
After all, there are 12 bulls lined up next to each other that today's
jumper has to deal with. Everything is ready. The young Banna jumps on
the first bull and tries his luck. Then he crashes and falls between
the animals. But this is no problem. The ceremony continues. When he
crossed the bulls twice in each direction without mistakes, his test
was passed. Now he has been admitted to the group of adults and can
begin his wedding next week.
Image 784 - 788: The bull jump
The young man is happy to have passed the ceremony and is being
celebrated. Now it is probably going to the cozy part of the following
night, which unfortunately we can no longer see because it is already
getting dark. Mastu and our local guide urge us to hurry. We quickly
leave the scene and race against the falling darkness. Every minute is
precious now. After all, we still have a longer walk and a much longer
drive through rough terrain ahead of us. This can be very difficult
when it's really dark.
Image 789 + 790: On the way back to the parking
position.
And here are a few more pictures for those who want to immerse
themselves in the atmosphere of the bull jumping ceremony.
Video: A few impressions from our
visit to the Banna including a few impressions from the journey
Everything is still in order on the minibus and our luggage is still
present. There were no special incidents. The most exhausting part of
the day begins for Alex, but he had enough time to relax. ;-) The way
there was already complicated enough, but the way back is even more
difficult because of the increasing darkness. Fortunately, it gets a
little better every few hundred meters until we reach the wide sandy
track towards Key Afer again.
Now we just have to drop our guide in Key Afer and then continue
towards Turmi to our lodge. We have chosen the Buska Lodge for this,
which is located on a wide river valley. We will stay there for three
nights before our route goes in the opposite direction again.
We arrive at our destination around 9:00 p.m., after having almost
gotten stuck in the sand of another river bed a short time before. That
would just have been missing. Fortunately, we were able to rescue our
minibus from its predicament with combined muscle power.
It is high time we got to the lodge because the kitchen is about to
close. Therefore we have to order the food before we go to our room.
Now we can arrive in peace and take our quarters in possession. After
returning to the restaurant, we no longer have to wait and it can be
served immediately.
An eventful day is now coming to a relaxed end.
Tomorrow we will drive to Dimeka and explore two colorful markets and
in the evening visit a Hamer village. In between there is some time to
relax. We'll see what we can do with it.
Copyright: www.reggaestory.de
Photos: Marion & Peter Joachim
Text and videos: Peter Joachim
English version: Gabriele Brown