My expedition to Ethiopia was mainly to photograph the tribes of the remote Omo Valley, the Suri Tribe, in particular. The Suri people are semi-nomadic cattle herders and live on the west side of the Omo River. Due to their remoteness, the Suri Tribe is one of the least visited of the Omo Valley’s tribes. They are arguably the most beautifully decorated and renowned for their incredibly ornate decoration, which they achieve through painting, scarification, and adornment with flowers and other natural objects. I spent a few days in a camp and was very close to that tribe.
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Suri is composed of three subgroups; Chai, Timaga, and Baale groups (self-names), politically and territorially different, but all speaking ‘South East Surmic’ languages within the Surmic language family, which includes Mursi, Majang, and Me’en languages. The Suri groups share a similar culture and show social and historical kinship with the Mursi and Me’en groups. Within Ethiopia, their homeland is relatively remote, located in semi-arid plains, valleys, and foothills. There are traditional rivalries with neighboring groups such as the Nyangatom and the South Sudanese Toposa, constantly raiding into Ethiopian territory. In recent decades, these conflicts have become quite bloody, with multiple uses of automatic firearms (now present in significant numbers), no available overarching structures of mediation, and lack of effective government action.
Major sources of the weapons have been the parties in the Sudanese Civil War. At times, the local police only allow foreigners to travel there with a hired armed guard. Local Suri authorities have also been imposing hefty tourist ‘travel sums’ on foreign tourists visiting the area. The Suri is self-conscious and culturally proud people, with, among others, a liking for stick fighting called saginé. This is more appropriately called ‘ceremonial dueling,’ and serves as a rite of passage for male youngsters and brings great prestige to men — it is especially important when seeking a bride — and they are very competitive, at the risk of serious injury and occasional death. To beautify themselves for marriage at a young age, most women have their bottom teeth removed, and their bottom lips pierced, then stretched, to allow insertion of a clay lip plate. This has become the Suri’s hallmark – as for the Mursi – and the main reason they have been sought out by tourists interested in the ‘exotic’.
Some women have stretched their lips to allow plates up to sixteen inches in diameter. Increasing with exposure to other cultures, however, a growing number of girls now refrain from this practice. Their children are sometimes painted with (protective) white clay paint, which may be dotted on the face or body. Suri villages typically range in size from 40 to 1,000 people, but a few may reach 2,500 people. Suri life is egalitarian. The Suri ‘chiefs’ (called komoru) have a ritual function and are merely the most respected elders and have no executive powers. They are elected from within certain clan lineages. Few Surma are familiar with Amharic, Ethiopia’s official language, and their literacy level is relatively low. In recent decades, however, schools have been built. The number of literate Suri is growing, with several now working in the local administration’s district capital and others studying in various towns.
