"To possess the world in the form of images is, precisely, to re-experience the unreality and remoteness of the the real." Susan Sontag, On Photography

Biwa, an esteemed Kara elder and charismatic leader, vogued this near-surreal pose during preparations for an evening communal dance in Korcho, a small settlement set high on the east bank of Ethiopia's lower Omo River.

Adorned with finger-painted white-chalk body markings and brass earrings. The ivory lip-button and clay hair bun with ostrich feather reflect a "culture of heroism" shared with other tribes in the region, one that glorifies and rewards individual acts of bravery for killing an enemy or a dangerous wild animal.

The dry savanna grasslands and iconic Acacia trees at the fringe of the settlement are indigenous to this remote region. The region is part of Ethiopia's Great Rift Valley that extends south through the Horn of Africa to Kenya and Tanzania. Shot near the end of a long dry season regularly exceeding 40°C in the shade.

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Street Portraiture | Social Documentary | BodyArt



Peoples of the Omo Valley

Tags:   kara indigenous africa warrior tribe tradition portrait people pastoral face omo lip-disc lip-plug hairbun ethnic jewellery ethiopia elder culture custom traditional aesthetics documentary painted face painted body karo bodyart facial markings ethnic jewelry bodypainting DavidSchweitzer DocumentaryPhotography StreetPhotography HumanInterest VisualAnthropology PhotoJournalism DocumentaryPortrait StreetPortrait VanishingCultures Street

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Biwa, an esteemed Kara (Karo) elder and charismatic leader, offered this near-surreal pose during preparations for an evening communal dance in Korcho, a small pastoral settlement set high on the east bank of Ethiopia's lower Omo River.

Adorned with finger-painted white-chalk body markings and brass earrings. The ivory lip-button and clay hair bun with ostrich feather reflect a "culture of heroism" shared with other tribes in the region, one that glorifies and rewards individual acts of bravery for the killing of an enemy or a dangerous wild animal.

© All rights reserved

Street Portraiture | Social Documentary | BodyArt

Tags:   kara indigenous africa warrior tribe tribal tradition portrait people pastoral face feather omo man lip-disc lip-plug hairbun fighter ethnic jewellery ethiopia elder chalk brass body culture custom aesthetics documentary karo earrings bodyart faces jewelry DavidSchweitzer DocumentaryPhotography StreetPhotography HumanInterest VisualAnthropology PhotoJournalism DocumentaryPortrait StreetPortrait VanishingCultures bodypainting

© All Rights Reserved

The elders of Siyu perform a traditional, stylized Muslim line-dance late in the evening on Lamu's medieval stone-town waterfront, situated in the Lamu Archipelago off Kenya’s northern Swahili Coast. They traveled by dhow from a small fishing settlement on the nearby island of Pate for the event.

This Goma la Siyu version of ngoma music and dance involve a slow, meditative, ritualized, and collective swaying movement as a cane, held in the right hand, is raised and lowered in measured unison to the mesmerizing accompaniment of an oboe or reed flute. A variety of essential functions and religious exchanges are often realized through strategic use of the ngoma event in Swahili culture and society.

© All rights to these photos and descriptions are reserved

Dhow Culture | Social Documentary

Tags:   lamu archipelago town kenya swahili coast africa dance goma pate island culture elder tradition muslim ethnic david schweitzer ngoma mombasa people

© All Rights Reserved

The elders of Siyu perform a traditional, stylized Muslim line-dance late in the evening on Lamu's stone-town waterfront, situated in the Lamu Archipelago off Kenya’s northern Swahili Coast. They traveled by dhow from a small fishing settlement on the nearby island of Pate for this auspicious event.

This Goma la Siyu version of ngoma music and dance involve a slow, meditative, ritualized, and collective swaying movement as a cane, held in the right hand, is raised and lowered in measured unison to the mesmerizing accompaniment of an oboe or reed flute. A variety of essential functions and religious exchanges are often realized through the strategic use of ngoma events in Swahili culture and society.

© All rights to these photos and descriptions are reserved

Dhow Culture | Social Documentary | Fluidr Faves

Tags:   people mombasa ngoma schweitzer david ethnic muslim swahili tradition elder culture island pate goma dance africa coast kenya town lamu archipelago

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