The Hamars are a people of East Africa living
in southwestern Ethiopia
in a fertile area of the Omo Valley. The gracious Hamar women, freeing pride
and dignity even in the midst of the bustling weekly market, are easily spotted
with their characteristic outfits. They take pride in their dress and
accessories and win the prize as the most decorated of the Omo people. The
traditional dress code for unmarried Hamar girls includes elegant cowrie-shell
collars, seeded or glass-beaded necklaces, and decorated goatskin clothing.
This photograph was actually taken In Turmi, SNNPR, Ethiopia by a professional photographer named Pascal Mannaerts. He is living in Brussels, Belgium and has worked as a photographer for National Geographic and Lonely Planet as well as for numerous European magazines. I certainly hope that the young lady that posted this picture here, Belaynesh Alemu had the proper permissions to do so. She is a graduate of the Academy of Arts in San Francisco, so I am quite sure that she knew to do so.
ReplyDeleteMs. Alemu----I must apologize for speaking of you in somewhat of a negative tone in my first comment. It was wrong and I was just trying to show how much I knew (which sometimes is very little). I DO know the young lady in the picture. She is a good friend of a young woman that I know there in Turmi by the name of Wotolu. I live in Turmi at least four or five months each year and hope to move there permanently one day soon. I truly love this beautiful country and all it's people and their different cultures.
ReplyDeleteI took some time and read through the entries that you have on this blog and must say that you do a very good job of explaining about the country and the lives of the diverse groups of people that live therein. I am an old white man almost 70 years old and one thing that I have done and done very well, for most of my life is to appreciate the people on this earth that are NOT men! I must say that in my whole life, I have NEVER found any country where quite so many women are anywhere near as beautiful as they are here in Ethiopia. That is well evidenced by some of the pictures that you have posted throughout this blog. And now I am going to try and flirt with you a little bit. I found YOUR picture on the internet and I must admit that you fit into that category quite well yourself. There, now I have apologized and made a fool of myself all in one comment. Such is how it is with us old men sometimes!! Keep up the good work on your blog. I am sure that people enjoy it's content as well as your insights very much......Art