The Hamer (also spelled Hamar) are a pastoralist people who live mainly in southwestern Ethiopia. They occupy territory east of the Omo River, extending to the fertile highlands and lowlands stretching toward Lake Turkana. Market towns like Turmi and Dimeka act as major social and trading hubs. Most commonly cited figures place their population at roughly 45,000–80,000 souls.
Closely related to their neighbors, the Banna, in both language and culture, anthropologists believe the Banna actually originated from them centuries ago. The divergence of the tribes is rumored to have occurred after a disagreement over pastureland. Their language, Hamer-Banna, is derived from the southern Omotic branch of the Afroasiatic language family.
Hamer-Banna is classified as an Omotic language, a group of languages spoken in southwestern Ethiopia, in the Omo River region, and southeastern Sudan.
The Villages
The Hamer live in compounds that consist of several related families. Their homes, called “gata” or “gott”, are low-profile huts constructed from wood and thatch. The foundation of these huts is made of flexible poles set into the ground in a circle, then joined at the top and tied together to form a frame. The upper two-thirds of the structure is covered with thatch, while smaller poles and twigs are pitched into the ground between the foundation poles, forming the outer “wall”. The gaps between the sticks are intentionally left open rather than filled with mud or clay. This design maximizes airflow to keep the interior cool in the hot Omo Valley climate.
Homes inside the compound are arranged in a circle with a large clearing at the center to house cattle overnight. A fence of wooden posts and thorny shrubs encircles the entire complex. Women and young children sleep inside the home while men and adolescent boys sleep at the center of the camp to protect the village.
The Culture
The Hamer are primarily semi-nomadic pastoralists but supplement their livelihood through agriculture, hunting, and gathering. The males of the tribe regularly traverse long distances in search of water and food for their livestock, which consists primarily of cattle, followed by goats and sheep. They also keep camels, which are used for transportation or as pack animals.
Diet
The typical Hamer diet is vegetarian and consists of sorghum, sesame, beans, onions, kale, pumpkins, cauliflower, cabbage, red beets, and tomatoes. Tubers such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and Oromo potatoes are also staples. The most important spices are chilies, including the bird’s eye chili used in mixtures such as Berbere and mitmita.
The fruits most commonly consumed are lemons and bananas. Cattle and goats provide milk and meat, and the hides are used for clothing, shelter, and sleeping mats. The Hamer also practice beekeeping for honey consumption and trade with other tribes.
Fun Fact: Hamer men handcraft cylindrical log hives, place them high up in acacia and local trees, and use smoke to calm bees during sustainable honey harvesting.
Style
This tribe is especially recognized for its elaborate body decorations and clothing, as well as its unique social traditions.
Women
“Goscha“
Hamer women are known for their distinctive, culturally significant hairstyles. The styles, known as “goscha”, play an important role in expressing beauty, identity, and status within the community.
At first glance, the striking styles appear to be highly manicured locs in the Rastafarian sense. However, the strands are usually not permanently matted as mature locs would be, and thus are more reversible. Small sections of hair are braided or rolled between the palms to form thin cylindrical strands resembling straws. The strands are then coated with a mix of ghee and red ochre (clay). The results are uniformly shaped, earthy-hued, glossy strands. The coating helps the twists retain their shape and imparts the distinctive deep red color and sculpted appearance. The styles are not just aesthetically beautiful; they reflect femininity, social standing, and in some cases, sexual maturity. Young girls begin wearing this hairstyle at the onset of puberty, signaling they are ready for marriage.
Clothing and adornments
Animal skins
Like their brethren, the Karo, Hamer women are often seen wearing leather skirts or dresses adorned with bottle caps, beads, or cowry shells.
The leather or fur traditionally came from goatskin or cowhide, materials that were durable and readily available in cattle-herding communities. Women soften and treat the leather carefully, often rubbing it with ghee and ochre to keep it flexible and richly colored.
Ornamentation is highly valued among the Hamer. Movement, shine, texture, and even sound are important fashion elements. Skirts are highly decorated with bottle caps, beads, metal pieces, or cowry shells. However, the ornamentation is not just for show; it also tells a story. Ornaments can indicate whether a woman is single, married, or has children.
Cowry shells historically symbolized value and trade connections across Africa. Metal ornaments could also reflect access to resources, indicating a woman’s wealth.
Beads
Colorful bead arrangements adorn the necks of women of all ages, while copper bracelets are favored for the wrists. The beaded arrangements are not just for aesthetics; they are part of a woman’s identity, revealing their age or marital status. Married women often wear a thick iron collar-styled necklace called a begnere or megnere. The collar signifies that she is her husband’s primary or first wife. Additional wives wear smaller metal necklaces, signifying their place in the family.
Bracelets and armlets
Armlets or upper-arm cuffs are also commonplace. Worn high on the bicep, above the elbow, these differ from wrist bracelets. They can take the form of solid metal bands, coiled wire armlets, leather cuffs decorated with beads or metal, or tightly fitted rings. Fashioned by local blacksmiths (gito), these adornments highlight physical attractiveness while mapping a woman’s life and marital milestones within the community.
Men
Elaborate body decorations and clothing are not enjoyed exclusively by the Hamer women. Men have their own unique styles, also sculpting their hair with ghee and ochre. They then decorate their coifs with feathers, beads, metal ornaments, or leather strips.
Men also adorn themselves with colorful beaded jewelry and metal bracelets. However, their most notable “accessory” is the borkoto. The borkoto is a small stool that men frequently carry. It serves a dual purpose: a seat during the day and a neckrest that protects elaborate hairstyles by night.
Defined Roles
Women
Men and women have clearly defined roles in Hamer society, but women carry the brunt of the responsibility in the village. They care for the children, maintain the households, collect firewood, and participate in rituals.
Men
Men are primarily responsible for herding cattle, village defense, home building, and decision-making. Cattle ownership is a wealth indicator, with herd size dictating a male’s status in the social hierarchy. However, the Hamer men are best known for their unique coming-of-age tradition.
Rites of Passage – Male
In many societies, young males must undergo a rite of passage to transition from childhood to adulthood. If you read my series on Papua New Guinea, you will recall that the Crocodile Men of the Sepik region have one of the most gruesome coming-of-age traditions. The rites of passage in Ethiopia are much tamer by comparison but equally interesting.
The Banna, Hamer, and Karo share a common tradition. To qualify for marriage, fatherhood, and cattle ownership, young tribesmen must complete a peculiar dare known as bull jumping.
Male rituals and rites of passage are believed to be vital to the community’s economic, political, and ancestral well-being.
Bull jumping (Ukuli Bula)
The bull jumping ceremony marks a boy’s coming of age. Typically, seven to ten castrated bulls are lined up head to tail, flank to flank, and smeared with dung to make them slippery. The participant who competes entirely naked, save cords draped across his body, must leap onto and complete at least four clean runs across the backs of the cattle without falling.
The ceremony usually takes place in October or November after the harvest. The young man’s parents determine the timing of the ceremony, basing their decision upon how long it would take them to prepare the feast.
By tradition, the eldest child of the family must complete the ceremony before his younger siblings. His father decides when his eldest son is up to the task. Boys as young as five are eligible to participate, as long as his family has the means to provide the bulls. Conversely, if a young man’s family lacks the means to provide the bulls, his ceremony will be delayed until the bulls are acquired.
Boys as young as five may participate in the ceremony, with the help of the community.
The Invitation
When a father decides his son is ready, he gives him a small phallic-shaped wooden carving called a “Boko”. The young man will carry it prominently displayed, signifying his pending change in status and serving as an official notice of the upcoming ceremony.
The entire village, including tribesmen from neighboring villages, is invited to witness the event. Lacking social media accounts and cell service, the participant notifies the villagers of the pending ceremony in person. The young man travels to his relatives’ homes, presenting the Boko and the official invitation. In the period leading up to the jump, an Elder mentors the young man. During this period, he is taught the behaviors he must exhibit to be recognized as a man.
How will the villagers know when the ceremony will take place? The official invitation is a length of knotted string with each knot representing one 24-hour period. Each day, the invitee unties or cuts off a knot as a countdown to the ceremony.
The Maza
On the day of the event, homemade moonshine and sorghum beer are passed around freely as the excitement mounts. The young man’s friends, acting as his groomsmen and best man, sequester themselves. The men, known as “Maza,” are bachelors who previously completed the ritual. They play an integral role in the ritual. As part of the tradition, the young man’s unmarried female relatives blow horns, perform tribal dances, and sing as they await the young men’s return. When the men return, they engage in a controversial and, for many, disturbing aspect of the ceremony: the ritual whipping of the potential groom’s unmarried female relatives.
Ritual Whipping
When the groomsmen arrive, they are armed with switches from the baraza tree and have a singular purpose – to beat the backs of the young women. The women, in turn, actively seek out the young men demanding to be whipped, voluntarily receiving the lashes as an expression of loyalty and family solidarity. The switches lacerate the skin, drawing blood and leaving gashes, which heal into permanent scars. It is believed that the greater the pain, the higher the level of submission and loyalty they are showing to their male relative. After receiving their lashes, the young women confiscate the switches in celebration, with the scars serving as a badge of honor.
It was strange for me to see young women striving to gain the attention of young men whose main objective was to inflict pain upon them. Our local guide, Addis, explained that this practice holds deep cultural significance. The Maza act purely as the ritual executioners of the whipping, holding no personal obligation to the women afterwards. However, by acquiescing to, and even seeking out the beating, the women were establishing a bond with the groom which could benefit them in the future.
The Debt
Under this unspoken agreement, the groom (the initiate jumping the bulls), not the Maza, would be responsible for the girls’ welfare and protection should they need it in the future. All the young woman had to do was show him her scars, and he would be reminded that he owes her a “debt”.
Additionally, accepting the lashes stoically increased their attractiveness as a future wife. This concept transformed the beating into a kind of competition, with women refusing to back down and vowing to endure the most pain.
The Pre-Jump Rituals & Blessing
Before the young man jumps, his groomsmen perform rites and a blessing. Bracelets and a stake are part of a promise the participant must give to the community.
The Jump
After receiving their lashes, the jubilant young women reconvene to encourage their relative. They dance, sing, and blow horns, creating a festive frenzy. The Maza turn their attention to blessing the participant and rounding up the requisite bulls for the jump. Once rounded up, the young men hold the bulls in place as the participant begins his run. Amid the blare of horns and shouts, he must remain focused. If he falls, he fails and must try again in a year.
The young man will leap until his best man snaps the cords, signifying he has successfully completed the task. The jump is performed amidst an electric atmosphere and a cacophony of bells and horns as the entire village celebrates.
If a man is physically challenged and unable to complete the bull jump on his own, other tribe members will assist him.
Post the Jump
Once a man passes the test, the Elders bless him, and he has an animal skin draped over him to the rapturous cheers of the crowd. He then joins the Maza, where his head will be shaved and his success celebrated. The villagers will celebrate by dancing and feasting until the wee hours of the morning.
The festivities last for a week, then the young man goes into seclusion to await word that his family has a bride for him. This period can last a few days if the marriage has already been arranged or weeks if it hasn’t.
Once a marriage is arranged, the man’s family must pay a dowry to the woman’s family. The normal bride price is 20 cattle and 30 goats. If the family cannot pay the dowry, the marriage is delayed until the sum is acquired or alternate arrangements are made. The man is also now allowed to own cattle, a crucial part of life in a pastoralist community.
Marriage
While his parents arrange his first marriage, a young man may marry as many women from his tribe as he can afford. A typical household consists of a woman, her children, and a male protector. A man may serve as protector of more than one household, depending on how many wives he has taken. A man may also assume responsibility for protecting a divorced woman, a widow, or the wife of an absent family member.
Religion
The Hamer practice an animistic religion centered on a reverence for natural objects, such as rocks, trees, and water, which they believe possess indwelling spirits. They also believe in supernatural spirits known as jinns (or jinni). Rather than being worshiped as gods, jinns are viewed as active entities that assume human or animal shapes and exercise supernatural influence over people’s lives. At the center of their religious order is a supreme sky god named Wak (Waaq), seen as the source of rain, fertility, and moral order.
Up Next: The Karo
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