Bull Jumping Ceremony

Many tourists visit the Omo Valley in Ethiopia and want to visit a Hamer bull-jumping ceremony. It is a coming of age activity for a young boy to become a man and start a family of his own. And it's exactly as it sounds. He has to jump over bulls in order to become a man. It has become so popular with tourists, that the entire ceremony is surrounded by foreigners video recording. The locals just ignore everyone and go about their ritual.

Before

A large part of the bull jumping ceremony comes before and after the actual act of jumping. Prior to the activity, the community gathers to begin the celebration. The bull jumpers closest relatives are present along with men who recently completed the ritual from nearby villages. Maza is the term used for men who recently got initiated and travel to help orchestrate these ceremonies. This is the moment when the women closest to the bull jumper begin to show their support. In order to prove their loyalty, the women dance around and taunt the Maza - encouraging them to whip them with a thin sticks. Hamer women do so voluntarily and accept these beatings to show devotion to the young boy.

During

After the initial dance gathering, the entire group will move to a different location to prepare the bulls. Just before sunset 5 -15 bulls are lined-up and the young boy is prepped for jumping. There is this one moment where a few family members surround the bull jumper. He is naked, fully shaved and family members rub sand on him to protect him. They chant and link together around him prepping him for the most important moment of his life.

Horns are blasting, women are dancing and tourists are watching. He takes his stance and runs to the line of bulls, jumping up on the first, running across the rest and jumps down on the other side. He has to do this about 4 times or more to prove he is fit to be a man and have a family of his own. He does so rather quickly and the bulls disperse.

After

Celebrations of the young boy turning into a man continue into the evening! The community members returns to their village to eat, drink, dance and party together. Local alcohol has already been prepared (and consumed), a few goats are slaughtered to share, and the traditional dance begins.

As an outsider

My initial thoughts on this ritual were extremely negative and judgmental. I then tried to compare it to other celebrations to try and find a comparison. We all make sacrifices when planning a wedding, bar mitzvah, quinceanera. Maybe we work grueling hours to save up vacation days, maybe we give up all our free time to help visit venues, maybe we empty our savings account on an extravagant gift. We do this to show our love for the one we are celebrating. In this area, their lifestyle is different. The women really want to do something to show their love and support for the brother or nephew or relative. And they do so in their own way, creating scars to show their sacrifice.

I am not writing this to diminish any sense of violence against women, culture of abuse or wrongdoing. I am just using this space to share about a history, society, culture as it is.

Tourist behavior

During the bull-jumping event, I was extremely shocked with the behavior of the tourist groups. As the family was prepping the sacred moment prior to jumping, tourists barged their way in to the family circle. All of a sudden there were just hands and iPhones and safari hats sticking their way over, under and through the family. To document this sacred moment. I saw it from a distance, asked my guide. And he said the locals used to get really mad when visitors did that. Now, they are just so used to it and officially gave up in trying to keep that moment private.

After discussing more, we agreed it is also a local guide issue. All guides want their client to be happy! And it is hard for them to say "No, please don't take that picture" when people traveled all across the world just for this. And of course, then they spot one rogue photographer sneak over to capture it. There are just not enough rules or guidelines in place. It is still a very informal economy and tourism in the region is continuing to grow.

Respect

In general, I want to encourage people to travel the world. Meet people different from themselves. Learn about a new culture. Experience being uncomfortable. But I am begging you. If you signed up for a group tour to the Omo Valley, be respectful. Just because you are paying does not make your desires more important. Be mindful of what you are taking pictures of and for. Take one photo you really want for your memory and then put your camera away. Ask your guide (without being pushy) if it is okay to take pictures during intimate moments of ceremonies. If you build a rapport with him, he will be honest. It is NOT always okay to take pictures, even if you pay.

I hope more people can be thoughtful when visiting the Omo Valley. To be a responsible traveler, we have to remove our lens and experience a culture without judgement. As foreigners in a modern world, we are no better than anyone else on the planet. Just because we have the means to travel does not make us superior. We are all human beings and deserve to be respected. As guests in another country, be just that. A guest.

Thanks for reading. And as always . . . Be thoughtful. Stay kind.

♡ Alyssa

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Omo Valley Ritual: Bull Jumping Ceremony