The Mursi are some of the most fascinating tribes in Africa. They live a very nomadic life, moving frequently in some of the most isolated regions of Ethiopia.

In the Omo Valley, there are 200,00 people divided up in 80 tribes, speaking 47 different languages. Many of these groups get along, trade between one another, share markets and even intermarry. But, I was told that the Mursi indigenous group was one of the hardest to find and least friendly.

They are labeled warriors and fight to the death with other tribes. Mainly over cattle, but conflicts also erupt over grazing land, water access, and miscommunication. They drink heavily, perform body modification and scar their body for fashion. The Mursi are most well-known for their large lip plates, which can be jarring at first-sight. But when you learn the history behind the lip plates, you gain a deeper understanding of their ancestral trauma that they carry with them.

During the slave trade era, the lip plate was designed to make women and girls less attractive to traders. They used this body modification technique to prevent capture and losing their loved ones. In current day, lip plates represent beauty and the larger the plate the more beautiful the girl.

But after one immersive week in the Omo Valley, I can say that I had the most genuine, sincere and playful interactive with the Mursi tribe.

Upon entering the village, I walked around, shook some hands, smiled at the women and eased my way in. I admired their bracelets, they admired mine. They fell in love with my kimono and pulled at my hair. It was such a long journey to find the Mursi that when we did arrive our tire was flat. Eventually, Nibret went back to fix the car, so I was left alone. The women and I used signing to talk about fashion. I "asked" to buy a few bracelets, they "asked" to barter my kimono. Mainly pointing at things, putting up fingers to count value, and laughing at all our miscommunication.

As we got more comfortable with each other. One woman lifted up my shirt and asked for my bra. She asked by snapping my bra strap and then grabbing her breasts. I pointed to my bra, then pointed to her bracelet to trade her! The other girl pointed to her bracelet then pulled at my kimono asking for that trade. We went back and forth poking and laughing and exchanging accessories.

Eventually, we walked back to the car to have Nibret help translate this entire situation. He was still changing the tire so we sat under a tree for some shade. One woman began braiding my hair, another admiring my skin, and eventually I took off my bra. I wanted to see if it fit before agreeing to give it to her. At that moment, they began poking, pinching and admiring my body. My nipples more specifically.

In the end, the bra fit and I traded her a bracelet for it. I left and a lot of smiles were shared. And I believe that we all will carry with us a fun memory. Travel should be mutually beneficial to the country you are visiting. We must ensure that we do not take experiences without leaving anything positive behind. We also cannot just give handouts on our own terms without thinking of the longterm effects.

Who knows how much longer the Mursi will live this nomadic lifestyle. NGOs are working to ban lip-plates, religious organizations are passing out bibles, and tourists are leaving them bras.

I will be honest, the tourist industry has already introduced money into their "cashless" society. When I arrived they were ready to insert their lip plates and eager to pose for pictures. And get paid.

Yes, my visit was brief and I am still so far-removed from their reality. But as are they are from mine. I believe we were equally interested in one another. I was not interested in them for their lip plates. I was interested in them as people.

Many foreigner visit these areas to observe societies so distant from their cyber-reality. In many instances it falls under the context of "othering". I will not shy away from that or pretend its not true. The same fact is that I will not ignore my privilege.

The travel industry is growing and the world is becoming smaller. My goal in sharing this story is to offer a different approach to tourism. I am not able to stop tours from going to the Omo Valley. Nor is it my place to say touring there is wrong. But I am able to shed some light on ways to be more thoughtful and responsible.

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

♡ Alyssa

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Visiting the Mursi Tribe in the Omo Valley, Ethiopia