The Mursi (or Mun as they refer to themselves) are a Surmic ethnic group in Ethiopia. They principally reside in the Debub Omo Zone of the South Ethiopia Regional State, close to the border with South Sudan. Surrounded by mountains between the Omo River and its tributary the Mago, the home of the Mursi is one of the most isolated regions of the country. Their neighbors include the Aari, the Banna, the Mekan, the Karo, the Kwegu, the Nyangatom and the Suri.
The Mursi are one of the better-known tribes of the Omo Valley, with a population of around 8,000. They are described as being a traditionally migratory community, although in reality they only move from the banks of the Omo in the dry season to the grasslands during the rainy season.
The Mursi speak the Mursi language as a mother tongue. It is a part of the Surmic language family. Mursi is closely related (over 80% cognate) to Me'en, Suri, Kwegu, and tribes in South Sudan such as Murle, Didinga, Tennet and Boya. Two orthographies for the Mursi language exist. One is the Amharic-based, although the Mursi language is one of the Surmic languages with incompatible vowel structures and stressed and unstressed consonants compared to Amharic. The second is the more suitable Latin-based alphabet.
The Mursi see themselves as the product of a series of migrations, all of which were part of a continuing effort to find and occupy a "cool place" (bha lalini), a place with riverside forest for cultivation and well watered grassland for cattle herding.
The Mursi Tribe are found in the far southwest corner of Ethiopia, just north of the Kenyan border in the valley of the River Omo. Here in the remote Omo Valley palaeontologists have discovered some of the oldest human remains on earth and the tribes who live there today still follow many ancient practises.
Read also: Ethiopian Traditions
The Mursi tribe are not as dangerous as you read - fear sells and so do these stories! When you spend time with Ethiopias Mursi people and speak to the locals you realise how these headlines don’t truly reflect this Ethiopian ethnic group. Both men and women in the Mursi tribe are fierce warriors, strong, resilient and can be intimidating to say the least, and whilst there have been conflicts in the past the Mursi are mostly friendly people.
Like many agro-pastoralists in East Africa, the Mursi believe that they experience a force greater than themselves, which they call Tumwi. This is usually located in the Sky, although sometimes Tumwi manifests itself as a thing of the sky (ahi a tumwin), such as a rainbow or a bird.
The religion of the Mursi people is classified as animism, although some Mursi have adopted Christianity. Religion and healing are very much interconnected for the Mursi. A knowledge of illness and of the divine emerges from people's experiences of the natural and social world.
The principal religious and ritual office in the society is that of the Kômoru, the Priest or Shaman. This is an inherited office, unlike the more informal political role of the Jalaba. The Kômoru embodies in his person the well-being of the group as a whole and acts as a means of communication between the community and the god (Tumwi), especially when it is threatened by such events as drought, crop pests and disease. His role is characterized by the performance of public rituals to bring rain, to protect men, cattle and crops from disease, and to ward off threatened attacks from other tribes. Ideally, in order to preserve this link between the people and the Tumwi, the Kômoru should not leave Mursiland or even his local group (bhuran).
The Mursi undergo various rites of passage, educational or disciplinary processes.
Read also: Planning Your Ethiopia Trip
Mursi Tribe Culture and Traditions
Centuries of isolation have enabled the Mursi tribe to reach the present day with almost completely unchanged traditions and rituals, in which I had the privilege of being immersed. Cattle continue to make a vital contribution to their diet. But although often described as 'nomads' by government officials, they lead a relatively settled life and depend heavily upon cultivation. During the dry season they live mainly along the banks of the Omo.
Life for the Mursi is often arduous and sometimes dangerous. But they have learnt to live well and there is much time for relaxation, chatting, music and gossip. They have a rich oral tradition through which they preserve and transmit their history, philosophical knowledge and moral stories. They have a keen aesthetic life that centres on their awareness of colour, cattle and body painting.
Living in the Lower Omo Valley, the Mursi Tribe has developed a semi-nomadic lifestyle in harmony with their environment. Although Mursi people traditionally make money on pastoralism, in recent years they have been increasingly specialized in agriculture. They grow sorghum, corn, beans, chickpeas and tobacco. The Mursi are highly adaptable to changing environmental conditions and move the village when needed.
Lip Plates
Lip plates are a well known aspect of the Mursi and Surma, who are probably the last groups in Africa amongst whom it is still the norm for women to wear large pottery, wooden discs, or 'plates', in their lower lips. The lip-plate is an expression of female social adulthood. A girl will have her lip pierced by her mother, or another woman of her local community, when she reaches the age of around fifteen.
The custom of wearing a lip plate is linked to the female’s fertility and eligibility for marriage. When a Mursi girl reaches puberty (around age 15 to 16) she will have her lip cut by a female member of the tribe and a small wooden stick is inserted. The lip is then slowly stretched over a period of time, first by inserting larger sticks each night and eventually by wearing plates of various size and decoration. It is said that a woman who does not wear a lip plate is considered lazy and will not warrant as large a bride wealth (a dowry which usually consists of a certain number of cattle).
Read also: CEO Opportunity: Development Bank of Ethiopia
Girls' lips are pierced at the age of 15 or 16. A girl’s lower lip is cut (sometimes by her mother) when she reaches 15 or 16, and held open by a sodden plug until it heals. It’s up to the girls how far they want the lip to be stretched. Lip plates are more frequently worn by unmarried girls and newlywed women than by older married women with children. Unmarried girls, especially those with large labrets, might wear them whenever they are in public. It’s expected that a boyfriend or husband will not sleep with his girlfriend or his bride until her lip has fully healed. The lip plate carries a number of meanings. Firstly, it’s a symbol of great beauty. Secondly, it marks a commitment to the husband because it is worn with great pride when serving him food. If the husband dies, the lip plate is removed since a woman’s external beauty is said to fade after his death. Lastly, the plate is a powerful visual marker of Mursi identity.
The lip plates, which may be made from wood or clay, are generally worn by single or newly married women at four main occasions: when serving food to men, at special events (like weddings), at donga duelling competitions and at dances.
Another important distinguishing feature of the Mursi culture is the practice of women wearing lip plates made of clay or wood. The ritual of inserting the lip plate starts when the girl reaches the age of 15 or 16 when her mother makes a small incision just below her lower lip, and a small disk is inserted inside this incision that is worn for a few months, the time necessary for the cut wound to heal. “It is said that a woman who does not wear a lip plate is considered lazy and will not warrant as large a bridewealth (a dowry that usually consists of a certain number of cattle).
The most distinctive and recognisable feature of the Mursi women is wearing ornamental clay disks (debhinya) in their bottom lips as symbols of beauty and adulthood. When a girl is in her early teenage years, her bottom lip is cut and kept open with the clay disk until it heals. This cut is then progressively stretched over a series of months by inserting slightly larger clay disks each time, and each individual woman decides how far to stretch their lip.
The Mursi tribe villages are full of large guns, body scarring and lip plates. Visitors often tell a story of them being a “dangerous” tribe with photos to match. However, like the other unique tribes in the Omo Valley, the Mursi tribe live by tribal laws, so if you don’t hurt them they don’t usually hurt you.
Many tourists buy the Mursi Tribe lip plates as souvenirs. One of the traditions that will slowly disappear for the Mursi tribe are the lip plates. Many of the younger generation of girls are choosing not to go ahead with this practise. There has been government pressure to stop the lip plate tradition due to the infection rate and complications it can cause. However, the Mursi villages that stay closer towards the entrance of Mago National Park (rather than deeper in the park) sell multiple lip plates to tourists every day - so making them and painting them is very much a big business for the Mursi villages that want tourists. the mursi and suri tribes both have lip platesThe Mursi tribe are closely related to the Suri tribe which live closer towards the South West border with South Sudan in the South West Omo Zone region of Ethiopia. The Mursi and Suri tribes (both part of Surma tribal group) have a very similar culture and share many traditions including the lip plates.
Body Scarification and Painting
For this tribe, body painting is performed for aesthetic appeal, symbolic representation, and as a tool to protect and heal themselves. Much like many other acts performed by the tribe, it was multi-purpose and rooted in tradition.
Mursi is also known for their elaborate skin scarification. In the tribal culture of Mursi, there are two types of scarifications: kitchoga and riru: both different in purpose and meaning, with riru, for example, only reserved for men.
The Mursi also have a tradition of painting their bodies using clay and minerals from the earth. The body paint is not only decorative but symbolic; thought to ward off evil spirits, intimidate enemies and attract the opposite sex. It’s also highly practical - the clay acts as a protector from the Ethiopian sun and the white limestone acts as an insect repellent. The protective benefits of the clay paint are particularly useful for the Mursi men whose responsibility it is to look after the herd.
People of the Ethiopian Mursi tribe also practice scarification. Cut skin is rubbed with ash, so the scars need long time to heal and are more visible. Women of the Mursi tribe have on their stomach a symbol of the clan from which they originate, and on the shoulder a pattern identical to the one fired on cows owned by their husbands. They do not wear a lot of jewelry, but mostly metal bands, bracelets and anklets. Sometimes men wear bracelets made from bones and hair of elephants.
Body scarring is part of the Mursi tribes culture. The body scarring on the Mursi tribe women is a sign of both strength and beauty. Using razor blades or thorny branches, they cut the skin and then rub ash in the wound so it creates the scars that they admire.
Many of the men in the Mursi tribe village in more recent years have begun scarring their bodies as a sign of fashion and identity, however in the past the mens body scarring was more specific, symbolic and had meaning. The Mursi tribe practise body painting and decorationBody painting, covering and decoration are practised by Ethiopias Mursi tribe for various reasons including sun protection, keeping insects away, health and for celebrations or intimidation. The boys looking after the cattle use clay and a mix of ash from burnt cow dung to cover their bodies. Sometimes they use fresh cow dung. This brown body covering seen in the photos below is both a sun protectant and fly deterrent.
Ceremonial Dueling
Ceremonial duelling (thagine), a form of ritualised male violence, is a highly valued and popular activity of Mursi men, especially unmarried men, and a key marker of Mursi identity. Dueling is a form of martial art, in which teams of men from different local divisions of the population (bhuranyoga) fight each other with two-metre wooden poles (dongen) in short but fierce bouts.
Another feature of the Mursi tribe is their ceremonial duelling. This is where teams of men within the population fight with 2m wooden poles (donga), which only ends when one man either falls to the floor or has to retreat due to injury. These contests usually take place over several days and are treated extremely seriously. The women also have a duelling ceremony involving iron bracelets (ula) which they strike each other with.
Young Mursi men prove themselves to their future wives by taking part in a donga, a form of ceremonial duelling. Contenders wear a duelling kit known as umoga, which provides protection as well as decoration, and usually involves shin guards made from animal skin, a leopard skin draped over the torso, head gear made from cotton and a cattle bell tied around the waist.
Cattle and Diet
The Mursi place considerable importance on cattle, the exchange of which marks most relationships, such as marriage, and their diets are also based around cattle. The most valuable treasure of every Mursi is cattle. Even the names are given according to the color of your favorite cow. Mursi people boast among local tribes with the largest number of cattle, therefore they are considered to be the richest. All social relationships are approved by the exchange of cattle. The dowry is usually constituted by 30-40 cows, although today it is more often also a rifle.
A large stick (dongen) worn by men is used for defense and fight. In terms of language and culture, Mursi people resemble the Suri tribe, and believe that they are one nation.
Cattle are a vital element of the Mursi diet and trade (hence being the subject of the bridal wealth) and a tribesman’s wealth is measured by the size of his herd.
The basis of their diet is a kind of porridge, prepared from sorghum and corn. It is mixed with milk and blood, taken directly from a wound on the neck of a cow.
The Mursi tribe’s main crop is sorghum, a drought and heat tolerant grain, which the women serve as a thick porridge, but they also grow maize, beans and chickpeas.
Due to the importance of cattle in their lives, the main diet of the Bodi is also centred on cattle. In particular, they drink their milk mixed with their blood, which they obtain not by killing the animal by opening a wound in their neck.
cows blood is drunk by the men of the mursi tribe. Like in the cattle camps of the Suri Tribe, the Mursi boys and men drink warm blood from cows. They value their cattle as it is one of their signs of status and wealth. The cattle are not killed often as meat is not often consumed in Mursi villages. However, using a bow and arrow an artery near the neck of a cow is pierced and then the flowing blood collected in a container by a younger boy. Once they’ve collected enough blood the cow is let go (it is not killed) and they will choose another cow the next time. The younger boy then uses his hand to scoop the bits that have become solid/chunky before passing the container of warm blood to one of the men.
The Mursi tribe grind sorghum and maize to make most of their meals. They don’t eat meat much, but drink the blood (without killing the cow) and milk of their cattle.
Contemporary Challenges
The African Parks Foundation and government park officials are accused of coercing Mursi into giving up their land within the boundaries of the Omo National Park without compensation.
The Gibe III hydroelectric dam, in the middle Basin of the Omo and completed in October 2015, will greatly modify the flood regime upon which thousands of people in the lower basin depend for their livelihoods. By regulating the river flows, and 'uplifting' the low flows during the dry season, it will also make possible the development of large-scale commercial irrigation schemes, although the latest report commissioned suggests that there is not enough water in the Omo River to irrigate the proposed area of plantations.
Improved transportation has also drawn the Mursi further into the market economy, where trade in cattle and increasing numbers of tourists provide money which the Mursi use to buy cloth, medicine, coffee, spices and agricultural tools. Today, the process of state-building in the lower Omo appears to have reached a new level of intensity, with the construction of a huge hydroelectric dam in its middle basin.
The allure of the Mursi Tribe has attracted an increasing number of tourists to the region. In the face of modern challenges, various preservation efforts and cultural revival initiatives have been undertaken. Cultural exchange between the Mursi Tribe and the outside world has led to mutual understanding and appreciation. Addressing stereotypes associated with the Mursi Tribe is essential for promoting inclusivity and diversity.
The Mursi Tribe are considered to be an extremely aggressive tribe and therefore do not have the best reputation among tourists. This is a bit false image caused by the shallowness of mutual contacts. When you devote more time, they turn out to be inquisitive and friendly people.
When visiting the Mursi tribe you pay to enter Mago National Park and also an armed escort. It is a dirt road that can be quite slippery after heavy rains.
The Mursi have become accustomed to this and the villages that are close to the park entrance that get more tourists definitely have a more “tourist is big business” feel. The Mursi tribe have experienced many rude tourists (yes, I know this as a fact) and many rude tour operators (once again, unfortunately true). There’s many good reasons why there are so many photos of the Mursi tribe looking fierce and dangerous…they know what many tourists want. Bus loads of tourists wanting quick photos with no connection or interaction has created the Mursi (more tourist) villages to be interested in generating income while tourists visit, not engaging. However, like always on the good days, spend some time with them and share a laugh and you’ll see their true personalities shine through.
For travelers interested in experiencing the Mursi Tribe’s culture firsthand, responsible travel and cultural sensitivity are crucial.
The Mursi Tribe’s reliance on natural resources necessitates conservation efforts.
Empowering Mursi women plays a vital role in the community’s development.
Access to education and healthcare remains a challenge for the Mursi Tribe.
Globalization poses both opportunities and threats to the Mursi Tribe’s cultural identity.
The Mursi Tribe’s cultural heritage is an integral part of Ethiopia’s diverse cultural landscape.
Popular articles:
tags: #Ethiopia
