This must be 1 of my favorite pictures. I met this Hamar girl at the end of the Weyto valley on the road going from Key Afar to Turmi. She was resting in the shade with 3 other girls. I could not blame her. She was carying a big backpack and with that heat... I noticed that she had 1 blind eye. Something i was about to see a couple times more in the Omo valley. Probably because of the lack of medical aid. The Hamar tribe is a tribe that lives in the south of the Omo Valley. They are cattle herders but also grow some crops. As many other tribes they use scarification to make themselves beautiful. Scarring their bodies and packing the wounds with ash and charcoal. The Hamar are well known for the "bulljump". A rite of passage where a young man has to jump a line of cattle to become a man. If you have any comments, please write them down. It will be much appreciated.

I was a quick wet boy Diving too deep for coins All of your straight blind eyes Wide on my plastic toys And when the cops closed the fair I cut my long baby hair Stole me a dog-eared map And called for you everywhere - Iron & Wine #349 in Explore for March 23, 2008