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Hamer society consists of a range of age groups and to pass from one age group to another usualy involves a complicated ritual. A significant ceremony for young men is "bull jumping" the test before passing into adulthood to become eligible for marriage.
The Hamer girls, were dancing in unison, creating a myriad of metallic sounds as their bracelets and ankle decorations clinked together. They had been drinking heavily. They would jump up to a man, marked by feathers behind either ear, hand him a green stick and while continuing to jump, he would whip them, drawing blood. The girls, without flinching, would bow their heads and jump away only to return in a matter of moments with another stick, for another beating. The girls were friends or relations of the boy who was going to jump over the bulls. The whipping ceremony came to a close and I followed the gathering to higher ground where about forty bulls were rounded up in a circle. The village elders stood in the centre of the beasts, surrounding the naked teenage boy. A large group of women surrounded the cattle, jumping and dancing in unison.
Ten bulls were lined up side by side. The naked boy rushed towards the first bull, vaulted onto its back and ran across the line trying to take as few steps as possible. At the end of the line he turned back to repeat the performance in the opposite direction. He did this without falling until on the last run he stumbled and fell onto the backs of the bulls but did not fall to the ground, he got up, finished, and became a man.
The Hamer girls, were dancing in unison, creating a myriad of metallic sounds as their bracelets and ankle decorations clinked together. They had been drinking heavily. They would jump up to a man, marked by feathers behind either ear, hand him a green stick and while continuing to jump, he would whip them, drawing blood. The girls, without flinching, would bow their heads and jump away only to return in a matter of moments with another stick, for another beating. The girls were friends or relations of the boy who was going to jump over the bulls. The whipping ceremony came to a close and I followed the gathering to higher ground where about forty bulls were rounded up in a circle. The village elders stood in the centre of the beasts, surrounding the naked teenage boy. A large group of women surrounded the cattle, jumping and dancing in unison.
Ten bulls were lined up side by side. The naked boy rushed towards the first bull, vaulted onto its back and ran across the line trying to take as few steps as possible. At the end of the line he turned back to repeat the performance in the opposite direction. He did this without falling until on the last run he stumbled and fell onto the backs of the bulls but did not fall to the ground, he got up, finished, and became a man.
Hamer society consists of a range of age groups and to pass from one age group to another usualy involves a complicated ritual. A significant ceremony for young men is "bull jumping" the test before passing into adulthood to become eligible for marriage.
The Hamer girls, were dancing in unison, creating a myriad of metallic sounds as their bracelets and ankle decorations clinked together. They had been drinking heavily. They would jump up to a man, marked by feathers behind either ear, hand him a green stick and while continuing to jump, he would whip them, drawing blood. The girls, without flinching, would bow their heads and jump away only to return in a matter of moments with another stick, for another beating. The girls were friends or relations of the boy who was going to jump over the bulls. The whipping ceremony came to a close and I followed the gathering to higher ground where about forty bulls were rounded up in a circle. The village elders stood in the centre of the beasts, surrounding the naked teenage boy. A large group of women surrounded the cattle, jumping and dancing in unison.
Ten bulls were lined up side by side. The naked boy rushed towards the first bull, vaulted onto its back and ran across the line trying to take as few steps as possible. At the end of the line he turned back to repeat the performance in the opposite direction. He did this without falling until on the last run he stumbled and fell onto the backs of the bulls but did not fall to the ground, he got up, finished, and became a man.
The Hamer girls, were dancing in unison, creating a myriad of metallic sounds as their bracelets and ankle decorations clinked together. They had been drinking heavily. They would jump up to a man, marked by feathers behind either ear, hand him a green stick and while continuing to jump, he would whip them, drawing blood. The girls, without flinching, would bow their heads and jump away only to return in a matter of moments with another stick, for another beating. The girls were friends or relations of the boy who was going to jump over the bulls. The whipping ceremony came to a close and I followed the gathering to higher ground where about forty bulls were rounded up in a circle. The village elders stood in the centre of the beasts, surrounding the naked teenage boy. A large group of women surrounded the cattle, jumping and dancing in unison.
Ten bulls were lined up side by side. The naked boy rushed towards the first bull, vaulted onto its back and ran across the line trying to take as few steps as possible. At the end of the line he turned back to repeat the performance in the opposite direction. He did this without falling until on the last run he stumbled and fell onto the backs of the bulls but did not fall to the ground, he got up, finished, and became a man.
