Karo Tribe - Omo Valley Ethiopia - 2019

The Karo tribe live east of the Rift Valley, with some villages overlooking the Omo River. They excel in body and face painting using natural white chalk and earth coloured clays to decorate their face and bodies in various simple line and dot designs representing guinea fowl feathers and other animal motifs. Large beads are also worn around the neck. Karo men paint their faces and bodies to look menacing and command respect. For important festivals they cover their body and face with ashes mixed with fat, a symbol of virility. Many Kara men carry Kalashnikov AK-47 guns to use to fight off any inter-tribal conflicts over stealing of cattle or land issues.

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