Diverse cultures are a significant part of African countries and some of these traditions are in more ways than one very intriguing. To some people, these traditions may seem weird, but to those who practice them, it is what defines them as a tribe. Located among the bush-covered hills on the eastern side of the Omo Valley in southern Ethiopia, the Hamar tribe is said to be up-to-date with everything happening around the world, even with football. However, modernity has not stopped them from practising a rather bizarre culture of women proudly accepting beatings as part of an initiation ceremony for men. In our part of the world, this is considered domestic violence but not to the Hamar women.
The Hamar tribe has unique culture and customs, one of them being a cattle-jumping ceremony where the beatings of the women take place. The ceremony starts with all the women performing a dance, during which they offer themselves as subjects to be whipped or flogged by men who have recently been initiated. The beatings go on until their backs turn bloody. During the beatings, the women are not allowed to scream. They do not also run away from the ceremony but rather beg the men to beat them over and over again. The women accept these beatings to show their love and support of the initiate, and their scars give them a right to demand his help in time of need.
Also, the man must subsequently leap across 15 cows in order to be allowed to marry and once that is achieved a celebration is held to end the ceremony. The women in the Hamar tribe are still subjected to whippings even after the ceremony ends, at any time the man wishes unless they give birth to at least two children. The rules of the tribe also say that men do not need to explain why they are beating the women as they can do so when they feel is right. This tradition has left deep scars on the backs of the women which they proudly show off as beautiful.
Despite this, women in the Hamar tribe are expected to be strong like the men and are supposed to do all household chores, take care of the children and sow crops as well as tend to the cattle. Men of the Hamar tribe can also marry more than one woman. However, the women who are not first wives are treated more like slaves as they do the majority of the work.
