The Surma or Suri people live in the southwest plains and hills of Ethiopia in the Omo River Valley.
A Nilotic pastoralist tribe, the epicentre of Surma life is their cattle. So much so, every young male is named after the family cattle. The Surma also subsistence farm in the uplands growing maize, tobacco, plantain and cassava and other edible crops. Some also pan gold from the Kibish River.
Both men and women paint and scarify their bodies often creating intricate and delicate patterns.
The household is run by the woman. The women often wear lip plates made of wood or clay – although many of the younger women are now giving up the practice. The bottom teeth are removed to facilitate the wearing of the lip plate. The ears are also usually pierced for the wearing of a plate or plug. The origins of the wearing of lip plates are lost in the mists of time but slavers would not take women with this disfigurement and so this may have added to the custom’s growth and expansion within both the Surma – and their ethnically close relatives – the Mursi peoples.
Ritual stick fighting is the sport of choice for young Surma men and is the way they prove themselves to the young women and potential brides.
Although the Surma are a remote and independent people, rapid modernisation is taking its toll quickly on this ancient landscape and its traditional way of life. Although the people are often fiercely resistant to change resettlement and a complete change of lifestyle now seems inevitable for many.
These photographs are part of The End of Days – The Last of the Omo Valley Tribes series.
- Surma women stick dancing 1
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Surma women stick dancing 1
Stick fighting or Donga is a major part of male Surma life. The women take no part but here replicate some of the moves in dance.
- Surma women stick dancing 2
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Surma women stick dancing 2
Stick fighting or Donga is a major part of male Surma life. The women take no part but here replicate some of the moves in dance.
- Surma family cleaning and heating maize
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Surma family cleaning and heating maize
The women will all be involved in growing, gathering and preparing food.
- Surma girl cleans the maize
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Surma girl cleans the maize
A young Surma girl sifts and cleans the maize in a calabash (a hollowed out dried gourd) prior to grinding into flour.
- Surma girl cleans the maize 2
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Surma girl cleans the maize 2
A young Surma girl makes sure that the maize is clean before it is ground into flour.
- Surma family grinding maize 1
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Surma family grinding maize 1
Food preparation is a family affair with all but the very youngest children involved in preparing the meal.
- Surma family grinding maize 2
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Surma family grinding maize 2
Food preparation is a family affair with all but the very youngest children involved in preparing the meal.
- Surma women grinding maize
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Surma women grinding maize
The women are soley responsible for food production whilst the men look after the cattle, protect the community. The elders make decisions for the village.
- Surma woman grinding maize – close up
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Surma woman grinding maize – close up
All the flour is milled by women of the household.
- Surma maize grinding – close up 1
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Surma maize grinding – close up 1
Milling is done using two hard stones producing a fine flour.
- Surma maize grinding – close up 2
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Surma maize grinding – close up 2
The whole maize kernel is ground by hand to produce flour for porridge and polenta like bread.
- Surma women dancing 1
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Surma women dancing 1
Dancing and singing are a major part of the entertainment in Surma village life.
- Surma woman with lip plates carrying wood
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Surma woman with lip plates carrying wood
Foraging in the abundant wooded areas around the village it is the women also collect the firewood.
- Surma Family, Omo Valley
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Surma Family, Omo Valley
Family life is central to the Surma (Suri Chai) way of life.
- Surma girl with cassava
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Surma girl with cassava
The Surma grow a variety of crops including cassava.
- Young Surma girl with plantain
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Young Surma girl with plantain
The Surma grow a variety of crops including plantain.
- Surma women at a wedding
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Surma women at a wedding
Dressing up is part of the wedding rutuals for the Surma as much as it is anywhere else in the world.
- Surma woman smokes her pipe
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Surma woman smokes her pipe
Whilst chewing tobacco is a popular pastime for all Surma only the women smoke; using these clay pipes.
- Surma woman in her landscape
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Surma woman in her landscape
The Suri Chai members of the Surma tribe life in the higher lands growing their crops whilst the grazing is undertaken in the lowland grasslands.