XI 249 // XI Mursi, Ethiopia
Medium:
Year: 2011
XI 249 - Mr. Sea - Hilao Moyizo village, Omo Valley - Ethiopia, 2011 The nomadic Mursi people live in the lower area of Africa’s Great Rift Valley. Extreme drought has made it difficult for them to feed themselves by means of traditional cultivation and herding. The establishment of national parks has restricted their access and threatened their natural resources. “It’s better to die, than live without killing” The Mursi are famous for their stick-fighting ceremony and Mursi women are known all over the world for wearing clay plates in their lower lips. Their economy is concentrated on bartering and sharing possessions. As tourists are now often visiting Mursi villages, offering money in exchange for photographs, the communal economy is changing.