Hamar people

The Hamar people are one of the largest groups in South Omo Zone of the South Ethiopia Regional State. The South Ethiopia Regional Statistical Report also shows that the population density of the Woreda is 11 person per km2 . == Location ==

The Hamar people live on the eastern side of the Omo River in Hamar Woreda, located in the South Omo Zone with its administrative center at Dimeka. The woreda covers a total land area of 5,989.8 km2. The annual temperature of the Woreda range from 17.6 °C to 27.5 °C, with an annual rainfall between 400 mm and 1,600 mm. The elevation varies from below 500 meters to as high as 2,000 meters above sea level. Their territory stretches from the Weito River in the east to the plains and hills of the lower Omo Valley in the west and to the north and northwest, it borders the lands of the Banna and Bashada, the other community living Hamar Woreda. In terms of their relative location, the Hamar are bordered by the Arbore and Tsamai to the east, the Banna to the north, the Dasanech to the south, Lake Stephanie (Chew Bahir) to the southeast, and the Kara, Nyangatom, and the Omo River to the west. ==Basic infrastructure of the district ==

Hamar Woreda has 11 primary schools and one secondary school. The woreda's healthcare infrastructure includes three health centers and 20 health posts, providing essential medical services to the community. Additionally, a paved road runs through the woreda, connecting Hamar with neighboring communities.   == Livelihood ==

The Hamar people are predominantly pastoralist and engage in livestock keeping. Younger children, especially girls, usually care for the goats and sheep near home. In addition to herding, the Hamar who live in the mountainous area also engage in cultivation. == Origin myths and history ==

There are shortage of written sources on the origin and history of the Hamar prior to the conquest by Emperor Menelik II towards the end of 19th century. The only important paper about their origin myth based on their oral history was written by Ivo Strecker Today, the Kara are one of the ethnic groups living within the Hamar district and sharing not only administrative district but also language and many other cultural elements. Additionally, the Kwegu were another group the Hamar encountered during their early migration to their present area. but were later displaced to the western side of the Omo River in the neighboring Nyangatom district.—the Kwegu maintain a distinct hunting and gathering lifestyle, occupying separate ecological and social domains. Initially, their attempts to advance through the Weito Valley were unsuccessful due to the Hamar's resistance and the region's challenging terrain. However, a second offensive from the north, through the Weito Valley and into the Wururi Plains, allowed them to penetrate Hamar territory more effectively. Following the fall of the Derg in 1991, Ethiopia’s ethnic-based federalism granted the Hamar self-governance and access to modern infrastructure. However, modernization efforts often clashed with traditional Hamar practices, leading to tensions with the district administration. Over time, disputes escalated into armed conflict, culminating in violent clashes between the Hamar and local police in 2015. Although regional and national authorities have since intervened, tensions remain unresolved, highlighting the ongoing struggles between traditional societies and state-driven development policies. == Cultural events and practices ==

Bull-jumping ceremony One of the cultural events ingrained in Hamar identity that reflects masculinity and social cohesion is the bull-jumping ceremony. Evangadi ceremony Evangadi translated as night dance is also a well-known cultural event among the Hamar. As its name indicate it is a night time dance and play by adolescent and unmarried males and females and a ground for choosing their future marriage partner. A person, often a child, who was considered mingi is killed by forced permanent separation from the tribe by being left alone in the jungle or by drowning in the river. == Medical Knowledge and Practice ==

In Ethiopia, the use of medicinal plants has a long history. Research into indigenous plant knowledge among various ethnic groups often emphasizes the specific characteristics of these plants, particularly their perceived effectiveness in alleviating symptoms or addressing the root causes of illness. Among the Hamar community, traditional medical practices, especially the use of herbal remedies, play a significant role in treating a wide range of human and livestock ailments. They use a variety of plant species, with leaves and roots being the most commonly utilized parts. One study documented 145 medicinal plant species in the Buska Mountain range. This high number likely reflects the community's reliance on traditional remedies, a situation partly influenced by limited access to modern healthcare services. However, the continued use of traditional medicine among the Hamar is under threat. Knowledge is primarily passed down orally from one generation to the next, and the younger generation is showing a declining interest in learning and preserving this traditional knowledge. == Social organizations ==

The Hamar social and political structure is characterized by an egalitarian system without a central leader or chief. The Hamar are described as "polycephalous" society meaning authority is distributed rather than centralized. Their society functions under a system of regulated anarchy, where seniority and rhetorical skills play a crucial role in daily affairs and conflict resolution. The Hamar have two ritual leaders, known as bitta, one from the Gatta clan and the other from the Worla clan. These leaders oversee spiritual matters but do not wield political authority. Additionally, Hamar society is organized into twenty-four exogamous clans, which are grouped into two moieties. == Gender relations ==

The Hamar are a patriarchical society. Men holding onto customary leadership positions administer political and cultural aspect of life of the Hamar. Women who make up a considerable proportion of the Hamar population have little political participation despite bearing social responsibilities in a conservative polygamous, patriarchal and patrilocal society. In terms of labour division, Hamar men are largely assoiated with cattle herding as they herd cattle by moving them in search of pasture and possibly enter into conflicts with other pastoralist groups. On the other, women engage actively in farming activities as they assume the lion's share of activities associated with the production of sorghum and maize, as well as other crops. Despite the huge burden Hamar women have at home and in their farm fields, and the knowledge and experience they possess, the customary system does not recognize their leadership wisdom. Women in Hamar are great cultivators, herders and keepers of their families. They engage in all sorts of activities to keep their family and community well fed and happy. Every woman often wakes up before dawn to fetch water and make tea that is made of coffee sheath (locally called shoforo), prepares food and feeds her family. Once men leave with the herds, she cleans up the kraal and the homestead. She then goes to the wild to collect firewood and small leaves and branches for small and weak livestock. In market days she goes out to sell some products and buy goods, and in non market days spends the day in the farm with her children and some herds. Girls of school age were absorbed with daily activities mainly in keeping birds away from farms, cooking meals in the farms and cultivating the farm, collecting firewood, fetching water, cleaning and taking care of siblings and small ruminants whereas boys on the other hand were given assignments such as taking care of the cattle, goat and sheep herd around the village and in camp herds that are located away from the village. In the alternative basic education center that provides education service at three levels, school dropouts were common particularly among boys as they were often sent to herd camps very far from the village whereas girls are more fortunate in attending classes even after getting married as long as the educational centers exist in the husbands’ villages. == Development intervention, human rights and local cultural values ==

Education There is a significant disparity in school attendance between boys and girls in the Hamar community. Several factors contribute to this issue, with the most significant being a lack of parental awareness about the importance of education, particularly for girls. However, mingi has been identified as one of the harmful traditional practices (HTPs) by local government authorities, As a result, the practice is contested as an HTP by human rights organizations and local advocacy groups such as Omo Child. In a 2025 interview with pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need, the provincial superior of the Spiritans in Ethiopia, Fr Kilimpe Garbicha, commented on the bull jumping ceremony, and how the Catholic Church navigates the issue in its efforts to evangelise. "As a missionary, I feel called to do something. It is part of evangelisation; it is part of this dialoguing with the culture. It is about small conversations, without judging them. They can still keep their customs, but can we do it an alternative way that is softer and doesn’t harm people’s bodies? It is a slow process that involves a lot of dialogue.” He further said: “I don’t want people to see their culture as bad. We don’t undermine it. We dialogue with and evangelise the culture. We as Catholics don’t create divisions. We create unity and respect culture and engage with it. We learn their language and live their way of life. We find important things in the culture that can help people to learn the Gospel" == The Hamar and their neighbors ==

The Hamar forms a cultural unit with their closest neighbors (namely, the Bashada, Bana and Kara), with whom they share a common language and most rituals and institutions, freely intermarry, and warfare is prohibited. First, these groups speak the same South Omotic language. ==See also==

• 1973 – Rivers of Sand by Robert Gardner color, 83 min • 1994 – ''Sweet Sorghum: An Ethnographer's Daughter Remembers Life in Hamar, Southern Ethiopia'': a film by Ivo Strecker and Jean Lydall and their daughter Kaira Strecker. A production of IWF. Watertown, Massachusetts: Documentary Educational Resources, [released c. 1997]. VHS. Presenter/narrator, Kaira Strecker; producer, Rolf Husmann. • 1996 release – "The Hamar Trilogy." A series of three films by Joanna Head and Jean Lydell; distributed by Filmakers Library, NYC. Titles in the series are: The Women Who Smile, Two Girls Go Hunting and Our Way of Loving. • 2001 – ''Duka's Dilemma: A Visit to Hamar, Southern Ethiopia''. A film by Jean Lydall and Kaira Strecker. Watertown, Massachusetts: Documentary Educational Resources, released in 2004. DVD. Camera, sound, and editing, Kaira Strecker; anthropology and production, Jean Lydall. • 2001 – The Last Warriors: The Hamar and Karo Tribes: Searching for Mingi. A Trans Media production; Southern Star. Princeton, New Jersey: Films for the Humanities & Sciences. VHS. From The Last Warriors: Seven Tribes on the Verge of Extinction. Series producer/executive producer, Michael Willesee Jr.; writer/director, Ben Ulm. . ==Discography==

• 2003 – Nyabole: Hamar – Southern Ethiopia. CD. Museum collection Berlin series. Recorded between 1770 and 1776 and originally published on LP 1768. Mainz, Germany: Wergo. ==External links==