Scarification with Whips during Bull Jumping Traditional Ceremony in Ethiopia
Channel: Dr. Adam Norten
Date: 2021-10-28

Warning:  Video contains graphic content with violence.  Do not watch if you are sensitive to blood.  Video contains traditional tribal nudity, ritualistic scarification process, and guns. Viewer discretion is advised.  Please watch with an open mind.   This video is meant to be educational and show the culture, traditions, beliefs and way of life of the Hamar tribe people living in the Omo Valley of Ethiopia, in Africa.
 On the afternoon of the Bull Jumping Ceremony, young girls and women are whipped with a birch stick as part of the ritual ceremony. This is brutal process. The women ask to be whipped on their backs and the men oblige.  This scars their skins with each stroke of the whip.
The fierce Hamar tribe women are famous for their colorful beads, iron jewelry and piercings that adorn their bodies.
It is believed that the greater the pain, the higher the level of loyalty and submission they are showing to the Maza. The scars left on their bodies are a symbol of the loyalty that they are to receive in turn from him.
The idea is that in the future, if the girls need the young man’s help for anything they show him their scars.  This obligates him to provide assistance. 
The bull jumping ceremony ends with several days of feasts. Usually there are dances with jumping, beer made from sorghum and coffee.  This is provided by the boys family to his guests.
The idea of getting whipped would make most of us cringe. But this practice is embraced and encouraged not only by those watching from the sidelines, but also by the women who are subject to the beatings. In fact, the women taunt the men and ask them to whip their bodies with wooden whips. Enduring the pain is seen as a sign of love and loyalty toward their male relatives. The men are forever in debt to the women for taking the lashes after the ceremony is over.
Seeing the women getting whipped is challenging because we live in a world where we believe violence against women is unacceptable.  However, you will notice these women are begging to get whipped. 
This tradition was celebrated by everyone participating. 
Even though there is all this whipping, it feels celebratory.  People are dancing, and blowing on their horns. There is a lot of excitement and anticipation.
Why this ritual means so much to the people of Ethiopia's Omo Valley
The tradition is seen by the women as a way to express their support and loyalty. Some will be lashed with a stick 5 feet long until it breaks. 
The more they can stand the whipping, the more they show their love for the young man. Scars are seen as a rite of passage.  The scars are also a mark of achievement and beauty. For example, men have scars showing combatants they killed in battle. The scars from the Bull Jumping ceremony are like an insurance policy for the women. That young man is indebted to them, if they ever need anything.
Their relatives will encourage the young men to whip them until their backs are shredded and bleeding.
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https://www.facebook.com/LaloToursEthiopia
http://www.lalotoursethiopia.com/
WhatsApp   +251 91 336 3077
lalotoursethiopia@gmail.com
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