Ethnic minorities on the edge.
These tribes live in the remote South West of Ethiopia. They are nomadic pastoralists living their lives in a relatively lush savanna region close to the border with Sudan. The Omo valley is well known for its diversity of tribal peoples and they do get substantial numbers of tourists each year bringing change and perhaps bringing to an end the sustainable existence they have had for Millennia.Tourism is perhaps leading to a reinvention of their tribal traits and traditions. The young girls and boys use innovative ways to adorn themselves. The use of clays has become a human art form. They compete with each other to attract tourist interest and financial gain from photography. Is this a bad thing, or merely evolution of traditional practices? They proudly show their scars, body art and enhance this with floral decoration. They use corn, berries, warthog tusks and cow horns to embellish their appearance. They work singly, in pairs or in clusters to draw interest. This brings the tribe an income to get medicines, food from markets but also, sadly, can lead to alcohol abuse. Tourism is, unquestionably, a double edged sword but it is going to grow, hence there might be a case for encouraging tribal sustainability through these innovative forms of adornment? Whatever the case the tribes must be the change they want to see in themselves. Self determination is integral to a sustainable future. Can they do this or will the external forces of change homogenise and result in their demise?