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Body Adornment Collection

Background imageBody Adornment Collection: Up to a year before his circumcision

Up to a year before his circumcision, a Samburu boy will style his hair in a distinctive pudding bowl shape and often rub charcoal and fat into it

Background imageBody Adornment Collection: Msai warriors draw water from a deep well

Msai warriors draw water from a deep well. The depth of wells is measured by the number of men required to bring water to the cattle troughs at the top of them

Background imageBody Adornment Collection: A Msai warrior

A Msai warrior, his face and body decorated with red ochre and clay, wears an ostrich feather headdress. This singular adornment was once worn by warriors going into battle

Background imageBody Adornment Collection: A Msai warrior with his long braids and body coated

A Msai warrior with his long braids and body coated with red ochre mixed with animal fat. He has put ochre dust round his eyes to enhance his appearance ready for a dance

Background imageBody Adornment Collection: Detail of a Msai warriors ear ornaments and

Detail of a Msai warriors ear ornaments and other beaded or metal adornments. The Msai practice of piercing ears in adolescence and gradually elongating the lobes is gradually dying out

Background imageBody Adornment Collection: Nyangatom men their faces and bodies with stylised

Nyangatom men their faces and bodies with stylised patterns using natural pigments obtained from chalk, ochre and crushed rock prior to a dance

Background imageBody Adornment Collection: The men hold hands forming a circle within which the

The men hold hands forming a circle within which the women dance in the Karo village of Duss. A small Omotic tribe related to the Hamar

Background imageBody Adornment Collection: Men and women dance together in the Karo village of Duss

Men and women dance together in the Karo village of Duss. A small Omotic tribe related to the Hamar, the Karo live along the banks of the Omo River in southwestern Ethiopia

Background imageBody Adornment Collection: A Mursi woman wearing a large clay lip plate

A Mursi woman wearing a large clay lip plate. Shortly before marriage, a girls lower lip will be pierced and progressively stretched over a year or so

Background imageBody Adornment Collection: A Karo man with braided hair plays a traditional stringed

A Karo man with braided hair plays a traditional stringed instrument beside the Omo River near Duss. Young men settle disputes by fighting with hippo hide whips

Background imageBody Adornment Collection: A Himba woman in traditional attire

A Himba woman in traditional attire. Her body gleams from a mixture of red ochre, butterfat and herbs. Her long hair is styled in the traditional Himba way

Background imageBody Adornment Collection: Almost every Himba woman wears anklets

Almost every Himba woman wears anklets. They comprise strands of homemade metal beads threaded onto leather. Women cover their bodies in red ochre mixed with butterfat

Background imageBody Adornment Collection: A Pokomo drummer from the Tana River district of Kenya

A Pokomo drummer from the Tana River district of Kenya

Background imageBody Adornment Collection: A Msai warrior blows a trumpet fashioned from the

A Msai warrior blows a trumpet fashioned from the horn of a Greater Kudu. The strap is decorated with cowrie shells. Kudu-horn trumpets are only sounded to call men to arms or on ceremonial occasions

Background imageBody Adornment Collection: A back view of a Msai warrior resplendent with long

A back view of a Msai warrior resplendent with long ochred braids tied in a pigtail. This singular hairstyle sets him apart from other members of his society

Background imageBody Adornment Collection: A young Samburu man leads a donkey carrying the basic

A young Samburu man leads a donkey carrying the basic structure of a temporary home. The curved sticks will be tied together in a dome and covered with hides

Background imageBody Adornment Collection: A woman of the Mursi tribe

A woman of the Mursi tribe. Once married Mursi women pierce their lower lip and stretch it by inserting increasingly large plugs until they can wear a clay lip plate

Background imageBody Adornment Collection: An elder of the Karo tribe rests with his head on his

An elder of the Karo tribe rests with his head on his wooden head-rest which protects his elaborate clay hairdo. Every man carries a headrest which doubles as a stool

Background imageBody Adornment Collection: Two Mursi men with singular hairstyles play a game

Two Mursi men with singular hairstyles play a game of bau as a young boy watches them. Most men possess rifles to protect their families from hostile neighbours


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