ARBORE PEOPLE: ETHIOPIA`S ANCIENT FASHIONABLE TRIBE AND SPECIALISTS IN SORGHUM CULTIVATION
The Arbore or Erbore are Cushitic agro-pastoral people dwelling in southwestern Omo Valley Ethiopia. Their population is estimated to be around 7000. The Arbore territory is a savanna grassland around 500 m elevation. The Weito River (local name Lima) flows from north to south and runs into the Lake Chew Bahir (Chelbz), on the border between Ethiopia and Kenya. The people live along the lower part of the river.
Beautiful girls from Arbore tribe in Ethiopia`s Omo Valley
The Arbore trace their ancestry from some of their neighbors like the Borana or the Marle, as is codified in the Arbore myths. The Arbore culture is ancient but not static. Arbore is said to be the name of the first ancestor of the Arbore Girl tribe. Arebore "ar" means land and "bore" also means bull. Therefor Arbore means "land of Bulls." They actually call themselves "Hoor", in reference to their dependence on the inundated flats.
Arbore man performing body painting on a boy by the riverside.
Arbore together with their neighbors Konso and the Burji have Cushitic Konso language as their lingua franca. The Arbore sing and dance whiles performing rituals,they believe that their singing and dancing eliminates negative energy and with the negative energy gone, the tribe will prosper. The Arbore are very active traders and spread into distant areas.
Arbore elders
Although the Arbore have well developed technology and knowledge for herding cattle, they depend on plant cultivation for most of their food. The Arbore provide cereal grains for neighboring groups through bond partnerships.
Beautiful Arbore girl from Gandarabba,Omo Valley Ethiopia
The productivity of riverine environment occupied by the Arbore is thus crucial for neighbors, especially during drought. The crops grown by the Arbore are sorghum, maize,cow pea, green, gourd and pumpkin. Among these crops, sorghum is the most important in terms of the amount of starch produced and the number of varieties present.
The Arbore, the sorghum growing specialist among the tribes in Omo valley depends on both rainfall and the Weito river for their sorghum cultivation. There are two rainy seasons. The big rain, from March to May, is quite reliable, but the small rain , from October to November, is not reliable. The Arbore call the big rain "guh," and the small rain "hagai," and the two intervening dry seasons are called "maar."
Arbore girls
The Arbore consists of a northern division called Arbore (Gondorobba), and a southern division called Marle. The northern Arbore have a close relationship with the Tsamai, and the Marle have a close ancestral and cultural relationship with the Konso, who dwell on the northern shore of the Lake Turkana.
Arbore people
Each major social division embraces two geographically distinct communities, or villages(dirr). The northern Arbore (Gondorobba) occupy the villages of Gandara`ba (their main center and the residence of their paramount chief), Kulam, and Kuyle and the Marle occupy the villages of Murale and Egude. These villages are autonomous social units. Each has a religious chief (kawot), a political chief (kernet) and a group of elders (jalaab).
Areas of inundated flat are assigned to each household by elders called mura (Ayalew 1993). Arbore kwot performs rain-making functions too. All floods recede, the elders of neighboring villages meet to decide where to draw borders on the inundated flats along the river; in this way the arable areas are divided and distributed to each village.
Portrait of Arbore tribe girl
The social life of Arbore men are organized within age-grade system. Men of an age-grade are known as 'Gimm" (its generally mean contemporary). There are four age grades, namely Ogarsa,Gidama, Maarol and Wattana. Men who have passed through each grade of the system are said to belong to "Gerda" ( singular; "Greer" means Elder,Old man,husband). The final age-grade period culminates in a special ceremony called 'Nar."
Arbore Gerda (elders)
Arbore tribe young men
Clictoridectomy is practiced on the women of Arbore tribe. The operation is done during the period of prolong marriage rites, and the precedes consummation of marriage and the establishment of nuptial households by a period of four months to two years.
Beautiful old woman from Arbore tribe
Whiles Arbore men will take wives from Booran, Dassanech, Rendile or even Burji, they will usually not take wives from Konso or hammer tribes. Only in the Kuyle where men marry from Tsamako people, and even in that case other Arbore tribe people look down upon that marriage because Tsamako women are not circumcised.
Beautiful Arbore tribe girls from Ethiopia`s Omo Valley
The Arbore distinguish four types of field according to ecological status and the social rules of distribution: (1) Gofa irit are fields made in areas of the plain that are not inundated. The fields are usually in small depressions that receive rainwater from an adjacent hill and are cultivated shortly after a rainy season has finished. (2) Dabante dersit are fields made at the center of the inundated flats.
Arbore boy. Ethiopia. The Arbore tribe from the lower Omo valley lives in a desert-like area - they
are pastorals and this gives them their name - ar means bull and bore land - the land of the bulls.
The mura distribute plots to each household, demarcating the borders with sticks called saaban. After distribution, the schedule of cultivation is put under the control of the mura. Dabante dersit are the most important fields for the people because they retain the most moisture . (3) Simako are made on areas of the inundated flats that have not been allocated as dabante dersit. ( 4) Luchi are made in riverine forest. These fields are usually small, and few in number.
In the past, they used to possess the monopoly of the ivory trade. They exchange cattle for agricultural products from the Amare Kokke and aquire worked iron from the Kerre and Borana. The Arbore build their huts slightly oval in shape. The Arbore have a bodily mutilation of raised dots on the chest and abdomen. The Arbore believe in a Supreme Being creator and father of men whom they call Waq.
Arbore Virgin girl. Arbore women are well know for their long headdresses. The girls shave their heads to indicate virginity, and only start growing hair after marriage .Arbore Tribe, Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia
The women of the tribe cover their heads with a black cloth and are known to wear very colorful necklaces and earrings. Young children will wear a shell type hat that protects their heads from the sun.
Arbore boy with a painted face
Body painting is done by the Arbore using natural colors made from solid and stone. Traditional dancing is practiced by the tribe and wealth is measured by the number of cattle a tribesman owns. Arbore is one of Ethiopia Cultural Tour in Omo Valley.
Source:http://books.google.com.gh/books?id=G6iE-NX6GCIC&pg=PA4&lpg=PA4&dq=arbore+CULTURE&source=bl&ots=bXQzqbxGMJ&sig=H7GuX4y-nnXfcCJeHwFZAcgUuNk&hl=en&sa=X&ei=WGz9UNjXCcjZswbWjoCADA&redir_esc=y#v=onepage
Awesome Photo shots of Beautiful Arbore People
Boy wearing Arbore face art
The Arbore tribe is a small tribe that lives in the southwest region of the Omo Valley.
Arbore people are pastoralists. The women of the tribe cover their heads with a black cloth and are known to wear very colorful necklaces and earrings. Body painting is done by the Arbore using natural colors made from soil and stone. Traditional dancing is practiced by the tribe and wealth is measured by the number of cattle a tribesman owns.
Portrait of Arbore girl
Arbore Innocence II - Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia. Young Abore sisters in small settlement near Weita River in Ethiopia's Southern Nations, Nationalities and People's Region.
Little shepherd
Portrait of a girl from Arbore tribe carrying firewood on her back
Arbore mother and child
Arbore sandstorm. This boy was protecting himself in a old tree. Arbore are a nomadic tribe who live in a desert part of Omo Valley
Arbore fashionable girls of Ethiopia omo Valley
Arbore mother and child; Mama Africa
Erbore boys playing in trees - Omo Ethiopia
The Arbore trace their ancestry from some of their neighbors like the Borana or the Marle, as is codified in the Arbore myths. The Arbore culture is ancient but not static. Arbore is said to be the name of the first ancestor of the Arbore Girl tribe. Arebore "ar" means land and "bore" also means bull. Therefor Arbore means "land of Bulls." They actually call themselves "Hoor", in reference to their dependence on the inundated flats.
Arbore man performing body painting on a boy by the riverside.
Arbore together with their neighbors Konso and the Burji have Cushitic Konso language as their lingua franca. The Arbore sing and dance whiles performing rituals,they believe that their singing and dancing eliminates negative energy and with the negative energy gone, the tribe will prosper. The Arbore are very active traders and spread into distant areas.
Arbore elders
Although the Arbore have well developed technology and knowledge for herding cattle, they depend on plant cultivation for most of their food. The Arbore provide cereal grains for neighboring groups through bond partnerships.
The productivity of riverine environment occupied by the Arbore is thus crucial for neighbors, especially during drought. The crops grown by the Arbore are sorghum, maize,cow pea, green, gourd and pumpkin. Among these crops, sorghum is the most important in terms of the amount of starch produced and the number of varieties present.
The Arbore, the sorghum growing specialist among the tribes in Omo valley depends on both rainfall and the Weito river for their sorghum cultivation. There are two rainy seasons. The big rain, from March to May, is quite reliable, but the small rain , from October to November, is not reliable. The Arbore call the big rain "guh," and the small rain "hagai," and the two intervening dry seasons are called "maar."
Arbore girls
The Arbore consists of a northern division called Arbore (Gondorobba), and a southern division called Marle. The northern Arbore have a close relationship with the Tsamai, and the Marle have a close ancestral and cultural relationship with the Konso, who dwell on the northern shore of the Lake Turkana.
Each major social division embraces two geographically distinct communities, or villages(dirr). The northern Arbore (Gondorobba) occupy the villages of Gandara`ba (their main center and the residence of their paramount chief), Kulam, and Kuyle and the Marle occupy the villages of Murale and Egude. These villages are autonomous social units. Each has a religious chief (kawot), a political chief (kernet) and a group of elders (jalaab).
Areas of inundated flat are assigned to each household by elders called mura (Ayalew 1993). Arbore kwot performs rain-making functions too. All floods recede, the elders of neighboring villages meet to decide where to draw borders on the inundated flats along the river; in this way the arable areas are divided and distributed to each village.
The social life of Arbore men are organized within age-grade system. Men of an age-grade are known as 'Gimm" (its generally mean contemporary). There are four age grades, namely Ogarsa,Gidama, Maarol and Wattana. Men who have passed through each grade of the system are said to belong to "Gerda" ( singular; "Greer" means Elder,Old man,husband). The final age-grade period culminates in a special ceremony called 'Nar."
Arbore Gerda (elders)
Arbore tribe young men
Clictoridectomy is practiced on the women of Arbore tribe. The operation is done during the period of prolong marriage rites, and the precedes consummation of marriage and the establishment of nuptial households by a period of four months to two years.
Beautiful old woman from Arbore tribe
Whiles Arbore men will take wives from Booran, Dassanech, Rendile or even Burji, they will usually not take wives from Konso or hammer tribes. Only in the Kuyle where men marry from Tsamako people, and even in that case other Arbore tribe people look down upon that marriage because Tsamako women are not circumcised.
The Arbore distinguish four types of field according to ecological status and the social rules of distribution: (1) Gofa irit are fields made in areas of the plain that are not inundated. The fields are usually in small depressions that receive rainwater from an adjacent hill and are cultivated shortly after a rainy season has finished. (2) Dabante dersit are fields made at the center of the inundated flats.
are pastorals and this gives them their name - ar means bull and bore land - the land of the bulls.
The mura distribute plots to each household, demarcating the borders with sticks called saaban. After distribution, the schedule of cultivation is put under the control of the mura. Dabante dersit are the most important fields for the people because they retain the most moisture . (3) Simako are made on areas of the inundated flats that have not been allocated as dabante dersit. ( 4) Luchi are made in riverine forest. These fields are usually small, and few in number.
Arbore tribe kids
In the past, they used to possess the monopoly of the ivory trade. They exchange cattle for agricultural products from the Amare Kokke and aquire worked iron from the Kerre and Borana. The Arbore build their huts slightly oval in shape. The Arbore have a bodily mutilation of raised dots on the chest and abdomen. The Arbore believe in a Supreme Being creator and father of men whom they call Waq.
Arbore Virgin girl. Arbore women are well know for their long headdresses. The girls shave their heads to indicate virginity, and only start growing hair after marriage .Arbore Tribe, Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia
The women of the tribe cover their heads with a black cloth and are known to wear very colorful necklaces and earrings. Young children will wear a shell type hat that protects their heads from the sun.
Body painting is done by the Arbore using natural colors made from solid and stone. Traditional dancing is practiced by the tribe and wealth is measured by the number of cattle a tribesman owns. Arbore is one of Ethiopia Cultural Tour in Omo Valley.
Tribal Arbore kids dressed in goatskin skirts
Source:http://books.google.com.gh/books?id=G6iE-NX6GCIC&pg=PA4&lpg=PA4&dq=arbore+CULTURE&source=bl&ots=bXQzqbxGMJ&sig=H7GuX4y-nnXfcCJeHwFZAcgUuNk&hl=en&sa=X&ei=WGz9UNjXCcjZswbWjoCADA&redir_esc=y#v=onepage
Awesome Photo shots of Beautiful Arbore People
Portrait of Lago. Lago places strong importance on her identity as a member of the Arbore. Each tribe of the Omo valley has a specific way of dressing and decorating themselves as a way to visually associate themselves with their unique customs and values.
Arbore Tribe, Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia
The Arbore tribe is a small tribe that lives in the southwest region of the Omo Valley.
Arbore people are pastoralists. The women of the tribe cover their heads with a black cloth and are known to wear very colorful necklaces and earrings. Body painting is done by the Arbore using natural colors made from soil and stone. Traditional dancing is practiced by the tribe and wealth is measured by the number of cattle a tribesman owns.
Portrait of Arbore girl
Arbore Innocence II - Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia. Young Abore sisters in small settlement near Weita River in Ethiopia's Southern Nations, Nationalities and People's Region.
Little shepherd
Teenage Arbore girl
Portrait of a girl from Arbore tribe carrying firewood on her back
Arbore mother and child
Arbore sandstorm. This boy was protecting himself in a old tree. Arbore are a nomadic tribe who live in a desert part of Omo Valley
Arbore fashionable girls of Ethiopia omo Valley
Arbore mother and child; Mama Africa
Erbore boys playing in trees - Omo Ethiopia
This is not a tropical illness! The Erbore men had to find a nice make up to attract attention, as the Erbore girls are the sexiest ones in south Ethiopia!
Beautiful!
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