taking photos of the mursi tribe in ethiopias Omo Valley
A Mursi tribe village is always a memorable African tribe to visit. They move their villages within Mago National Park which is in the South of Ethiopia near the town of Jinka. The Mursi tribal villages can be remote enough and deep within the park so no tourists visit, or easy enough to locate and attract many tourists. They can be a bit edgy and unpredictable when drunk, but that is obviously not unique to the Mursi tribe but anyone that drinks too much!
The people in the Mursi Tribe village that want their photo taken will try to get your attention
Be mindful of what props they grab for your attention that you may or may not want included in photos. I’ve seen them grab crazy headpieces, balance unnecessary things on heads, hold a newspaper from America and more!
Mursi tribe woman with large ear plug
I used a low angle so I could overexpose the sky to create the white background.
This woman originally tried to get my attention with many beads unnaturally around her head. She got my attention, but I asked her to remove the recently added decoration so I could take her portrait with a more natural feel.
Mursi tribe women portraits with lip plates
The lip plates and ear plugs look great front on and also side on when taking Mursi tribe portraits of the women.
Mursi tribe portrait of woman with lip plate removed
You can get some great Mursi tribe portraits of the women with their lip plates removed, as they don’t keep their lip plates in all day. To find out more about the lip plate traditions please read a past blog post full of information on the Surma tribe lip plate tradition CLICK HERE
The bottom teeth are removed and the bottom lip stretched over time for the lip plates. When the lip plates are removed the bottom expanded lip dangles.
mursi tribe woman portrait with ear plug removed and body scarring
The younger generation of girls are discontinuing with the lip plate tradition, but the body scarring and ear plugs are very much admired and still part of their culture.
Mursi tribe photos of boys at sunrise protecting crops with slingshot
I always arrive to the Mursi tribe village early on my Omo Valley photography tours. Seeing the Mursi boys warming up by a fire and starting their day is wonderful to see and capture.
Mursi tribe boys wait in a tree
Trying to get your attention so you take their photos, you will often find Mursi children climbing trees or sitting waiting for you to spot them.
Black and White photos of mursi tribe boy warming up by a fire
Look for fires and quiet opportunities to connect and capture some memorable moments.
Mursi tribe portrait amongst the trees
Close up tribal portraits are great, but so are wider photos that capture their surroundings.
Mursi womens back showing intricate hair pattern and back body scarring
When it is colder in the mornings you often don’t see the tribes backs as they are covered with blankets or cloth. Once the morning warms up it is amazing to see some of their body scarring on their backs.
Close up photo of Mursi children holding hands with their bracelets
Sometimes less is more…what can you crop out to make your photo have more impact?
These girls are wearing the “M” shaped bracelets that are worn by the Mursi tribe.
Mursi tribe girl and women portraits
In a Mursi tribe village there is always a big variety of culture and fashion to photograph. Body painting, ear plugs, unique hairstyles and headdresses, body scarring and intricate eyebrow designs are some of the things you can capture in when you visit Ethiopias Mursi people.
The mursi tribe men have body scarring and some love having their photos taken
You can usually spot the men that are keen to have their photos taken. They are not as demanding as the women to get your attention, rather quietly observing and hoping you’ll ask them for a photo. I find the young children and men the easiest and most laid back in a Mursi tribal village. Whilst the Mursi tribe young adult girls and younger woman can be quite challenging and demanding; although this certainly depends on the day and the village and varies greatly.
close up of body scarring on mens chest
Due to nudity guidelines with womens nipples there are many Omo Valley tribal photos of women I can’t share on social media or put online. Fortunately some of the men love showing off their body scarification on chests and are happy for you to capture the details of this fashionable, yet painful practice.
On a relaxed day in a Mursi tribe vilage you’ll see many smiles and friendly faces!
To find out about Mursi tribe facts, culture and information and visiting them please check out my previous blog post CLICK HERE
Travel with me on an Omo Valley Photography Tour and photograph the Mursi tribe
Interested in joining me to visit the Mursi tribe? One of my Omo Valley Photography Tour itineraries includes visiting the Mursi tribe CLICK HERE to express your interest and get more information.