Blog 3 Ethiopia
B log 3
Ethiopia
May 28, 2012
Hi Everyone,
There is a lot to say and show so hope you will be patient and enjoy.
I have always had an interest in my ancestry, so before we left, I sent DNA samples to the National Geographic Genographic Project and recently received my results. Like all of you, my roots start right here in the Rift Valley in Ethiopia and then from there to North Africa, the Middlle East, and Southern Europe. And for my mother, like yours also, from here and then eventually to Russia. And in both cases, Ashkenazi Jewish. Just what I thought and hoped for. More detail another time.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church has it’s roots in very early Christianity, and one of their symbols is the Magen David – Star of David. When we went to visit a very famous church here and told them we were Jewish, we were warmly welcomed as family.
Guess what we found here – bagels. Well, kind of like bagels, but they were ok and we enjoyed them.
Many of the taxis here are OLD Russian Lada’s – still running (barely anyway).
Where we live, the caretaker cuts the lawn with hand grass clippers. WOW!
So to greet a woman, three kisses on the check, and then perhaps a shallow bow, and man to man a hearty handshake and a shoulder bump and perhaps hug. Pretty nice.
When I needed toilet paper in a restaurant bathroom, I asked the waiter who told me to go to the cashier who called the waiter who brought me 1 napkin!
On our trip to the South, we didn’t bring our Passports since we were not leaving the country, but it turned out we needed them because we were close to the border of Kenya. Well a copy of our passports and 50 Birr did the trick.
Before I tell you about our trip to the Omo Valley in the south to visit and photograph a number of interesting tribes, a word or two about work.
house parties and a major event at a restaurant where everything has been donated. Now we need the guests which I think we can manage. Also working on a concert and will know more about it in a few days. Finally getting the CDC to visit this coming Thursday which hope will lead to some more resources for our NGO. Also working on getting support from UNICEF for special food for kids who are HIV+. Did a nice brochure which is now being distributed. Hinda working on Job Descriptions and Clinic Protocols as well as the fundraising stuff. We are providing lots of ideas and input and are working very nicely with the very good staff who are helpful, kind, knowledgeable and more. This coming weekend we are going to host potluck which for them will be the first. We’ll see what we get.
Speaking of food those of you who thought we would be eating Ethiopian food morning noon and night, think again. Lots of good Italian food here. Great coffee and macciattos, and of course great Ethiopian fare – a bit spicy for Hinda but fine for me. Remember our stomachs have different temperaments;.
The money here is so old it actually smells. Yes, that’s right.
We took a 9 day trip to the south to visit a number of tribes who live in the Omo valley and have provided you some photos of them.
A highlight of the trip was being able to witness and photograph bull jumping. A young man in order to marry must prove his manhood by running over the backs of 8 – 10 bulls 4 times without falling. His parents will choose a woman for him to marry. As a part of this ritual of the Hammar tribe. A male relative of the young man whips his female relatives to prove their love for him. Interesting – yes. Graphic – yes.
After the bull jumping, later in the evening we went to a celebratory dance in the Hammar village, but not long after we got there it began to pour, really pour. We ran into a hut which was leaking so badly that they people who were in there with us had to hold cowhides over our head. One of the Hammar girls moved next to me and kept me warm, but she only moved because she was getting too wet and wanted to help cover me. Oh well.
We also got caught in a big rain in an Ari village we visited, but the house we ducked into was completely waterproof and we stayed dry.
Some of the tribes live in very remote places and their live is difficult to say the least. A lot of death from malaria, waterborne diseases, maternal and infant during childbirth and more. No family planning Lots of babies in arms with pregnant mothers. Very young children carrying toddlers.
The women do all of the carrying – water, wood, supplies, to and from the market. Very heavy – 40 to 50 kilos, (100 pounds+). Many men drink and chew khat.
Both work in the fields. No machinery, all agriculture for the most part is manual. Drought when it comes is a killer as you know from recent history here.
In some tribes, the young men don’t go to school until they are in their late teens so they can spend their youth helping in the village taking care of cows, planting and harvesting, etc. Some will not return to the village but stay away, while the girls don’t go to school and remain in the village living a very rural lifestyle along with whatever good or bad comes with it.
We believe that it is important to preserve the culture but at the same time we think that it is important and possible to protect against malaria, dysentery and other diseases. But this is not an easy task in a country like this among people who have animist belief systems.
With some of the tribes there is both male and female circumcision, others, not. While HIV is a problem here in Ethiopia, especially here in Addis, it is not much of a problem in the tribal villages – yet. Hope that continues, and it is so in part because of those same belief systems. Who you can have sex with, when, who you can marry, etc.
I had to pay for nearly all of the photos I took about 2 Birr/photo. 1 Birr is about 5.5.US cents. That is ok. I am taking something from them, and they are earning some money. It all works out. One of the funny things is that pregnant women want 1 Birr for their unborn child I didn’t agree to that though.
Ethiopia is a beautiful country. Lush, very green this time of the year. Fertile land and fields. High hills and mountains. And for the most part, good roads, although we did have our share of driving on some pretty rough dirt and muddy roads and through some flash flooding,
That is about all for now. Perhaps this has gone on too long.
More next time after our trip to the historic north at the end of June: Queen of Sheba, Ark of the Covenant and more. Stay tuned.
Love,
Peter
Ethiopia
May 28, 2012
Hi Everyone,
There is a lot to say and show so hope you will be patient and enjoy.
I have always had an interest in my ancestry, so before we left, I sent DNA samples to the National Geographic Genographic Project and recently received my results. Like all of you, my roots start right here in the Rift Valley in Ethiopia and then from there to North Africa, the Middlle East, and Southern Europe. And for my mother, like yours also, from here and then eventually to Russia. And in both cases, Ashkenazi Jewish. Just what I thought and hoped for. More detail another time.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church has it’s roots in very early Christianity, and one of their symbols is the Magen David – Star of David. When we went to visit a very famous church here and told them we were Jewish, we were warmly welcomed as family.
Guess what we found here – bagels. Well, kind of like bagels, but they were ok and we enjoyed them.
Many of the taxis here are OLD Russian Lada’s – still running (barely anyway).
Where we live, the caretaker cuts the lawn with hand grass clippers. WOW!
So to greet a woman, three kisses on the check, and then perhaps a shallow bow, and man to man a hearty handshake and a shoulder bump and perhaps hug. Pretty nice.
When I needed toilet paper in a restaurant bathroom, I asked the waiter who told me to go to the cashier who called the waiter who brought me 1 napkin!
On our trip to the South, we didn’t bring our Passports since we were not leaving the country, but it turned out we needed them because we were close to the border of Kenya. Well a copy of our passports and 50 Birr did the trick.
Before I tell you about our trip to the Omo Valley in the south to visit and photograph a number of interesting tribes, a word or two about work.
house parties and a major event at a restaurant where everything has been donated. Now we need the guests which I think we can manage. Also working on a concert and will know more about it in a few days. Finally getting the CDC to visit this coming Thursday which hope will lead to some more resources for our NGO. Also working on getting support from UNICEF for special food for kids who are HIV+. Did a nice brochure which is now being distributed. Hinda working on Job Descriptions and Clinic Protocols as well as the fundraising stuff. We are providing lots of ideas and input and are working very nicely with the very good staff who are helpful, kind, knowledgeable and more. This coming weekend we are going to host potluck which for them will be the first. We’ll see what we get.
Speaking of food those of you who thought we would be eating Ethiopian food morning noon and night, think again. Lots of good Italian food here. Great coffee and macciattos, and of course great Ethiopian fare – a bit spicy for Hinda but fine for me. Remember our stomachs have different temperaments;.
The money here is so old it actually smells. Yes, that’s right.
We took a 9 day trip to the south to visit a number of tribes who live in the Omo valley and have provided you some photos of them.
A highlight of the trip was being able to witness and photograph bull jumping. A young man in order to marry must prove his manhood by running over the backs of 8 – 10 bulls 4 times without falling. His parents will choose a woman for him to marry. As a part of this ritual of the Hammar tribe. A male relative of the young man whips his female relatives to prove their love for him. Interesting – yes. Graphic – yes.
After the bull jumping, later in the evening we went to a celebratory dance in the Hammar village, but not long after we got there it began to pour, really pour. We ran into a hut which was leaking so badly that they people who were in there with us had to hold cowhides over our head. One of the Hammar girls moved next to me and kept me warm, but she only moved because she was getting too wet and wanted to help cover me. Oh well.
We also got caught in a big rain in an Ari village we visited, but the house we ducked into was completely waterproof and we stayed dry.
Some of the tribes live in very remote places and their live is difficult to say the least. A lot of death from malaria, waterborne diseases, maternal and infant during childbirth and more. No family planning Lots of babies in arms with pregnant mothers. Very young children carrying toddlers.
The women do all of the carrying – water, wood, supplies, to and from the market. Very heavy – 40 to 50 kilos, (100 pounds+). Many men drink and chew khat.
Both work in the fields. No machinery, all agriculture for the most part is manual. Drought when it comes is a killer as you know from recent history here.
In some tribes, the young men don’t go to school until they are in their late teens so they can spend their youth helping in the village taking care of cows, planting and harvesting, etc. Some will not return to the village but stay away, while the girls don’t go to school and remain in the village living a very rural lifestyle along with whatever good or bad comes with it.
We believe that it is important to preserve the culture but at the same time we think that it is important and possible to protect against malaria, dysentery and other diseases. But this is not an easy task in a country like this among people who have animist belief systems.
With some of the tribes there is both male and female circumcision, others, not. While HIV is a problem here in Ethiopia, especially here in Addis, it is not much of a problem in the tribal villages – yet. Hope that continues, and it is so in part because of those same belief systems. Who you can have sex with, when, who you can marry, etc.
I had to pay for nearly all of the photos I took about 2 Birr/photo. 1 Birr is about 5.5.US cents. That is ok. I am taking something from them, and they are earning some money. It all works out. One of the funny things is that pregnant women want 1 Birr for their unborn child I didn’t agree to that though.
Ethiopia is a beautiful country. Lush, very green this time of the year. Fertile land and fields. High hills and mountains. And for the most part, good roads, although we did have our share of driving on some pretty rough dirt and muddy roads and through some flash flooding,
That is about all for now. Perhaps this has gone on too long.
More next time after our trip to the historic north at the end of June: Queen of Sheba, Ark of the Covenant and more. Stay tuned.
Love,
Peter
posted by Peter and Hinda Schnurman at 6:20 AM
2 Comments:
Thanks for all the detail. I appreciate it. And I'm glad to know you paid the people to be subjects of your photos.
Amazing pictures and very interesting commentary. What an adventure! When you talk about preserving cultures, I am not sure what you mean. There are certain practices that I would hope would not be preserved-like the whipping thing and the female circumcision thing. You should respect cultural practices, but you certainly don't have to like them! Lisa Dworkin Kerr
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