Who Are the Surma?
The Surma (Suri) are an agro-pastoralist people of southwestern Ethiopia's Omo Valley and adjacent South Sudan, numbering approximately 35,000-40,000. They comprise three groups: the Chai, Tirma, and Bale. They speak Suri (Tirma), a Nilo-Saharan language related to Mursi. Like their Mursi neighbors, Surma women practice lip plate insertion, though the practice is declining among younger generations. The Surma are famous for their elaborate body painting—covering themselves in intricate patterns using white chalk, yellow mineral pigments, and charcoal mixed with cattle fat. They live in one of Africa's most isolated regions, maintaining traditions while facing similar pressures to other Omo Valley peoples from development, tourism, and inter-ethnic conflict.
Body Painting
Surma body painting represents perhaps the most elaborate living tradition of human body art. Both men and women paint their bodies and faces daily with natural pigments—white chalk from riverbeds, yellow and red ochre, and charcoal. Designs range from geometric patterns to representations of animals, plants, and abstract forms. Unlike permanent tattoos or scarification, body paint allows infinite creativity and variation. Young people especially invest time in elaborate designs to attract potential partners. Body painting has aesthetic, social, and spiritual dimensions—it transforms the human body, expresses identity and creativity, and prepares individuals for important occasions. The tradition predates tourist attention, though tourism has increased its visibility and sometimes its commercialization.
Donga Stick Fighting
Donga (saginay) is a ritual stick fighting tournament that brings Surma communities together, especially during harvest season. Young men fight one-on-one with long wooden poles, wearing minimal protection—sometimes just a cotton wrap around the head. Fighters try to knock opponents down; serious injuries and occasionally deaths occur. Donga provides young men opportunity to demonstrate courage, strength, and skill before potential wives and the community. Winners gain prestige and marriage prospects. The tournament is also social occasion, with body painting, singing, and courtship. Women cheer fighters and signal interest in victors. Donga reflects Surma warrior values—courage and fighting ability are highly esteemed in a society where cattle raiding and inter-ethnic conflict demand martial prowess. The ritual channels competitive violence into controlled, ceremonial form.
Contemporary Surma
Modern Surma face challenges similar to neighboring Omo Valley peoples. Ethiopian government development projects—dams, commercial agriculture, resettlement schemes—threaten traditional lands and livelihoods. The Gibe III dam has altered the Omo River's flooding patterns essential for cultivation. Conflict with neighboring groups (Nyangatom, Toposa, Dizi) over cattle and scarce resources has intensified, with modern weapons increasing casualties. Tourism provides income but raises ethical concerns about exploitation and cultural commodification. Some Surma villages charge tourists fees for photography, creating economic incentives to perform culture for visitors. Younger Surma increasingly seek education and alternative opportunities. The Ethiopian government has attempted to ban certain practices (lip plates, donga) with limited success. The Surma's future depends on land rights, sustainable development alternatives, and their own choices about cultural continuity and change.
References
- Abbink, J. (2009). The Suri People and the Struggle over Land
- Beckwith, C. & Fisher, A. (2002). African Ceremonies
- Abbink, J. (2000). Restoring the Balance: Violence and Culture among the Suri of Southern Ethiopia