The Omo valley in Ethiopia is one of Africa’s most isolated wilderness areas. Photographers Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher visited the communities of Kara on the river’s east side and Nyangatom on the west, where they captured the season of wooing.
The Kara’s wooing season starts when they have free time after the harvest. A mixture of chalk and water is used by young guys to paint intricate drawings on their bodies as they sit by the river. After a day of dancing, the patterns will fade and need to be repainted.
Men were painting their bodies in Nyangatom communities as they prepared for courtship dances while doing so in the shade of a tree.
In order to invite the males to the dance, a group of seductive young girls with short beaded aprons and faces painted in black and white marched out of the village. When the girls approached the men one at a time, they came forward and made a bow in front of the men of their choosing, signaling their decision.
The men then formed long lines and leapt in unison in the direction of the females. Then, the man followed after the girl, and when he eventually grabbed her, the duo started dancing in time.
