Kristyn Taylor, Whipping the Hamar Women (DOCO 2024)

An important part of the Ethiopian Hamar Tribe coming of age Bull Jumping Ceremony is the whipping of the women. The women endure the pain of being whipped with a thin sapling branch that skims around their arms and rips into their backs, to show their love. The women wait all day, on a dry river bed in the scorching sun for the arrival of the young men chosen to be the whippers. When they hear them coming the women chase after the young men, thrusting their sapling branches in his hand so he can whip them. They jeer and taunt the young man, not showing any fear or pain while the other women watch. The criss crossed scars on the women's backs are a declaration of their love for their family. However, sometimes the mask of bravery drops and there are signs of distress and a helping hand is extended.

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