The Hammer Tribe is one of the most well-known groups in Southern Ethiopia. They live east of the Omo River, with villages in Turmi and Dimeka. Tourists flock to the region to witness the traditional Bull Jumping Ceremony, a rite of passage where young men jump over bulls as part of their transition into adulthood.

Primarily cattle herders and farmers, the Hammer people are easily recognizable by their colorful jewelry, including bracelets, beads, and hair ornaments worn around their waists, arms, and hair. The tribe also practices body modification, which involves cutting themselves and filling the wounds with ash and charcoal. Married women wear distinctive circular wedge necklaces to signify their marital status, while men use white chalk to paint their bodies in preparation for ceremonies. Hair ornaments worn by men also symbolize their bravery, indicating a previous kill of either an enemy or an animal.

***The Bull Jumping Ceremony
The Hammer people value cattle deeply, and their culture revolves around pastoralism. A key ritual is the *Ukuli Bula*, or Bull Jumping Ceremony, which marks the transition of a young man (called *Ukuli*) from boyhood into adulthood. This event is a prerequisite for marriage and signifies the young man’s readiness to take on the responsibilities of family life. The ceremony typically takes place between July and March, after the harvest, and lasts all day, with the most dramatic moments occurring in the afternoon, after four o’clock.

Before the ceremony begins, the boy’s family invites relatives, friends, and neighbors by presenting ropes made of dried grass, tied in several equal sections. The event concludes with days of feasting, dancing, singing, and the sharing of sorghum beer and coffee, all provided by the Bull Jumper’s family.

Hundreds of guests attend the ceremony, including the *Maza*, unmarried young men who have recently completed their own Bull Jumping Ceremony. They arrive in a procession, adorned with feathers, necklaces, bracelets, and carrying thin, flexible branches that will be used in the ceremony.

On the day of the ceremony, the young women of the boy’s family, except for his mother, prepare by covering their hair and bodies with butter. They participate in dancing, singing, whistling, and blowing horns in a circle. The *Maza* then strike the women with whips, and the whipping serves as a demonstration of the women’s affection for the boy. The more blood that is drawn from the whips, the greater the women’s devotion to the boy, symbolizing their support as he transitions to adulthood.

The central part of the ceremony involves lining up 15 cattle, both cows and castrated oxen, which represent the women and children of the tribe. One person holds the head of each cow while another holds its tail. The cattle are smeared with dung to make them slippery, increasing the difficulty of the jump. The young man must leap over the entire line of cattle, and successfully doing so marks his passage into manhood.