The Bodi Tribe In Ethiopia Where Men Drink Blood And Milk

The men show the strain as they run.

Every child wants to become one of the fat men.

Ethiopia is a land of many cultures that have also been preserved despite civilization. Along Lower Omo valley river in Southern Ethiopia resides one of these kinds: the Bodi Tribe. The Bodi people are neighbours to the Mursi Tribe. Bodi people are agriculturalists who still engage in trade by barter system. These pastoral people revere their cows.

One of the Bodi tribe's fat men with his family.

Their cows are so special to them that its blood together with fresh milk is a source of food for this people. Rather than kill the cows, they make a hole in one of its veins to get the blood out and close it back with clay. These animals are used in certain ceremonies and among ceremonies is the peculiar new year celebration.

A cow is killed at the climax of the celebrations using a sacred stone.

The elders look for future portents in the cow's blood.

At the start of each year [ month of June in Gregorian calendar], they hold a “Ka’el ceremony” (ceremony of fat men) to also mark the new year celebrations. The Ka’el ceremony is a competition for men who are not married which involves drinking the blood mixture. The 14 clans present a man who is single and they deem fit for the competition.

Kael, the fat men contest of the Bodi tribe.

Those who are contesting prepare for six months. During this period, he must not have sex and must not be seen outside his hut. There is a procedure for drinking the first bowl of 2 litres at sunrise while the rest comes easy and is taken all day. It is not unusual to also see some of these contestants vomit the mixture because two litres was more than can drink.

The feat begins six months before the Ka'el ceremony when participants retire to their huts where they stay, while the women bring them food.

 The men design their bodies with clay and ashes before emerging from their huts for the walk to the spot where the ceremony will take place.

Every part of the men's bodies are daubed with the ash and clay mixture and the men also wear colourful beaded necklaces and bracelets.

The dress code for the ceremony also includes a selection of beautifully worked headdresses, in this case, one made from a mixture of cowrie shells and ostrich plumes.

On the day of the competition, they cover themselves with clay and ashes and display their acrobatic skills. As part of the competition, they run around sacred trees for hours sometimes with the assistance of women. While at it, they are under the watchful eyes of their judges.

Once the men are ready to go, they walk to the sacred tree where the ceremony takes place - a challenge for them because of their weight.

The fat men run or walk around the village's special tree, watched by the tribe's elders and other men, and helped by the women.

During the walk and the ceremony that follows, the Bodi women are on hand to help out the fat men with drinks of water and fortifying alcohol.

After hours of running around the tree in the scorching sun, the men wait to hear who will take the title of the Bodi's fattest man.

Young men during the fat men ceremony.

Exhausted: The men have to take regular breaks.

The 2013 champion will be considered a hero for the rest of his life.

After this, the people use a sacred stone on a cow before killing it. The intestines are then used to predict what the year holds. When a winner is chosen by the elderly judges, they crown him, fat man of the year title. Just like other beauty pageants, there is a prize only this time, it is the lifelong admiration of the Bodi people.

Runner up: This impressively chubby chap didn't quite make the grade.

A Bodi woman wipes away the sweat of one of the fat men.

A cow is killed at the climax of the celebrations using a sacred stone.

One of the men enjoys his last blood and milk meals of the day.

The Bodi women also use the ceremony as an opportunity to inspect potential husbands.

The women await the results with just as much interest as the men - the majority of Bodi girls hope to one day marry one of the fat men if they can.

Most of the women boast elaborate scar patterns on their skin.

A Bodi woman living in the threatened village of Hana Mursi displays her spectacular scar patterns and elegant gold coiled cuff jewellery.

Bodi women also wear ash and white clay, but in this case, the woman pictured has used it only for her hair.

The Bodi tribeswomen wear beautifully bright clothes for the ceremony.

The Bodi's traditional lifestyle is under threat because of government plans to settle 300,000 people from all over Ethiopia in Hana Mursi, the main Bodi town.