14 DAY TRIAL // Putting on the perfect make-up is a common practice in the Western world, because it makes women feel more confident and attractive, but it seems that the same is valid for women of the Karo tribe in Ethiopia.
Although they live in an area that is worlds apart from urban life, Karo people use white chalk, colored ochre, yellow mineral rock, charcoal, and pulverized iron ore, all natural resources available in their area, to embellish their bodies with paintings that make them feel more beautiful.
The Karo tribe lives along the borders of the Lower Omo River in southern Ethiopia and their rituals incorporate rich cultural symbolism. With around 2000 members, the Karo tribe is considered to be the dominant sedentary agriculturalist group in the Lower Omo Valley area. They raise goats and cattle, fish in the river and grow maize, sorghum and beans.
Its members differentiate themselves from many of the neighboring tribes by excelling specifically in body and face painting. They elaborate complex paintings to ornate their bodies, wear intricate headdresses, and practice body scarification to express beauty and significance within their community.
They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so as long as they are comfortable with themselves, they can wear or paint whatever they like.
Women from this Ethiopian tribe wear only a loincloth decorated with beads and cowries and they create elaborate designs to cover their bodies and stand out of the crowd. They draw circles, spirals and cross-hatched designs to look more attractive.
In addition, men and children also like to paint their faces and bodies with chalk. The designs that cover their bodies are varied and may change daily. They range from simple lines to handprints and complex animal motifs.
For important festivities and the ritual combats between the clans, the Karo men also use to cover their faces and bodies with ashes mixed with fat, which symbolize masculinity and strength, in order to intimidate people from other tribes or to show off their status.
These daily artistic practices are meant for self-pleasure and pride, respect and symbolic recognition within their society.
American photographer and student Vicente Pamparo captured the beauty of the tribal make-up worn by Karo people in a series of impressive pictures.
“The Karo is a highly aesthetic group of people. Their styles are often symbolic of important festivities or as a means of attracting the opposite gender,” Pamparo said, according to Daily Mail.
