OMO Tribes

Tsemay Tribes live around the Woito River and are predominatly agricultural. The Tsemay People are considered one of the most peacefull people among the tribe of omo valley., Unlike any other tribe in Ethiopia.

The Ari people inhabit the northern part of the Mago National Park in South Ethiopia and have the largest territory of all the tribes in the area. They have fertile lands allowing them to have several types of plantations.

The Bodi or Me’en people live close to the Omo River in southern Ethiopia. South of the Bodi are the Mursi tribe. They are pastoralists (livestock farmers) and agriculturalists.

The Arbore tribe is a small tribe that lives in the southwest region of the Omo Valley. They have ancestral and cultural links to the Konso people and perform many ritual dances while singing.

Also known as the Galeb or Geleb, this tribe lives just north of Kenya’s Lake Turkana. Their neighboring tribe is the Turkana people.

The Hammer tribe Inhabiting the eastern territory of the Omo River, Hamar villages are found throughout both Turmi and Dimeka, their People easily the most recognizable of all the Omo Valley tribes, save perhaps for the Mursi.

Nilo-Saharan linguistic Group, agro-pastoralist, originally from the larger Surma group, the Mursi are people who moved east from the surmic nucleus and occupied the land between the Omo and Mago rivers.

The Karo tribe settled along the eastern bank of the Omo River and is the smallest tribe in the Omo Valley, with an estimated population of 3,500. They live in three (3) main big villages known as Korcho, Dus, & Lobuk.

The Nyangatom are also known as the Bumi or Bume people. They live south of the Omo National Park, but occasionally move to the lower regions if food or water is scarce.

The Konso live in an isolated region of the basalt hills. The area is made up of hard rocky slopes. A Konso village maybe fortified by a stone wall used as a defensive measure.

Banna, Bana, and Benna are other spellings for the Bena people. They are neighbors with the Hamer tribe and it is believed that the Bena actually originated from them centuries ago.