Surma Tribe

Surma people live in the southwestern plains of Ethiopia.  They raise cattle and farm when the land is fertile.  Cattle are important to surma, giving them status.  The more cattle a tribesman has, the wealthier they are. In order for a man to marry women in the surma tribe, he must own at least 60 cattle.  Cattle are given to the family of the woman in exchange for marriage.  Like the other tribes, the surmas will use the milk and blood from the cow.  During the dry season, the people will drink blood instead of milk.  Blood can be drained from a cow once a month.  This is done by making a small incision in it’s neck.

They much like the Muris tribe and practice the same traditions.  The women wear lip plates that are made out of clay.  The men in the tribe fight with sticks called Dongas.  Both the men and women scar their bodies.