As part of the coming of age ceremony, the Hamer woman demand that their men whip them. In a society that still fight wars with other tribes over cattle and where men do not sleep in the huts in case of attack, the theory is that the whipping increases the bond between male and female members of the tribe. The wounds look terrible, and must be extremly painful, but cause no permanent damage. There a difficult topics raised by this photograph - please pause before you comment.
I’m surprised the whole series hasn't received more notice. This is a wonderful series, I feel as though I’ve been on a terrific journey. Robert it's a wonderful collection.
for a moment i thought she had been attacked by a lion. interesting photo indeed, in fact, your entire portfolio has caught my attention. :) take care.