The Hamer are renowned throughout Ethiopia and beyond. The tribe, whose population numbers around 45,000 are agro-pastoralists. They focus primarily on raising cattle but also on cultivating Sorghum, millet, tobacco, and honey. Both women and men striking to behold. A woman, who usually twists their hair in to red tresses using mud and butter, often wear leather skirts dotted with cowry shells, bead necklaces, and copper bracelets. Men who killed an enemy or large animal in the past year wear their hair in buns.
The most important events in the life of a Hamer male is the Bull- Jumping ceremony- a rite of passage and a precondition for marriage. A row of eight to ten bulls is formed and the naked initiate must transverse the row, leaping from one animal to the next-four times. If Successful, his male relative then flogs the backs of his female relatives, who see this as a chance to prove loyalty and valor.
Hamer territory is accessed most easily through the village of Turmi.