Best Travel Guide To Bodi Tribe in Ethiopia

Best Travel Guide To Bodi Tribe in Ethiopia 

Meet the Bodi or Me’en tribe in Ethiopia, the tribe where big is beautiful: Bodi men compete to be the fattest in the village by drinking a gruesome mixture of blood and milk while living in isolation for 6 months.

In the Bodi Tribe, the bigger the belly, the more desirable man you are the men with the biggest belly are most craved.

Ethiopia is a land of many cultures that have been preserved despite Western civilization. Along the Lower Omo Valley River in Southern Ethiopia resides one of these kinds: the Bodi Tribe. The Bodi people are neighbors of the Mursi tribe. The Bodi people are agriculturalists who still engage in trade by barter system. Obesity and big bellies are usually seen as banes of modern life that not only hurt health but are also considered generally esthetic. However, in a remote area of Omo Valley, southern Ethiopia, big bellies in men are considered impressive, even attractive.

About the Bodi tribe:

The Bodi or Me'en is the name of a semi-nomadic tribe living in the Omo Valley, about 140 km from Jinka town, southern Ethiopia. The Me'en are an ethnic group numbering approximately 222.000 individuals located in the highlands and lowlands of southwestern Ethiopia.

The Bodi (or Me'en) people are one of the groups living in the Omo-Turkana Basin, in the lowlands east of the Omo River. Bodi is the name that the government and foreigners use for them, but the Bodi people call themselves the Me’en. Me’en is an encompassing tribe of multiple groups, two of which make up the Bodi. Their population is about 10,000.

Among the Me'en people, the Bodi are considered the closest followers to their ancestry through their practice of pastoralism. The cattle that these people raise are vital to their social and economic livelihood. The Bodi use cattle sacrifices in many of their cultural ceremonies

How do Bodi men get big bellies?

The tradition is to feed young men from every Bodi village. They are fed with only honey, cow blood, and milk for 3 to 6 months (fattening process). There is a procedure for drinking the first bowl of 2 litres at sunrise while the rest comes easy and is taken all day.

Language of the Bodi Tribe:

The Bodi people speak the Me’en language, which belongs to the Surmic group family referred to as ‘Nilotic‘ in Ethiopia and they are Nilo-Saharan languages.

Culture of the Bodi Tribe:

These pastoral people revere their cows. Their cows are so special to them that their blood together with fresh milk is a source of food for these people. Rather than kill the cows, they make a hole in one of its veins to get the blood out and close it back with clay. These animals are also used in certain ceremonies. Among the ceremonies is the peculiar New Year celebration.

To the Bodi people, the cow is seen as highly sacred. Their cows are so special to them that their blood together with fresh milk is a source of food for these people. The Bodi believe in the power of the cow and the benefits it has for their journey

 The social structure of the Bodi tribe:

 Their population is subdivided into two groups:

The highland Tishena, who are agriculturalists along the banks of the Omo River, grow sorghum, maize, and coffee. The lowland Bodi, who are pastoralists (livestock farmers) live with their cattle herds, and livestock plays a large role in the tribe.

The Bodi fattening festival (Ka’el ceremony):

The Bodi tribe of southern Ethiopia holds a yearly festival in which the man with the biggest belly is honored and celebrated. To prepare for this big event, the men go on a grueling six-month fattening journey.

The Ka’el ceremony is a competition for men who are not married which involves drinking the blood mixture. The 14 clans present a single man and they deem fit for the competition. Those who are contesting prepare for 6 months. During this period, he must not have sex and must not be seen outside his hut.

The feeding on the blood mixed with honey and cow milk enables them to almost double their weight, which makes them ready for the competition. Contestants in this competition go naked to make them eligible to participate.

The Bodi, a tribe of agriculturists and cattle herders, celebrate their love of big bellies during a yearly festival called Ka’el, in which the man with the biggest belly is crowned ‘fat man of the year’ and earns the respect of the entire tribe for life. But to earn this honor, the men must go on a fattening diet of cow’s milk or yogurt, raw blood, and honey for several months before the festival.

Up to 6 months before Ka’el, the men of the Bodi tribe begin their fattening process by virtually ceasing to do any physical activity and consuming the most calorie-rich foods they can get their hands on, which are usually cow milk and fresh blood. Cows are sacred to the Bodi – they have more than 80 synonyms in their language describing their cows – so they do not slaughter them for blood. Instead, they puncture a vein with a spear, collect a pot of blood, and then seal the wound with clay.

 During their fattening diet, the men abstain from almost any physical activities, spending their time in their huts being fed by their women. The first bowl of milk and blood containing about 1 to 2 liters is served at sunrise, but the men have to consume several of them throughout the day if they want to have a chance during Ka’el. Some of them have a tougher time holding down the protein-rich concoction and find themselves vomiting violently.

The men of the Bodi tribe are usually lean and muscular, but during their fattening process for Ka’el, some get so fat that they can barely move. But that is a sacrifice they’re willing to make to gain the respect of the tribe.

On the day of the Ka’el Festival, which usually takes place in June or July, the men cover themselves in clay and ashes and parade their fat bellies for everyone to see. The tribesmen vote for the one with the most protruding belly, and the winner is named ‘fat man of the year’. After the festival, the men’s stomachs shrink back down to their normal size within a few weeks.

The only prize for winning the fattening contest is fame and respect, but this is such a high honor for the Bodi that winners are usually considered local heroes for the rest of their lives.

Arrange with Ultimate Wild Safaris for this cultural tour experience with the Bodi tribe in the Omo Valley of Ethiopia.

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