In the Bodi tribe, the bigger the belly, the most desirable man you are, basically, the men with the biggest belly are most craved. Picture: Nibret Adem
Cape Town - Along the fossil-rich Lower Omo valley river in Southern Ethiopia resides the Bodi Tribe.
In the Bodi Tribe, the bigger the belly, the most desirable man you are, basically, the men with the biggest belly are most craved.
To the Bodi people, the cow is seen as highly sacred. Their cows are so special to them that its blood together with fresh milk is a source of food for this people. The Bodi believe in the power of the cow and the benefits it has for their journey.
Five things you need to know about the Bodi Tribe Fattening Camp
– The Bodi people speak the Me’en language, which belongs to the Surmic group family referred to as ‘Nilotic‘ in Ethiopia because they are Nilo-Saharan languages, according to historyofyesterday.com.
– The tradition is to feed young men from every Bodi village. They are fed with only honey, cow blood and milk during 3 to 6 months (fattening process).
– The Bodi people are agriculturalists who still engage in trade by barter system.
– The population is subdivided into two groups:
The highland Tishena, who are agriculturalists. Along the banks of the river, they will grow sorghum, maize and coffee.
The lowland Bodi, who are pastoralists (livestock farmers). They live with their cattle herds, and livestock plays a large role in the tribe, according to 101lasttribes.com.
– 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 for this competition goes naked to make them eligible to participate, writes the research website.
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