The Bodi tribe is just one of many tribes that can be found in different African countries. These tribes have their own unique cultural practices that set them apart from other tribes. Although some of the practices observed therein may seem extreme or annoying, tradition is tradition and we must respect that unless it unduly harms people in general. Focusing on a tribe called “Bodi” it is an Ethiopian tribe found in the southern part of the country.
The tribe has a small population of 9000 and they live near the Omo River and occupy about 1900 km². They are also bordered by the Mursi tribe. Although both tribes are similar in various cultural patterns, they clash from time to time. As a tribe, they are a group of people largely dependent on their livestock. They are also core farmers involved in growing sorghum, corn and coffee along the banks of the Omo River.
Of all their traditional ceremonies, none is more prominent than the “Ka’el”, meaning “the holiday of the fat men”. In their traditional calendar, the year begins in June. And to celebrate the New Year, the Ka’el tradition is followed. The ceremony measures the male participant’s body fat and rewards the winner with only fame and admiration from the people.
Before the New Year’s contest, each of the 14 clans of the Bodi tribe are expected to produce a male contestant who is unmarried. For the past 6 months, these unmarried men have been making one of the strangest fattening moves. They feed on blood and fresh milk. No physical activity is expected for the entire 6 month period. Even now, Bodi men are naturally overweight due to their high honey consumption. This ritual will help increase the extra weight.
On the day of the Ka’el ceremony, these fattened men leave their huts for the first time since the competition. With their bodies covered in clay and ashes, they display their physical abilities before the elders of the community who act as judges.
The fat Bodi men usually spend hours under the sun running around a sacred tree.
The Ethiopian tribe does not slaughter animals. For the celebrations, the sacrificial cow is first killed with a sacred stone and then slaughtered. It is their traditional belief that killing the cow helps preserve the ‘nourishing’ blood that is kept for the ceremony.
With the dead intestines of the dead animal, the elders make predictions for the new year. After that, the ceremony is over as the winner of the competition is selected and awarded the title of Fat Man of the Year.
Blood is an essential requirement in most Bodi traditions. It’s basically one of their main diets; next to milk, sorghum or maize porridge. Meat is eaten on holidays and festivals such as the Ka’el.
In the Bodi tribe, the animal’s blood is drawn through an intentionally punctured wound in the animal’s neck. After the blood is drawn, the wound is patched with clay. Just like their neighboring Mursi tribe, Bodi men literally wear no clothes. They are mostly seen with strips of cotton tied around their waists with shaved heads.
It may be hard to believe that such a bizarre tradition is still in practice today, but the truth is that it is. The report says that Omo Valley residents do not welcome tourist activities and are very worrying for foreigners. The Bodi culture and tradition has not experienced any outside influences over time and this compares favorably to other eroded or changed cultural practices and traditions of other tribes that have had strong outside influences.