Surma people
Encyclopedia
Surma is a panethnicity
residing in South Sudan
and southwestern Ethiopia
. It includes the Nilo-Saharan
-speaking Suri, Mursi and Me'en.
branch of the Nilo-Saharan
language family. Some have used the terms "Suri" and "Surma" interchangeably, or for contradictory purposes, so readers should note carefully what group an author is referring to.
Suri or Shuri is the name of a sedentary pastoral people and its Nilo-Saharan language. They inhabit the Bench Maji Zone
of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region
(SNNPR) in Ethiopia as well as parts of neighboring South Sudan
. Some are also found west of Mizan Teferi
. Population: 20,622 (1998 est.).
Mursi or Murzu is the name of a closely related sedentary pastoral Nilotic people whose language (Mursi
) is over 80% cognate with Suri. They are located next to the Suri, in the center of the SNNPR and the lowlands southwest of Jinka
in the Debub Omo Zone
. The Mursi do not regard themselves as Surma, despite the cultural and linguistic similarities. Population: 7,500 of whom 92.25% live in the SNNPR (2007 census).
Me'en is the name of a closely related sedentary pastoral people whose language, Me'en, is over 80% cognate with Mursi. They are located in and around Bachuma, and in lowlands to the south, near the Omo River
. Population: 151,489 of whom 98.9% live in the SNNPR (2007 census).
have become quite bloody as automatic firearms have become available from the parties in the Sudanese Civil War
. The police allow foreigners to travel there only with a hired armed guard.
They have a fierce culture, with a liking for stick fighting
called Donga or Saginay bringing great prestige to men — it is especially important when seeking a bride — and they are very competitive, at the risk of serious injury and occasional death. The males are often shaved bald, and frequently wear little or no clothes, even during stick fights.
At a young age, to beautify themselves for marriage, most women have their bottom teeth removed and their bottom lips pierced, then stretched, so as to allow insertion of a clay lip plate
. Some women have stretched their lips so as to allow plates up to sixteen inches in diameter. Increasing with exposure to other cultures, however, a growing number of girls now refrain from this practice. Their children are sometimes painted with white clay paint, which may be dotted on the face or body.
Their villages normally range in size from 40 to 1,000 people, but a few may reach 2,500 people. Village life is largely communal, sharing the produce of the cattle (milk and blood, as do the Maasai). Though their chiefs (styled komaro) may wear the fur crown of a pagan priest-king, they are merely the most respected elder in a village and they can be removed. Few Surma are familiar with Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia, and their literacy level is very low.
(eastwards from the Nile). Then the Meyun clan (part of the Suri at the time) went south to settle at Boma while the remaining Suri traveled across the border and settled at Koma. Around 1890, the Suri were constantly harassed by the Amhara
, Gimira and Tirma
. As a result of this harassment, numerous Suri were forced to join the Meoun clan (at Meyun). In 1925, not long after this incident, the Suri settled on the Boma Plateau
.
The Suri is not the only tribe in the south of Ethiopia. There are around twelve more, and all are surrounded by tension. Each tribe has its own share of weapons, making battles more violent. The Suri have one primary enemy, the Nyangatom. On a regular basis the Nyangatom and another enemy of the Suri, the Toposa
, team up to raid the Suri’s cattle. The Second Sudanese Civil War
has also taken a toll on the Suri. This conflict has pushed neighboring tribes into Suri’s land and is a constant competition to keep what they have. Gun battles are most common during the dry season. Around this time the Suri move their cattle down south to find new ground. State authorities haven’t made these hundreds of deaths their priority or provided any form of justice for those involved.
and Native Solutions to Conservation Refugees), these peoples, particularly the Mursi, are in danger of displacement and denial of access to grazing and agricultural land, by the African Parks Foundation, also known as African Parks Conservation, of the Netherlands.
These advocacy groups report that the Surma were coerced by government park officials into thumbprinting documents they could not read. The documents reportedly said the Surma agreed to give up their land without compensation and are being used to legalize the boundaries of the Omo National Park
, which African Parks has taken over. This process, when finished, will make the Surma 'illegal squatters' on their own land. A similar fate is befalling the other groups who also live within the park, the Dizi
, and the Nyangatom.
In November 2004, it is reported that 463 Guji Oromo
houses were burned down in Nechisar National Park
, Ethiopia, by government park officials and local police. The people had been evicted but were refusing to leave the area after the African Parks Foundation signed an agreement with the government to take over management of the park.
Survival International reports that, "according to the African Parks 2004 annual report, the resettlement of the Kore and Guji people was an internal affair of the Federal and regional governments, and African Parks had no role to play in the matter."
to undertake sacrifices or prayers and directly send them to Tuma. Another belief of the Suri is their rainmaker. This position in the tribe is passed down through heredity and is only given to one male in the tribe. When the tribe feels his services are needed, the men collect chips from a specific tree. These chips are then masticated and the remaining juice is then mixed with clay. This combination is poured and smeared over a man's body. After this process, rain is expected to fall.
. Trades are also made between the Suri and the Ethiopian highlanders, Amhara and Shangalla. Rifles and weapons are traded with Amhara and Shangalla as are leopard and lion skin, giraffe tails, honey and ivory.
The average male in the Suri tribe owns somewhere between 30 to 40 cows. These cows are not usually killed unless they are needed for ceremonial purposes. Every young male is named after their cattle, which they are ruled to look after. Cows are tremendously important to the Suri, and at times Suri risk death to protect their herd; Suri men are judged by how much cattle they own. In desperate times, Suri men risk their lives to steal cattle from other tribes. Men also are not allowed to marry until they own 60 cows. These cows are given to his wife’s family after the ceremony. To praise their cattle or mourn their deaths, the Suri sing songs for them.
It is still unknown why and how lip plates came to be used. One theory says lips plates were used to discourage slave owners from taking the women who had them. In recent years, some young women are refusing to have their lips pierced.
The Suri pride themselves on their scars and how many they carry. Women perform scarification
by slicing their skin with a razor blade after lifting it with a thorn. After the skin is sliced the piece of skin left over is left to eventually scar. On the other hand, the men scar their bodies after they kill someone from an enemy tribe. These rituals which are extremely painful are said by some anthropologists are a type of controlled violence; a way of getting the younger tribe members used to seeing blood and feeling pain. It is also a way of adapting these young children to their violent environment.
The Suri also paint their bodies white for some occasions.
Panethnicity
Panethnicity is the grouping together, and collective labeling, of various independently distinguishable, self-identified and self-sustained ethnicities into one all-encompassing group of people.Often labels of panethnicity group together people of different nationalities and/or ethnicities that...
residing in South Sudan
South Sudan
South Sudan , officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country located in the Sahel region of northeastern Africa. It is also part of the North Africa UN sub-region. Its current capital is Juba, which is also its largest city; the capital city is planned to be moved to the more...
and southwestern Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. It includes the Nilo-Saharan
Nilo-Saharan languages
The Nilo-Saharan languages are a proposed family of African languages spoken by some 50 million people, mainly in the upper parts of the Chari and Nile rivers , including historic Nubia, north of where the two tributaries of Nile meet...
-speaking Suri, Mursi and Me'en.
Overview
The term Surma is the Ethiopian government's collective name for the Suri, Mursi and Me'en groups that inhabit the southwestern part of the country, with a total population of 186,875. All three groups speak languages belonging to the SurmicSurmic languages
The Surmic Languages are a branch of the Eastern Sudanic language family.-Languages:*North: Majang *South**Southeast: Kwegu , Me'en, Mursi, Suri...
branch of the Nilo-Saharan
Nilo-Saharan languages
The Nilo-Saharan languages are a proposed family of African languages spoken by some 50 million people, mainly in the upper parts of the Chari and Nile rivers , including historic Nubia, north of where the two tributaries of Nile meet...
language family. Some have used the terms "Suri" and "Surma" interchangeably, or for contradictory purposes, so readers should note carefully what group an author is referring to.
Suri or Shuri is the name of a sedentary pastoral people and its Nilo-Saharan language. They inhabit the Bench Maji Zone
Bench Maji Zone
Bench Maji is one of the 13 Zones of the Ethiopian Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region . Bench Maji is bordered on the south by the Ilemi Triangle, on the west by Sudan, on the northwest by the Gambela Region, on the north by Keficho Shekicho and on the east by Debub Omo...
of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region
Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region
Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia. It was formed from the merger of the former Regions 7-11 following the 1994 elections...
(SNNPR) in Ethiopia as well as parts of neighboring South Sudan
South Sudan
South Sudan , officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country located in the Sahel region of northeastern Africa. It is also part of the North Africa UN sub-region. Its current capital is Juba, which is also its largest city; the capital city is planned to be moved to the more...
. Some are also found west of Mizan Teferi
Mizan Teferi
Mizan Tefere is a town in southern Ethiopia. The largest town, and the administrative center, of the Bench Maji Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region , and located about 160 kilometers southwest of Jimma, Mizan Tefere has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of...
. Population: 20,622 (1998 est.).
Mursi or Murzu is the name of a closely related sedentary pastoral Nilotic people whose language (Mursi
Mursi language
Mursi is a Nilo-Saharan Eastern Sudanic language spoken by the Mursi people, in the Central Omo region of southwest Ethiopia. It is similar to Suri, spoken in most of the immediately surrounding area.-Bibliography:...
) is over 80% cognate with Suri. They are located next to the Suri, in the center of the SNNPR and the lowlands southwest of Jinka
Jinka
Jinka is a market town in southern Ethiopia. Located in the hills north of the Tama Plains, this town is the capital of the Debub Omo Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region and Bako Gazer woreda. Jinka has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 1490 meters above...
in the Debub Omo Zone
Debub Omo Zone
Debub Omo is a Zone in the Ethiopian Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region . Debub Omo is bordered on the south by Kenya, on the southwest by the Ilemi Triangle, on the west by Bench Maji, on the northwest by Keficho Shekicho, on the north by Semien Omo, on the northeast by the...
. The Mursi do not regard themselves as Surma, despite the cultural and linguistic similarities. Population: 7,500 of whom 92.25% live in the SNNPR (2007 census).
Me'en is the name of a closely related sedentary pastoral people whose language, Me'en, is over 80% cognate with Mursi. They are located in and around Bachuma, and in lowlands to the south, near the Omo River
Omo River
The Omo River is an important river of southern Ethiopia. Its course is entirely contained within the boundaries of Ethiopia, and empties into Lake Turkana on the border with Kenya...
. Population: 151,489 of whom 98.9% live in the SNNPR (2007 census).
Shared culture
All three peoples share a similar culture. Their homeland is remote, located in desolate mountains, and traditional rivalries with their tribal neighbors such as the NyangatomNyangatom
The Nyangatom are a Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting southwestern Ethiopia and southeastern South Sudan...
have become quite bloody as automatic firearms have become available from the parties in the Sudanese Civil War
Sudanese Civil War
The term Sudanese Civil War refers to at least two separate conflicts:*First Sudanese Civil War - 1955–1972*Second Sudanese Civil War - 1983–2005...
. The police allow foreigners to travel there only with a hired armed guard.
They have a fierce culture, with a liking for stick fighting
Stick fighting
Stick fighting is a generic term for martial arts which use simple long slender, blunt, hand-held, generally wooden 'sticks' for fighting such as a staff, cane, walking stick, baton or similar....
called Donga or Saginay bringing great prestige to men — it is especially important when seeking a bride — and they are very competitive, at the risk of serious injury and occasional death. The males are often shaved bald, and frequently wear little or no clothes, even during stick fights.
At a young age, to beautify themselves for marriage, most women have their bottom teeth removed and their bottom lips pierced, then stretched, so as to allow insertion of a clay lip plate
Lip plate
A lip plate, also known as a lip plug or lip disc, is a form of body modification. Increasingly larger discs are inserted into a pierced hole in either the upper or lower lip, or both, thereby stretching it...
. Some women have stretched their lips so as to allow plates up to sixteen inches in diameter. Increasing with exposure to other cultures, however, a growing number of girls now refrain from this practice. Their children are sometimes painted with white clay paint, which may be dotted on the face or body.
Their villages normally range in size from 40 to 1,000 people, but a few may reach 2,500 people. Village life is largely communal, sharing the produce of the cattle (milk and blood, as do the Maasai). Though their chiefs (styled komaro) may wear the fur crown of a pagan priest-king, they are merely the most respected elder in a village and they can be removed. Few Surma are familiar with Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia, and their literacy level is very low.
History
According to Suri oral tradition, they came to their present territory near Mount Naita about 200 years ago from the banks of the Nile River. First they came to the AkoboAkobo River
The Akobo River is a river on the border between South Sudan and Ethiopia. From its source in the Ethiopian Highlands near Mizan Teferi is flows west for to join the Pibor River...
(eastwards from the Nile). Then the Meyun clan (part of the Suri at the time) went south to settle at Boma while the remaining Suri traveled across the border and settled at Koma. Around 1890, the Suri were constantly harassed by the Amhara
Amhara people
Amhara are a highland people inhabiting the Northwestern highlands of Ethiopia. Numbering about 19.8 million people, they comprise 26% of the country's population, according to the 2007 national census...
, Gimira and Tirma
Tirma
Tirma is an ethnic group in Ethiopia and in Sudan. They speak Suri, a Nilo-Saharan language. The population of this group is numbered in the tens of thousands....
. As a result of this harassment, numerous Suri were forced to join the Meoun clan (at Meyun). In 1925, not long after this incident, the Suri settled on the Boma Plateau
Boma Plateau
The Boma Plateau is a region in the east of South Sudan, located in the Jonglei and Eastern Equatoria provinces. It is inhabited by the Anuak, Murle and Toposa peoples. It contains important wetlands for birdlife in the region...
.
The Suri is not the only tribe in the south of Ethiopia. There are around twelve more, and all are surrounded by tension. Each tribe has its own share of weapons, making battles more violent. The Suri have one primary enemy, the Nyangatom. On a regular basis the Nyangatom and another enemy of the Suri, the Toposa
Toposa
The Toposa are an ethnic group in South Sudan, living in the Greater Kapoeta region of Eastern Equatoria state.They have traditionally lived by herding cattle, sheep and goats, and in the past were involved in the ivory trade...
, team up to raid the Suri’s cattle. The Second Sudanese Civil War
Second Sudanese Civil War
The Second Sudanese Civil War started in 1983, although it was largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil War of 1955 to 1972. Although it originated in southern Sudan, the civil war spread to the Nuba mountains and Blue Nile by the end of the 1980s....
has also taken a toll on the Suri. This conflict has pushed neighboring tribes into Suri’s land and is a constant competition to keep what they have. Gun battles are most common during the dry season. Around this time the Suri move their cattle down south to find new ground. State authorities haven’t made these hundreds of deaths their priority or provided any form of justice for those involved.
Reports of displacement
According to a tribal peoples advocacy groups (Survival InternationalSurvival International
Survival International is a human rights organisation formed in 1969 that campaigns for the rights of indigenous tribal peoples and uncontacted peoples, seeking to help them to determine their own future. Their campaigns generally focus on tribal peoples' fight to keep their ancestral lands,...
and Native Solutions to Conservation Refugees), these peoples, particularly the Mursi, are in danger of displacement and denial of access to grazing and agricultural land, by the African Parks Foundation, also known as African Parks Conservation, of the Netherlands.
These advocacy groups report that the Surma were coerced by government park officials into thumbprinting documents they could not read. The documents reportedly said the Surma agreed to give up their land without compensation and are being used to legalize the boundaries of the Omo National Park
Omo National Park
Omo National Park is one of the National Parks of Ethiopia. Located in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region on the west bank of the Omo River, the park covers approximately 4,068 square kilometers, about 870 kilometers southwest of Addis Ababa; across the Omo is the Mago National...
, which African Parks has taken over. This process, when finished, will make the Surma 'illegal squatters' on their own land. A similar fate is befalling the other groups who also live within the park, the Dizi
Dizi people
Dizi is the name of an ethnic group living in southern Ethiopia. They share a number of somatic similarities with certain culturally related peoples of south-western Ethiopia, which include the Sheko and Nao, the Gimira , the Tsara, the Dime, the Aari and certain sub-groups of the Basketo people....
, and the Nyangatom.
In November 2004, it is reported that 463 Guji Oromo
Guji Oromo
The Guji Oromo are an ethnic Oromo group living in southern Ethiopia. They are part nomadic and part agrarian. According to a population projection from 2007, the total population of the Guji Oromo is above 5 million....
houses were burned down in Nechisar National Park
Nechisar National Park
Nechisar National Park is one of the National Parks of Ethiopia. Located in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region immediately to the east of Arba Minch, its 514 square kilometers of territory include the "Bridge of God" , and the Nechisar plains east of the lakes...
, Ethiopia, by government park officials and local police. The people had been evicted but were refusing to leave the area after the African Parks Foundation signed an agreement with the government to take over management of the park.
Survival International reports that, "according to the African Parks 2004 annual report, the resettlement of the Kore and Guji people was an internal affair of the Federal and regional governments, and African Parks had no role to play in the matter."
Religion and beliefs
The Suri have a sky god named Tuma. The Suri also believe in spirits and use medicine menMedicine man
"Medicine man" or "Medicine woman" are English terms used to describe traditional healers and spiritual leaders among Native American and other indigenous or aboriginal peoples...
to undertake sacrifices or prayers and directly send them to Tuma. Another belief of the Suri is their rainmaker. This position in the tribe is passed down through heredity and is only given to one male in the tribe. When the tribe feels his services are needed, the men collect chips from a specific tree. These chips are then masticated and the remaining juice is then mixed with clay. This combination is poured and smeared over a man's body. After this process, rain is expected to fall.
Economy
The economy of the Suri is based on agriculture. To name a few of the crops planted are cabbage, beans, yams, tobacco and coffee. During the dry season, the Suri also collect honey. The Suri pan gold to make pots in nearby streams which as later used in trade with the Juye and MurleMurle
The Murle are an ethnic group residing in Pibor County, Jonglei State, South Sudan as well as in Ethiopia. They have also been referred to in the literature as Beir by the Dinka or others who got information from them...
. Trades are also made between the Suri and the Ethiopian highlanders, Amhara and Shangalla. Rifles and weapons are traded with Amhara and Shangalla as are leopard and lion skin, giraffe tails, honey and ivory.
The average male in the Suri tribe owns somewhere between 30 to 40 cows. These cows are not usually killed unless they are needed for ceremonial purposes. Every young male is named after their cattle, which they are ruled to look after. Cows are tremendously important to the Suri, and at times Suri risk death to protect their herd; Suri men are judged by how much cattle they own. In desperate times, Suri men risk their lives to steal cattle from other tribes. Men also are not allowed to marry until they own 60 cows. These cows are given to his wife’s family after the ceremony. To praise their cattle or mourn their deaths, the Suri sing songs for them.
Culture
Piercing and lip plates are a strong part of the Suri culture. At the point of puberty most women have their bottom teeth removed in order to get their lower lip pierced. Once the lip is pierced, it’s then stretched and a lip plate is then placed in the hole of the piercing. Having a lip plate is a sign of beauty and the bigger the plate, the more cattle the woman is worth. This is important when the women are ready to get married.It is still unknown why and how lip plates came to be used. One theory says lips plates were used to discourage slave owners from taking the women who had them. In recent years, some young women are refusing to have their lips pierced.
The Suri pride themselves on their scars and how many they carry. Women perform scarification
Scarification
Scarifying involves scratching, etching, burning, or superficially cutting designs, pictures, or words into the skin as a permanent body modification.In the process of body scarification, scars are formed by cutting or branding the skin...
by slicing their skin with a razor blade after lifting it with a thorn. After the skin is sliced the piece of skin left over is left to eventually scar. On the other hand, the men scar their bodies after they kill someone from an enemy tribe. These rituals which are extremely painful are said by some anthropologists are a type of controlled violence; a way of getting the younger tribe members used to seeing blood and feeling pain. It is also a way of adapting these young children to their violent environment.
The Suri also paint their bodies white for some occasions.
Stick fighting
A sport and ritual the Suri take extremely seriously is stick fighting. In most cases, stick fighting is done so young men can find wives. It is a way for young men to prove themselves to the young women. To the Suri, the ideal time to stick fight is just after it rains. The fights are held between Suri villages, and the fights begin with 20 to 30 people on each side. Of these 20 to 30 people, all get a chance to fight one on one against someone from the other side. During these fights there are referees present to make sure all rules are being followed. Many stick fights end within the first couple of hits. Stick fighting has proven to be dangerous because people have died from being hit in the stomach. Since stick fighting draws a large audience, it becomes a threat of danger. Shooting can easily break out and this seems to be the new trend for young Suri men; using guns instead of sticks.Ways of life
Each household in the Suri village is run by a woman. These women also own their own fields and are allowed to use their profits however they wish. Every age group has a certain role. Young men (Tegay) are not yet considered warriors, begin helping with cattle when they reach age eight. Junior elders (Rora) are a hard age-set to be initiated into. It takes 20 to 30 years to get to this new age-set. During this initiation the young men are sometimes starved or even whipped until they bleed. Decisions of the village are made by the men in an assembly. Women are not allowed to voice their opinions during these debates but are allowed to before the debates take place. These debates are led by the tribe’s ritual chief also known as the Komoru.Sources and references
- BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
/Discovery ChannelDiscovery ChannelDiscovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
TV-docu series Tribe (UK)/Going Tribal (US)Tribe (TV series)Tribe is a documentary television series co-produced by the BBC and the Discovery Channel, and hosted by former British Royal Marine Bruce Parry....
shows British explorer Bruce Parry living among them a few weeks - Abbink, Jon. (1998) "Ritual and political forms of violent practice among the Suri of southern Ethiopia", Cahiers d'études africainesCahiers d'Études africainesThe Cahiers d'Études africaines is an international and interdisciplinary academic journal covering topics in the social sciences as relating to Africa, the West Indies, and Black Africa. The journal publishes miscellaneous issues and essays covering recent trends in research and field theory and...
, 38, cah. 150/152, pp. 271–295. - African Parks Foundation
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/tribe/tribes/suri/
- http://www.gurtong.org/resourcecenter/people/profile_tribe.asp?TribeID=95
- Woods, S. (30 October 2008) "Ethiopia's Nomad Warriors". Rolling Stone, Academic Search Premier database, Retrieved March 6, 2009.
Further reading
- Jon Abbink, "Ethnic Conflict in the 'Tribal Zone': The Dizi and Suri in Southern Ethiopia", Journal of Modern African Studies, 31 (1993), pp. 675-682
External links
- The Clothing of Nature Photographer Hans Silvester documents the body paintings of the Surma and Mursi tribes
- Ethiopia's Vanishing Tribes slideshow by Life magazine