Portrait of the male initiate about to undergo his Jumping of the Bull Ceremony.Hamar girls blow trumpets to herald the arrival of the Maz – those Hamar males who have already undergone this rite of passage.Hamar men who have already undergone the Jumping of the Bull ceremony, which marks the initiation of young men into adulthood, are called Maz, and process into the compound for the beginning of the ceremony.At the time of the Jumping of the Bull Ceremony, Hamar men and women pay great attention to the styling and decoration of hair. Hair styling enhances beauty and signifies status, bravery and courage.Clay hair buns are worn by Hamar men who have killed either an enemy or a dangerous animal. Symbolizing courage, the clay hair bun is usually remade every three to six months and can be worn for a period of up to one year after the kill. A small holder, made of macrame, is put into the front bun to display ostrich feathers for special occasions. The clay is plastered directly on to the head, the front part of the bun is covered in white chalk, the back bun is left a natural grey colour.A woman prepares ritual coffee over an open fire for the initiates at the Jumping of the Bull ceremony. Each recent initiate receives a calabash to drink.Each recently initiated boy will drink from a calabash filled with ritual coffee made from the husk of the coffee beans.A secret rebirthing ceremony of recent initiates precedes the Jumping of the Bull ceremony. The initiates slip a wooden phallus(Boku) through eight iron rings representing conception and symbolizing his initiation rebirth.Hamar initiates chase and line up bulls, holding them in position by their horns and tails. The long switches the men carry are used to ritually whip the female relatives of the new initiates, who beg to be beaten as a sign of their devotion.The initate takes a running leap onto the back of the first bull using a small calf as a stair-step. He then charges across the backs of all others. He must repeat this four times in order to prove his manhood. If he falls off, he will be whipped and teased mercilessly by the women.On the day after the Jumping of the Bull ceremony, women gather together, beautifully attired in their beaded skirts and iron jewelry. Their hair is rubbed with fat into small balls and covered with ocher. Courtship dances follow and continue for the following two days and nights.Two Hamar girls wear beaded skins and iron jewelry which proclaims their marital status. Over their foreheads they wear an aluminum plaque resembling a spoonbill.Married women favour a hairstyle of long, twisted strands rubbed in ochre.Elaborately decorated puberty aprons and beaded bibs are designed to attract the male eye. These will be replaced with plainer ones after marriage.A young Hamar woman beautifies her skin and hair with a mixture of ocher and animal fat.
