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| e-Marginalia
Newsletter |
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Issue #19, February 15, 2006 |
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Issue #18, January 15, 2006 |
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Issue #17, December 15, 2005 |
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Issue #16, November 15, 2005 |
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Issue #15, October 21, 2005 |
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Issue #14, September 15, 2005 |
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Issue #13, January 14, 2005 |
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Issue #12, December 14, 2004 |
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Issue #9, September 12, 2004 |
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Issue #8, August 4, 2004 |
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Issue #7, July 7, 2004 |
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Issue #6, June 1, 2004 |
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Issue #5, April 1, 2004 |
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Issue #4, March 1, 2004 |
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Issue #3, February 1, 2004 |
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Issue #2, December 21, 2003 |
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Issue #1, November 21, 2003 |
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A trip to the Mursi can be best described as visiting a pack of
hungry jackals while dressed in raw steaks. The tribe exhibited all
of the traits of beasts and none of the traits of humanity. While
indeed they are picturesque, they are so unbelievably aggressive as
to leave a completely negative impression.
 Upon getting out of the car, we were immediately grabbed from all
directions by the nearly unbreakable holds of the village women
while the young children rifled through our pockets searching for
money. This makes one very mad, but it is impossible to respond
angrily or aggressively for fear it would cause the large, looming,
armed, mean and drunk men to attack. I took my photos, they took my
money, and I was glad to get out without losing anything else. My
entire visit to the Mursi lasted about 30 minutes. And this was the
last of the Omo tribes I planned to visit.
On the way back to Addis Ababa, I made my way through the district
capital of Jinka and then on to the small city of Arberminch where I
visited a stupendously beautiful rift valley lake full of massive
crocodiles. These mighty beasts lounged on the beach in groups of 50
or more, each measuring as much as nine meters – yes METERS! – long.
Some had heads nearly the size of my entire upper body and could
have swallowed a man in a single gulp! Every year 10 or so fishermen
are eaten by these crocodiles. At this rate, it will take about 20
years for the crocks to eat all of the town’s 200 fishermen. When I
mentioned this to my boat driver, he laughed and said, “Always more
fishermen.”
It would perhaps be helpful for new fisherman to read the handy
brochure passed out by the Ethiopian Tourist commission entitled,
“How not to be eaten by a crocodile”. It contains such useful and
practical crocodile avoiding advice as, “If a woman, do not wear a
bikini”, “Do not tow large pieces of raw meat, or a carcass, behind
your boat”, and my favorite, “If you see crocodiles, do not go
swimming.”
Since I did not want to be eaten by a crocodile I planned to follow
these rules strictly, but for a moment I did contemplate sticking my
head in the water; the croc might have done a better job with my
haircut…
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