Tribal communities in Africa keep doing things the same way they have for hundreds of years. Their cultures are also shaped by these odd traditions.
These cultural practices are becoming part of everyday life, like how people greet each other, what they wear, and even how they get married. So, without further ado, here are some strange traditions from different African tribes that will make you think.
1. Spitting as a way to say hello and good luck
Most cultures around the world think it’s rude to spit at someone, but the Wolof tribe of Gambia and Senegal doesn’t think so.
People in this tribe often greet each other by spitting, which is seen as a blessing and good luck.
When a baby is born, an old woman will go see the mother and baby. She will then spit on the baby’s face and kiss it as a blessing.
People who are happy for a new bride will also spit on her, and the bride’s father will spit on her forehead to bless her.
2. Lips stretching
One of the most important traditions of the Mursi tribe in Ethiopia is the way they stretch their lips.
In this tribe, a lip plate that is used to stretch the lips is a sign of beauty and identity.
Most lip plates are made of clay, wood, or metal discs. To use them, two to four teeth have to be taken out, and the lip has to be cut to fit the plate.
The ICDO says that young girls and women who just got married are more likely to wear lip plates than older married women with children. Most Of the time, they are worn to serve men food, milk cows, and for important ceremonies like weddings.
They also make the plates bigger because they think it makes them more important.
3. Bull jumping
This is something else that people of the Hamar tribe in Ethiopia do that is interesting.
Young men of the tribe jump over bulls, which are usually smeared with dung to make them slippery, while they are naked to show that they are men.
In this traditional coming of age ceremony, young men are allowed to get married if they can jump over the bulls four times without falling.
But if a young man has bad luck and falls more than four times, he has to wait a year before he can try again.
4. Male initiation
The Xhosa people in South Africa do a traditional ritual called “Ulwaluko,” which is a circumcision. The goal of this ritual is to turn boys into men.
Teenagers who take part in the ritual are first circumcised, and then they are sent out of the village to a hut where they are wrapped in a blanket and given very little food.
4. Male beauty contest/stealing of wives
During the Gerewol festival in Niger, the men of the Wodaabe tribe dress up and wear make-up and jewelry to get the attention of women.
The Wodaabe tribe thinks that a beautiful person has white eyes, a straight bridge of the nose, and white teeth. So, the makeup that the men wear brings out these features.
But these men are allowed to get the attention of married women as well as single ones.
So, if a man steals a wife and gets away with it, he is automatically her husband, and the marriage is accepted.
