Omo

The Omo religion stands for the traditional beliefs of the agro-pastoral peoples of the lower Omo valley in southern Ethiopia, such as the Mursi and the Hamar. Among the Mursi, a power greater than themselves, called Tumwi, is located in the sky. An inherited priest, the komoru, speaks for the community to Tumwi and performs public rites to bring rain and to guard people, cattle and crops from disease and raiders.

The Hamar have two ritual leaders, the bitta, who oversee spiritual matters without holding political power. Purity matters greatly to them and their neighbours: a person or child judged mingi, ritually polluted, was cast out from the community.