Smithsonian magazine's 22nd Annual Photo Contest | Made possible through the support of MPB.com

12th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Culture and the Arts
Chosen

Bull Jumping ceremony in Ethiopia. Ceremonial beatings take place during the male initiation rites but also in the home when the husband chooses. No screaming is permitted by the men wielding the canes but the women don't care. Instead of fleeing, they beg the men to do it again and again until blood flows, dripping into the gritty red dust of the Omo River Valley.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 01.2013
Date Uploaded: 10.2014
Photo Location: Ethiopia
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Copyright: © Goran Jovic