Karo People, Omo Valley, Ethiopia, 2023

Painted in zebra stripes, a herder from the Karo people of the Omo Valley watches over his goats, a glimmer of sunlight flaring off the top of his cap like a golden feather. Despite being the smallest of the Omo Valley tribes, the Karo have an extremely vibrant culture filled with symbolic rituals, rites of passage, and a long history as highly respected and skilled pastoralists. One of their main rites of passage for boys is known as the bull jumping ceremony, in which a young man must cross over the backs of several sturdy bulls to prove he is worthy of marriage.