Surma

The Surma ethnic group is found in the Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Regional State in Bench Maji zone in surma woreda. It is bounded on the north and north-eastern by Dizi, on southeastern by Nigangatom and on south and west by Sudan. The Surmas are living particularly in the Magi border along eighty kilo meters of the EthioSudan border. The area is mountainous and low altitude with relatively hot and high annual temperature. The population of surma ethnic group is about 26,000. They speak surmic language, which is categorized under the Nilo-Saharan language group.

The Surmas have their own traditional administrative system where authority among them is not being a question of governing but debate of coming to terms with each other, negotiating a balance between group interests. In this system, they don’t have the Chieftaincy of an institution of hierarchical political authority and persons with executive functions. But they have created the age-grading system based on a division of men informally distinguished grades to which access is given by ritual means. Accordingly. four grades are distinguished which include the children, youngsters, junior elders and senior elders. The youngsters are warriors and called “tegau”. The junior elders are called “Rora”. This grade is the one with political authority dominating and making collective decisions in public debate.

The other element that helps this traditional political system to function properly is the figurehead of surmas called “Komoru”. He is not a hierarchical authority figure with executive powers. But surmas believe that this person has intelligence, charisma and a certain supernatural power. Because of these assumed personalities, suggestions and advices given by the ‘Komoru’ are highly accepted by the members.

Researchers explain that a century ago around 1898, Surmas used to sell ivory and some other big game products (rhino-horns, leopard skins, giraffe tail hair) to the northern Ethiopian settler traders.

The surmas earn their living mostly by raising cattle, which is supplemented by harvesting certain crops. Maize and millet are the main crops they harvest. The surmas live primarily on a diet of milk and blood supplemented by porridge and “Bored” which they made from maize or millet flour. They get the blood by shooting an arrow a quarter of an inch in the juggler vein of a young heifer to obtain just enough blood to fill a calabash. The animal is never killed. Instead the wound is sutured with a compress of wet mud. It is believed by surmas that the blood helps the young to grow and the men to gain strength.

The Surma Ethnic group is known by its various traditional practices. Among these, a single combat sport of physical skill known as “Donga” is the main one. Donga is a stick fighting ritual performed usually by unmarried men between 16 and 32 years old. Often as many as fifty men will compete, and all of them get the chance of fighting at least once. In such ritual dwelling young men show their strength and masculinity and as a result, they earn honor among their peers and with the hands of girls in marriage.

Each contestant is armed with a hard wood pole carved in phallus shape at the tip, about six feet in length and weighting just under one kilogram. Since the objective of the exercise is to knock one’s adversary down and completely eliminate him from the game, each fighter can land as many blows as possible upon his adversary. Killing is explicitly. forbidden. If a fighter kills his opponent not only he and his family are banished from the village but also their property is confiscated.

The Surmas lack advanced material culture. They use simple materials, which they can get easily such as local chalk, ostrich feather and others for decoration. They pierce and stretch their ear lobes. The women wear lip plates, which are made by the women themselves. They make their lip plates from clay soil in circular shape. The edge of the plate is properly shaped to hold the stretched lower lip. Then, the plate is smoothed out and put on hot fire to make it stronger. The pierced lip progressively stretched over the period of year. The size of the lip plate determines the size of the bride price to be obtained.

Another aspect of Surma culture is that, the surma men and women decorate their bodies by painting using local chalk mixed with water before every ceremony. During the donga ceremony men paint their bodies to intimidate their enemies. Generally men are the best artists. They paint just not each other but also women and children. They also create many and varied patents including swirls, strips, flower and star designs all of which are enjoyed solely for their beauty.

Source: Authority For Research And Conservation Of Cultural Heritage