Walking stick Afar # 5 - Ethiopia
Beautifully sculpted walking stick from the Afar tribe. This stick is multifunctional:
as a weapon, to drive the camels and goats and to put the arms on while walking so that the hands do not swell from the heat.
Read the story..
The story
The Afar people have a distinct cultural and linguistic identity of their own and inhabit a well-defined territory in the African Horn; an area commonly referred to as the Afar Triangle which is divided between Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti. The Afar region covers the northeastern part of Ethiopia.
The Afar are traditionally pastoralists, raising goats, sheep, and cattle in the desert.
Male adults manage the herd and the household. The husband undertakes the herding, milking and selling of animals (often following discussion with his wife). The wife, on the other hand, fetches water, grinds grains, and prepares food in the house.
