In the heart of the Great Rift Valley, a visit to Ari villages is synonymous with human and cultural encounter.

Also called "Aari" or "Shankella," the Ari are an indigenous people who have settled north of the Mago National Park border, about 2 km around Jinka, in southwestern Éthiopie. There is remarkable grace in their pottery works, delightful imagery in their wall paintings, and vibrant colors throughout their countryside, where millet, maize, and sorghum plantations alternate. The Ari women are renowned for their skirts shaped like false banana plants (ensète), which they wear with pride at major celebrations.

The tradition of music and dance is a cultural symbol associated with the Aari people. Enjoying a folk performance, sharing a plate of injera with locals, participating in the coffee ceremony, visiting a honey farming operation—the realm of the Ari invites you to a refreshing and comforting pause during your journey through the Omo Valley.

History

Toward the end of the nineteenth century, Emperor Menelik II sent Amhara leaders to the Omo Valley region. In the early 1900s, they took control of the area, and the Ari became their serfs.

In 1974, after the monarchy was overthrown, the Ari were able to recover their land. In recent years, spectacular progress has been made in education, health, and social services. Evidence of this is that most Ari towns are equipped with at least one school. Moreover, Christianity is gaining ground across all Ari communities.

Today

The Ari people have found refuge north of the Mago National Park border, about 2 km around Jinka. Currently, the tribe has approximately 435,000 inhabitants.

The Ari are farmers and cultivators. They possess the largest territory in the Omo Valley, where they perpetuate rich and diverse cultures on green and fertile land favorable to growing cereals, fruits, vegetables, and coffee. Beyond agriculture, they also harvest honey in large quantities as a medium of exchange. They are also herders with substantial livestock. These are people well-nourished, as their diet is more diversified than that of other tribes in the Omo region.

While men devote themselves mainly to agricultural labor, women practice pottery. A large portion of products sold in markets comes from the Ari.

Artists

Wall painting, called "Bartsi," is a characteristic trait of Ari civilization. Picture this: women cover the mud walls of their thatched houses called "tukuls" before carefully painting them. They regularly renew the decorations. Each woman has her own personal style in the choice of motifs and materials as well as in color combinations. Lacking brushes, they use their fingers, chicken feathers, or yam stems. The colors are derived from earth, charcoal, cow dung, battery acid, and water. The Ari call this "giving beauty."

Beyond house decoration, Ari men and women love to adorn their bodies with scarifications and wrap beads and bracelets around their arms and waists. Women wear skirts shaped like false banana plants (ensète) on cultural or festive occasions.

A Cuisine

When visiting an Ari village, be sure to taste injera, a large flatbread made from teff filled with sauce accompaniments. It is the national dish of Éthiopie, but prepared in the Ari version. Coffee ceremonies with family will provide an excuse to savor "bunaketele," a delicious beverage made from coffee leaves and other spices. And to combine the pleasures of the palate with those of the ears, marvel at the improvised chants during outdoor polyphonic singing, which holds great significance in Ari society.

Toward Modernization

The Ari settlement is the most modern and advanced of the ethnic villages in the Omo Valley. Children attend public school and an Orthodox church is open in each community. Western culture is spreading among younger generations. The presence of a brewery and a dance club attests to the arrival of a new lifestyle. The Ari live in a cheerful and colorful environment that tourists will certainly appreciate.

Religion

Despite the persistence of traditional beliefs, the overwhelming majority of villagers profess Christianity. With the triumph of Christianity, polygamy is gradually disappearing, and Ari men now take only one wife.

The Ari have good relations with their neighbors, as you will be able to observe on the ground. The Mursi are the only exception to the rule. Because of conflicts between the two tribes, the Mursi no longer frequent Ari markets.

The Ari tribe is known to be quite reserved, as it does not receive as many visits as other tribes, such as their neighbors the Mursi.

When to Visit?

The southern Éthiopie region experiences two rainy seasons. Therefore, to visit Ari villages, it is preferable to come outside the rainy seasons, during which roads are impassable.

To travel to the land of the Ari under the best conditions, choose dates between late June and September, or between November and early March during the dry season.