"Women with Kalashnikovs": A Peek into a Rare Ethiopian Tribe whose Wives Are Cold-Blooded Killers

An Italian photographer was privileged to closely document the women of the isolated tribe Morsi fearing for his life: "They are the most powerful, fashionable and threatening women in the world."

The women of the tribe have huge clay disks in the lower lip and scars on the skin that they deliberately create on every person or animal they kill

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12/03/2020

Thursday, March 12, 2020, 12:30 p.m.

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Gianluca Chiodini: Omo river 2018 - Cradle of Humanity

Huge lip disks, knives and Kalashnikov guns are not what you would expect to find in a typical woman's wardrobe, however in the Morsi tribe in the Umu Valley, East Africa, every woman over the age of 15 has these three items in the closet.

The remote Ethiopian tribe numbers 10,000 people and is known as a tribe with the community of the most beautiful, powerful and threatening women in the world.

Beyond that, in the past the women of the tribe were kidnapped by other tribesmen due to their beauty and from there came the tradition of punching the tongue to ugly them. .Yes, here size really matters.

The daring Italian photographer Gianluca Ciudini, 41, made his way to the isolated tribe (long before the spread of the corona in Italy, do not worry) to photograph the tribal women known for their fighting skills.

On his way there he heard that a week earlier they had killed a Chinese worker in revenge after "someone of their own" was killed in a truck accident.

He was also asked to keep his distance and tried not to disturb them in the evening, so they - and yes, the men of the tribe too - drink, get drunk and may be very reckless in their steps. "Daily Mail".

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Watch rare and mesmerizing photos of a remote tribe hunting wild boar - naked

To the full article

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A post shared by Gianluca Chiodini (@alfienero) on May 3, 2018 at 1:55 am PDT

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"Morsi is the most warlike and threatening tribe in the Umu River region of Ethiopia and I admit I was a little scared to approach them," he recounted. The women with the lip plates. In Morsi's polygamous men, beauty is entirely on the lips. In fact, Morsi are among the last populations in Africa to use the custom of the discs for the lips. "And the dowry that men have to pay to win their hands. It's a matter of pride and there is always competition for those who have more."

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A post shared by Gianluca Chiodini (@alfienero) on Dec 11, 2018 at 2:13 am PST

So, how does it work?

When the girls of the tribe reach the age of 15, they pierce their lower lip with a piece of wood.

Once the initial piercing recovers, the girls begin to stretch their lips with clay or wooden discs.

Once the area is healed and released, the women no longer suffer from discomfort or health problems, other than of course a slight effect on speech ability.

Tribal people also tend to scar themselves as a sign of their sacrifices (man and beast).

They make small grooves in their skin that heal into decorative scars, called kichuga.

They usually appear on the chest in the form of a single arch and on the upper arm in the form of two arches.

The cuts are made by lifting the skin with a curved thorn and cutting the skin with a sharp razor.

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A post shared by Gianluca Chiodini (@alfienero) on Dec 18, 2018 at 2:23 am PST

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A post shared by Gianluca Chiodini (@alfienero) on Feb 26, 2018 at 2:43 am PST

Chiodini did not have an easy time photographing the tribe: "Morsi lives in remote mountains in Ethiopia and among all the tribes I have visited in the area, it was the tribe that lived in the worst conditions. There was human waste and animal feces everywhere. It was not particularly hygienic. If you "Want to use your camera, you will have to pay them money. Some insist you keep shooting, but only a few of them were kind. The others looked proudly at the camera lens while making sure I kept the number of photos allowed."

Among the photos he posted online can be found a married woman with a plate in the rim reaching a diameter of 18 cm, a girl holding a Kalashnikov rifle and another girl with decorative scars on her arm.

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A post shared by Gianluca Chiodini (@alfienero) on Mar 29, 2019 at 3:14 am PDT

The Morsi tribe was discovered in 1970 by British anthropologists. The tribe has a tradition of wars and battles with neighboring tribes. They are warriors and farmers who grow corn and grain.

Photographer Gianluca Chiodini

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A post shared by Gianluca Chiodini (@alfienero) on Sep 28, 2018 at 2:30 am PDT

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