Suri - Mother & Son

I captured this image in Ethiopia in November, 2019.  This mother and son are members of the Suri Tribe that live in Southwestern Ethiopia along the banks of the Kibish River.  I spent four days camping along the bank of the river and photographing the tribe.  In exchange for medical supplies I brought from the US, they allowed me to photograph them in their ceremonial attire, something which is very rarely done.  The ceremony was a right-of-passage ceremony for a young man to go into adulthood so he could ask his girlfriend to marry him.  This mother (Nabal) and son (Nabaku) wanted their picture taken together, which I was happy to do.  I thought the way they arranged the flowers was particularly striking and that the son’s eyes were captivating.  I was able to hang a black drop-cloth I brought with me from the trees as a background.