That’s one way to find a wife!

Author: newsroom  | Published: October 2, 2016

Stunning pictures show tribesmen in Ethiopia taking part in dangerous near-naked fighting ritual to impress a mate

These stunning images from southern Ethiopia capture the moments members of the Suri tribe take part in a fighting ritual, at a time when their way of life is under threat. Warriors are seen taking part in the ‘Donga’, or stick fight, which has traditionally been a way men impress women and find a wife. They fight with little or no clothing, and the violent clashes sometimes result in death. Battles usually take place between Suri villages, which can consist of between 40 and 2,500 people. They are usually held after the rains, and there are often 20 to 30 fighters on each side, with tribesmen taking it in turns to fight one-on-one. Referees enforce a code of conduct – it is against the rules to hit someone while they are on the floor.

Men from the Suri tribe take part in a "Donga" or stick fight in Ethiopia's southern Omo Valley region near Kibbish on September 24, 2016. Traditionally the fight is a way to impress women and find a wife. The fights are brutal and sometimes result in death. The combatants fight with little or no clothing and sometimes no protection at all. The Suri are a pastoralist Nilotic ethnic group in Ethiopia. The construction of the Gibe III dam, the third largest hydroelectric plant in Africa, and large areas of very "thirsty" cotton and sugar plantations and factories along the Omo river are impacting heavily on the lives of tribes living in the Omo Valley who depend on the river for their survival and way of life. Human rights groups fear for the future of the tribes if they are forced to scatter, give up traditional ways through loss of land or ability to keep cattle as globalisation and development increases. / AFP PHOTO / CARL DE SOUZA

Men from the Suri tribe take part in a "Donga" or stick fight in Ethiopia's southern Omo Valley region near Kibbish on September 24, 2016. Traditionally the fight is a way to impress women and find a wife. The fights are brutal and sometimes result in death. The combatants fight with little or no clothing and sometimes no protection at all. The Suri are a pastoralist Nilotic ethnic group in Ethiopia. The construction of the Gibe III dam, the third largest hydroelectric plant in Africa, and large areas of very "thirsty" cotton and sugar plantations and factories along the Omo river are impacting heavily on the lives of tribes living in the Omo Valley who depend on the river for their survival and way of life. Human rights groups fear for the future of the tribes if they are forced to scatter, give up traditional ways through loss of land or ability to keep cattle as globalisation and development increases. / AFP PHOTO / CARL DE SOUZA

Men from the Suri tribe take part in a "Donga" or stick fight in Ethiopia's southern Omo Valley region near Kibbish on September 24, 2016. Traditionally the fight is a way to impress women and find a wife. The fights are brutal and sometimes result in death. The combatants fight with little or no clothing and sometimes no protection at all. The Suri are a pastoralist Nilotic ethnic group in Ethiopia. The construction of the Gibe III dam, the third largest hydroelectric plant in Africa, and large areas of very "thirsty" cotton and sugar plantations and factories along the Omo river are impacting heavily on the lives of tribes living in the Omo Valley who depend on the river for their survival and way of life. Human rights groups fear for the future of the tribes if they are forced to scatter, give up traditional ways through loss of land or ability to keep cattle as globalisation and development increases. / AFP PHOTO / CARL DE SOUZA

Men from the Suri tribe take part in a "Donga" or stick fight in Ethiopia's southern Omo Valley region near Kibbish on September 24, 2016. Traditionally the fight is a way to impress women and find a wife. The fights are brutal and sometimes result in death. The combatants fight with little or no clothing and sometimes no protection at all. The Suri are a pastoralist Nilotic ethnic group in Ethiopia. The construction of the Gibe III dam, the third largest hydroelectric plant in Africa, and large areas of very "thirsty" cotton and sugar plantations and factories along the Omo river are impacting heavily on the lives of tribes living in the Omo Valley who depend on the river for their survival and way of life. Human rights groups fear for the future of the tribes if they are forced to scatter, give up traditional ways through loss of land or ability to keep cattle as globalisation and development increases. / AFP PHOTO / CARL DE SOUZA

Men from the Suri tribe take part in a "Donga" or stick fight in Ethiopia's southern Omo Valley region near Kibbish on September 24, 2016. Traditionally the fight is a way to impress women and find a wife. The fights are brutal and sometimes result in death. The combatants fight with little or no clothing and sometimes no protection at all. The Suri are a pastoralist Nilotic ethnic group in Ethiopia. The construction of the Gibe III dam, the third largest hydroelectric plant in Africa, and large areas of very "thirsty" cotton and sugar plantations and factories along the Omo river are impacting heavily on the lives of tribes living in the Omo Valley who depend on the river for their survival and way of life. Human rights groups fear for the future of the tribes if they are forced to scatter, give up traditional ways through loss of land or ability to keep cattle as globalisation and development increases. / AFP PHOTO / CARL DE SOUZA

Men from the Suri tribe take part in a "Donga" or stick fight in Ethiopia's southern Omo Valley region near Kibbish on September 24, 2016. Traditionally the fight is a way to impress women and find a wife. The fights are brutal and sometimes result in death. The combatants fight with little or no clothing and sometimes no protection at all. The Suri are a pastoralist Nilotic ethnic group in Ethiopia. The construction of the Gibe III dam, the third largest hydroelectric plant in Africa, and large areas of very "thirsty" cotton and sugar plantations and factories along the Omo river are impacting heavily on the lives of tribes living in the Omo Valley who depend on the river for their survival and way of life. Human rights groups fear for the future of the tribes if they are forced to scatter, give up traditional ways through loss of land or ability to keep cattle as globalisation and development increases. / AFP PHOTO / CARL DE SOUZA

Men from the Suri tribe take part in a "Donga" or stick fight in Ethiopia's southern Omo Valley region near Kibbish on September 24, 2016. Traditionally the fight is a way to impress women and find a wife. The fights are brutal and sometimes result in death. The combatants fight with little or no clothing and sometimes no protection at all. The Suri are a pastoralist Nilotic ethnic group in Ethiopia. The construction of the Gibe III dam, the third largest hydroelectric plant in Africa, and large areas of very "thirsty" cotton and sugar plantations and factories along the Omo river are impacting heavily on the lives of tribes living in the Omo Valley who depend on the river for their survival and way of life. Human rights groups fear for the future of the tribes if they are forced to scatter, give up traditional ways through loss of land or ability to keep cattle as globalisation and development increases. / AFP PHOTO / CARL DE SOUZA

Men from the Suri tribe take part in a "Donga" or stick fight in Ethiopia's southern Omo Valley region near Kibbish on September 24, 2016. Traditionally the fight is a way to impress women and find a wife. The fights are brutal and sometimes result in death. The combatants fight with little or no clothing and sometimes no protection at all. The Suri are a pastoralist Nilotic ethnic group in Ethiopia. The construction of the Gibe III dam, the third largest hydroelectric plant in Africa, and large areas of very "thirsty" cotton and sugar plantations and factories along the Omo river are impacting heavily on the lives of tribes living in the Omo Valley who depend on the river for their survival and way of life. Human rights groups fear for the future of the tribes if they are forced to scatter, give up traditional ways through loss of land or ability to keep cattle as globalisation and development increases. / AFP PHOTO / CARL DE SOUZA