The Banna are a pastoral tribe whose culture revolves around
cattle. Their harsh environment forces them to be semi-nomadic.
During the dry season, the men walk long distances with their
herds looking for water and grass, and to harvest wild honey.
The Banna have been isolated from the rest of Ethiopia by choice
as well as by their remote location in southern Ethiopia and the
Kenyan border. They are closely related to their neighbors, the
Hammer, in both language and culture. The Banna live in South
Omo Province in the southwestern region of Ethiopia.
Ethiopia—once known as Abyssinia—is a rugged country located on
the Eastern Horn of Africa, bordered by Eritrea, Djibouti,
Somalia, Kenya and Sudan. Its dominant feature is a high,
mountainous, central plateau which is split diagonally in the
south by the Rift Valley. This region is crossed by a number of
rivers, the most notable being the Blue Nile which begins in
Lake Tana, and joins the White Nile at Khartoum, Sudan. The
Banna territory remains dry and dusty