Hamer Tribe

Ukuli Bula is a a famous Hamer (Hamar) people ceremony involving bull jumping by young men about to marry. It also involves his sisters and young female relatives being whipped with sticks before the actual jumping of the bulls takes place. It tends to unite the family as if the woman ever falls upon on hard times, she can rely upon the man to help her. The scars on her back are said to be proof of her sacrifice for the man and it is therefore impossible for the man to refuse her needs in times of emergencies. The more scars a woman possesses, the greater is her status in the Hamer tribal society by proving just how dedicated she is to her family. During the bull jumping ceremony, the bulls are held in place by men who have successfully completed the ceremony on previous occasions (the MAZA). The MAZA are responsible for holding the bulls in place and preventing serious injury to the man if he might fall. The man is required to transverse the bulls four times. He must perform the bull jumping ceremony naked and if he fails he will not be permitted to marry and must wait one year to make another attempt and will be whipped by the women.