Living in a rural area of the U.S. where hunting is not only a hobby but a way to put food on the table, people decked out in camouflage clothing are a regular part of the fashion landscape.
Not only do they wear their cammo out into the woods, they think nothing of sporting the green, brown, tan and gray mottled clothing to the grocery, school, restaurants or the movies. It’s just a part of the community culture.
Some tribes in Africa have also adopted the local flora into their garb, albeit for a more decorative purpose. The Surma and Mursi tribes of East Africa’s Omo Valley go to great extremes to create unusual, eye-catching get-ups, each trying to top the outlandish hair pieces and face paint of their neighbors and rivals. Without the use of mirrors, the people of the tribes aid each other in putting together and applying their elaborate makeup and headgear.
Every leaf, stick, blade of grass or flower is fair game to be incorporated into these visually stimulating costumes like the one above. They use daubs of clay to keep these natural concoctions attached to their noggins.
The original reason they began this exotic tradition has been lost over the ages, but the people of these communities, who spend most of their time involved in tribal warfare, continue to create these stunning costumes still today.
Who needs Halloween and a tube of fake blood to come up with something incredible?
Just take a walk through the backyard or the park, gather what’s at hand and begin creating.
Tags: camouflage, Surma tribe, Mursi tribe, East Africa, costumes, flora, Omo Valley
