In the early morning, Dassanech women prepare to participate in a Dimi ceremony, an important initiation ceremony, which every male member of the tribe must undergo before their daughters are circumcised prior to marriage. Wives of the initiates must each wear a black and white colobus monkey skin tied to their backs.The Dassanech speak a language of Eastern Cushitic origin. They live in the Omo Delta and they practice animal husbandry and fishing as well as agriculture.The Omo River rises in the Ethiopian Highlands and flows for over 600 miles before discharging its waters into the northern end of Lake Turkana. Once a year following rains in the highlands, the river rises and bursts its banks, flooding the low-lying plains. After the water has subsided, the Dassanech plant crops in the fertile soil. B0014P 0058Nigel Pavitt52005100256065122+03006