During bull jumping Hamar women beg to be whipped in the dry Kiskie river just outside Turmi.  The river is seasonal but is usually running this time of year.  There is a drought all over east Africa.  Women are begging to be whipped because without the marks they are not considered to be part of the family and thus not deserving of their support.  The whip marks mean they will have support thru out their lifetimes by their family members.  On the day of the bull jumpers marriage they can go to his house and take anything they want.  The whippers are Mazes (the last group to go thru bull jumping) and they are in the process of getting married. They only eat goat and honey and milk provided by the community.  Marriage is a strange process... all marriages are arranged.  Once they have done the bull jumping they go somewhere secret and rub cow dung on each others hands... BUT then they live with their parents for the next five or six years and they have sex with other partners but not with each other.  Once this crzaed sorting out period is over THEN he takes her to his hut and they are man and wife, but they may still retain boyfriends and girlfriends.  If a girl loves her boyfriend MORE than her husband she will only allow sex with her husband around the time of her period and sex with boyfriend when it is possible to father children.  The children then are officially the progeny of the husband...Contacts:..Lale Biwa.lalebiwa@yahoo.com
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