Authentic Donga Stick Fight #suri #surma #omovalley #donga

Mursi And Suri’s Duelling(ART Stick Fighting) Ceremonial dueling (thagine) is a form of ritualized male violence, or ’martial art’, in which men from different locally based divisions of the population  join in brief but furious single combat, using wooden poles and wearing stylized protective clothing. It is a key marker of Mursi identity and a highly valued and popular activity of young men who, amongst other things, are keen to prove themselves to unmarried girls. The duelling weapon is a wooden pole (donga, pl. dongen), around two meters long which is cut from one of two species of tree of the genus Grewia (kalochi). In the attacking position the donga is gripped at its base with both hands, the left above the right, the aim being to land a blow with the shaft (never with the point) on any part of the opponents body, including the head, with sufficient force to knock him over. Blows are parried by continuing to grip the base of the donga with the right hand, while sliding the