# Stick Walk (DD-668)

> The Banna (also written Bena) are a people of the Lower Omo Valley in southern Ethiopia's South Omo Zone. They live in the higher country around the market town of Key Afer and are closely related to their Hamar neighbors, with whom they share the Hamar-Banna language and major ceremonies. Their best-known tradition, the one in the footage, is stilt-walking, not walking with sticks. Young men and boys strap their feet to tall wooden poles and stride across roads and fields, sometimes about three meters above the ground. A 2026 DW report describes it as an old herding skill that helps young herders watch over their animals and stay safe from snakes. Other accounts describe it as a rite of passage and a performance at festivals, where stilt-walkers may paint their bodies with white stripes. Explanations vary, and some accounts doubt the practical origin story. Stilt-walking now also draws tourists, which DW reports brings extra income along with outside influences. The footage shows young men on long stilts walking along a road and across red earth, with green hills behind.

- Department: People (also Locations)
- First published: 2025-11-03
- Last updated: 2025-11-03
- Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/stick-walk/
- Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department

## Quick facts

- **DD-668-F01**: Banna stilts can be about three meters tall. _(Write-up · Exhibit B (Stilts, not sticks))_
- **DD-668-F02**: The Banna share a language with the Hamar. _(Write-up · Exhibit A (Who the Banna are))_

## Write-up

Herding from three meters up. Banna stilt-walking in Ethiopia's Omo Valley.

1. **Who the Banna are**: The Banna live around Key Afer in the Lower Omo Valley and share a language and ceremonies with the Hamar.
2. **Stilts, not sticks**: Young Banna men walk on tall wooden stilts, sometimes about three meters high.
3. **A herding skill**: DW describes stilts as a way for herders to watch their animals and stay safe from snakes.
4. **Ceremony and coming of age**: Stilt-walking is also performed at festivals and described as a rite of passage.
5. **Tourism**: Visitors now come to see the stilt-walkers, which DW reports brings income and change.

## Related case files

- [Danakil Depression (DD-055)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/danakil-depression/): Another case from Ethiopia
- [Hungarian Herding Dogs (DD-691)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/hungarian-herding-dogs/): Another herding tradition

## Reel vs. record

- **Note**: 'Stick walking' and 'long wooden staffs... as walking sticks': the footage and sources show stilts. Young men stand on tall wooden poles strapped to their feet, sometimes about three meters high.
- **Note**: 'Banna men': the stilt-walkers are mainly boys and young unmarried men, not men in general.
- **Note**: 'During ceremonies or community gatherings': partly. DW also describes stilts as a herding skill for watching animals and avoiding snakes, and they're now often performed for tourists.
- **Note**: 'Near the Omo Valley': the Banna live in the Lower Omo Valley itself, around the market town of Key Afer in the South Omo Zone.
- **Note**: 'Symbolic practice that reflects balance, pride, and cultural identity': accounts describe it as a rite of passage and festival performance, but explanations of its origins vary.

## Video: Stick Walk: Herding From Three Meters Up

- Duration: 21.6 s · Published: 2025-11-03
- File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DQmvJIqEvx6.mp4

### Transcript

DID YOU KNOW? The Banna tribe of southern Ethiopia, near the Omo Valley, is known for its traditional stick walking, a graceful and symbolic practice that reflects balance, pride, and cultural identity. During ceremonies or community gatherings, Banna men walk with long wooden staffs, using them both as walking sticks and as extensions of their posture to demonstrate strength, composure, and readiness. NOW YOU KNOW!

## Questions & answers

**Q: What do Banna young men walk on?**  
A: Sometimes about three meters high. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Stilts, not sticks) · DW (Jun 10, 2026): On stilts through Ethiopia's savannah; FurtherAfrica (Jul 23, 2023): Meet Ethiopia's stilt walking tribe)_

**Q: In which country do the Banna live?**  
A: In the Lower Omo Valley. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Who the Banna are) · Omo Tribes: The Banna)_

**Q: Which market town is the Banna heartland near?**  
A: In the South Omo Zone. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Who the Banna are) · Omo Tribes: The Banna)_

**Q: Which neighboring people share the Banna's language?**  
A: The Hamar-Banna language. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Who the Banna are) · Omo Tribes: The Banna)_

**Q: What practical reason does DW give for stilts?**  
A: An old herding skill. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (A herding skill) · DW (Jun 10, 2026): On stilts through Ethiopia's savannah)_

## Sources

- [DW (Jun 10, 2026): On stilts through Ethiopia's savannah](https://www.dw.com/en/on-stilts-through-ethiopias-savannah/video-77441717)
- [FurtherAfrica (Jul 23, 2023): Meet Ethiopia's stilt walking tribe](https://furtherafrica.com/2023/07/23/meet-ethiopias-stilt-walking-tribe/)
- [Omo Tribes: The Banna](https://omotribes.com/peoples/banna/)

## Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "Stick Walk." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-668, last updated Nov 3, 2025. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/stick-walk/