The Cradle of humanity

Ethno-photographer Joey Lawrence took these expressive pictures in the Omo Valley in Ethiopia in 2010. Due to the dense jungle and harsh dry climate, this region remains one of the most undeveloped in the world.

The Omo Valley, located three days away from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, remains one of the most undeveloped corners on the planet. Each tribe speaks its own language, each has its own customs and religion.When one of the tribesmen dies, the men of the tribe conduct a farewell ceremony with the deceased, and then they will guard his body for three days.

After that, the whole tribe will gather together and eat the remains of their fellow tribesman. This rite is a sign of respect and a guarantee of the deceased's transition to the afterlife.

Guarding cattle at night is the responsibility of young men. Before this picture was taken, Olocia shot at a creeping hyena with a Kalashnikov assault rifle.

Goats are the most valuable and revered animals in the tribe, as they provide it with food and clothing.

Daodo was a supporter of animism, like all his tribe, but in 1983 he became an Orthodox Christian.

This young representative of the Hamer tribe is preparing for her usual working day. Her job is to take care of the cornfields.

Bona is a highly respected leader in his village, Labaltoi. According to the customs of the Hamer tribe, the name Bona is given to aggressive dogs or animals. His scarification (incisions on the skin) shows how many enemies from the Borana tribe (7) he killed in battles.

The Karo tribe is an endangered ethical group of the Omo Valley. The remaining population of the tribe is estimated at only 1,500 people.

Biwa is an elder of the Karo tribe. He took part in many raids and battles to establish tribal boundaries.

Women in the Hamer tribe sew their clothes from processed goat skin stretched and dried in the sun. Recently, beaded jewelry has been woven into the fabric.

Men wear hats made of clay. The clay is attached directly to the skull and is not removed until the hair grows under it.

New York-based photographer Joy Laverence takes his documentary photographs in the same manner as commercial work. For this series, he used a PhaseOne/Mamiya 646 digital camera with an 80 mm main lens, a lighting system and a folding reflector. The combination of medium format and lighting techniques has produced remarkable results.