From patch to jewelry

This calf is beautiful as she is, really. But some Hamar cows have additional ornaments in their coats that inspire Hamar jewelry. Like the balá.

Balá is the beautiful white patch on the forehead of some of the cows. The Hamar people wanted to wear a patch just like their beloved cows, and so they created a jewel, carrying the same name. Look at the second image. This image is part of the Ethiopian tourism travel poster series, and it portraits Hamar girls in their traditional attire. The picture series was taken between the 1960s and 1980s in Southwest Ethiopia, where the Hamar people still live today. Do you see the cow's white patch? It is a flat plate made of light metal. Girls and women wear on their forehead to adorn themselves. It was very common in the past, and today one can rarely see it in the Hamar markets and villages. Is there something in your pet or favorite animal that you would like to see designed as part of your attire?

Apart from the songs, horns and jewels, there are other ways in which pastoralists in East Africa will show their cows that they care for them. And, sometimes that hurts. Think about parents having their daughters' ears pierced long before they are able to speak for themselves. And that brings me to the following…