Government map of Mursi territory
This map is a good example of how ‘facts on the ground’ can
be created, literally with a few strokes of the pen, to serve the
interests of a state bureaucracy. You’ll see that the words
‘MURSI LAND’ have been diagonally printed between the Omo
River and the western boundary of the park, thereby disguising the fact
that the area occupied and utilized by the Mursi actually extends
from the west bank of the Omo to the River Mago. You’ll also see
that the eastern boundary of the Omo Park is not shown on this
map. If it were, ‘Mursi Land’ would be confined to a narrow
wedge of territory, excluding both the Elma Valley and both banks of
the Omo, where the 10,000 or so Mursi would either have to starve or
become permanently dependent on food aid.
The True Extent of Mursi Territory
This map shows Mursi territory from the Mursi themselves and agreed with by the anthropologist David Turton.
Hand-drawn map of the tribal territories of the region
A map of Mursi territory amended by the Mursi.
