Two Mursi men with singular hairstyles play a game of bau as a young boy watches them. Most men possess rifles to protect their families from hostile neighbours.Body art is an important aspect of Mursi culture; men will smear their bodies with a mixture of local chalk and water and then draw designs with their fingertips to enhance their physical appearances. The Mursi speak a Nilotic language and have affinities with the Shilluk and Anuak of eastern Sudan. They live in a remote area of southwest Ethiopia along the Omo River, the country's largest river, which flows over 600 miles before discharging its waters into Lake Turkana. Agriculture provides the basis of their livelihood with two crops possible a year.The culture, social organisation, customs and values of the people have changed little. Young men hold donga stick fights after harvest time each year to decide on their best and bravest fighters.