Mursi tribe God

During my 2001 Ethiopia trip, I asked the Mursi tribe elders to describe God. The four men looked at each other hesitantly. Then, one started. Boga, had dotted scars on both shoulders and down his chest to his belly button which meant he had killed at least three people.

With animated arms pointing to the sky, he said, "The God has wings; he has green arms, a rainbow-colored chest and no legs." Then he emphasized God's power. "And he can easily kill a man."

On my return trip to the Mursi in 2014, elders from another village confirmed that my illustration looked like God. This image broadened my perspective about God. Since childhood, I had grown up with the vision of Michelangelo’s painting of God creating Adam. While the Mursi vision is different, certainly it is no less valid.

Mursi tribe, Omo region, Ethiopia