Surmi

Surmi, also known as Surma or Suri, refers to an ethnic group in southwestern Ethiopia as well as the language they speak. The Surmi people inhabit the Lower Omo Valley and surrounding areas, where they have traditionally practiced a mix of cattle herding, horticulture, and small-scale farming. They are part of the Surmic branch of the Nilo-Saharan language family, and their language is called Surmi (or Suri). It comprises several dialects and is closely related to other Surmic languages spoken by neighboring groups; mutual intelligibility varies across dialects.

In social life, the Surmi organize themselves around kinship groups and age-sets. Cattle are central to economy and social exchange, and beadwork, ornaments, and body modification have been notable cultural markers. Ceremonies, dances, and initiation rites are part of traditional practice, though the nature and frequency of these practices have changed in modern times.

Today, Surmi communities face pressures common to minority languages and cultures in the region. Language transmission can be affected by competition from dominant languages such as Amharic and Oromo, as well as by external forces related to land use and development around the Omo Valley. Linguists and anthropologists have documented the language and culture, but data on current speaker numbers are variable and subject to change as communities adapt to new social and economic conditions.