What gifts should I bring for the Surma tribespeople?

Hello, I’d like to know what small gifts I could bring for women, children, and men in the Surma tribes of the western Omo Valley. Usually, I bring pencils, pens, perfumes, and cigarettes, depending on the country.

What do you recommend?

Philippe Departure on 11/13/24

No, pencils and pens won’t interest them—they don’t know how to write. Perfumes won’t work either; they’ll find the smell unpleasant. Clothes, yes—they love dressing up: dresses, long skirts, and hats for the women, jeans and high-top shoes for the men. And of course, sweets for the kids.

Thanks Jean Michel for your feedback.

Good evening Philippe, I imagine you’ll be working with an organization? No doubt they’ll be best placed to give you a relevant answer. Still, you probably know that pencils can be useful even for people who don’t write—thick, colorful ones, for example, for drawing, which is a major art form for them. As for giving “costumes” like someone mentioned above... For fragrances, here’s a suggestion—admittedly a bit pricey, but it fits the image some have of the Surma, starting with the Ethiopian government: Dior’s *Eau Sauvage*. 😉

Hi Jean-Luc,

Thanks for your reply. I’ll be traveling alone with my local guide and his team—it’s a choice I made, a way of traveling I really enjoyed this year with the "Mentawai" people.

I’ve actually planned to bring some crayons with paper, perfume samples, and my guide suggested bringing soap as well.

Have a great day.

Hi Philippe, I’m planning a trip to Ethiopia in January 2026. Would you be able to share your guide’s contact details with me? Thanks! Best regards, Patricia