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Nara Animist ::

A young Nara girl gets a surprise visit from a blue-cheeked bee-eater. She wonders if this bird is a relative coming by to say hello. “Her feathers are kind of similar to mine,” the bird notices.

According to oral tradition, the Nara ethnic group of Eritrea are considered to be one of the earliest inhabitants to Eritrea with mentions dating back to King Ezana’s 4th century rule. Like most indigenous spiritual perspectives, the Nara held traditionally animist beliefs, affirming that all objects in nature and human beings contained a spirit with equal parts in helping or harming each other’s existence.

A 1/1 colorized edition of "Young Nara Girl" from the East African Archives collection.

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