Surma Body Painting and Stick Fighting

After harvest, Surma men paint each other's bodies with intricate patterns, using a paste made from chalk found at the riverbank. they also paint young girls, competing to produce the most decorative designs. Body painting is performed by the Surma both to beautify and to make men more formidable in combat. This is considered particularly important during the annual Donga stick-fight tournament, when males battle with six-foot wooden poles to prove masculinity and win the hands of the most desirable women.