Face paint helps the Karo people stand out from neighboring groups.

Standing Out

The Karo are a people from the East African country of Ethiopia who also paint themselves.

They live near a larger group of people. Since both groups speak similar languages, the Karo could easily blend into the larger group and lose their culture.

Instead, they want to stand out. To do so, they smear white and yellow paint on their faces. Sometimes they add dots and lines. Their face paint says, “Look at me. I am proud to be Karo!”