The Nyangatom are an agro-pastoralist Nilotic group of about 30,000 people living across the border of southwestern Ethiopia, southeastern South Sudan.  Known for their resilience, the Nyangatom are recognized by their intricate beadwork, body scarification, and semi-nomadic lifestyle tied to cattle herding and Omo River flood cultivation.  They likely migrated to the Lower Omo Valley region from northern Uganda in the 19th century.
Their way of life is dictated by their harsh, semi-arid environment.  The majority of the Nyangatom are semi-nomadic pastoralists, moving vast distances with their herds of cattle, goats, and camels. Those who live along the Omo River practice flood-retreat agriculture, cultivating sorghum, maize, beans, and tobacco, and fishing to supplement their diet.
The Nyangatom have distinct aesthetics and social customs. Women are famous for wearing heavy, layered necklaces that are stacked up to their chins. The amount of jewelry indicates her husband’s wealth and her family's social status.  Both men and women practice intricate body scarification as a symbol of strength and beauty. Men often mark their chest or right shoulder with scars after their first enemy kill, establishing their status as warriors. They live in a resource-scarce, politically volatile region and are, by necessity, fierce warriors. They frequently engage in intermittent conflicts with neighboring tribes—such as the Turkana, Dassanetch, and Suri—often stemming from territorial and cattle disputes.