Tuareg arched mat tent, beehive straw hut, and wind-screen, near Tombouctou, Mali

Object Details

Topic: Cultural landscapes; Vernacular architecture; Households; Animals -- Africa; Domestic animals; Mammals

See more items in: Eliot Elisofon Field collection; Eliot Elisofon Field collection / Mali

Archival Repository: Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

Type: Archival materials; Negatives (photographic); Black-and-white negatives; Negatives

Collection Citation: Eliot Elisofon Field Collection, EEPA 1973-001, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution

Collection Rights: Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Scope and Contents: "Offering containment and protection from the elements, the tent -symbolic of marriage, family, and the womb- was at one time central to the lives of most Tuareg. Over the last thirty years many Tuareg have become sedentary and now live in adobe or cement-block houses in towns and cities." [Loughran K, 2006: The Stuff for Life: Tent, Food, Weapons. Art of Being Tuareg. UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History]. During his trip to Mali, Elisofon visited the Kel Tademekket confederation of Tuareg people located in the Tombouctou region. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Westinghouse Film and traveled to Africa from October 26, 1970 to end of March 1971.

Collection Restrictions: Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.