The construction of a traditional raised mud granary, Chadawanka village, Niger

Object Details

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

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: "In traditional Hausa society the layouts of fields, houses, granaries and towns are governed by an ancient cosmology which regulates numerous facets of daily life. Both Hausa men and women are profoundly shaped by their agricultural subsistence economy. When constructing a wall only two or three courses of mud bricks are laid in one day. The normal method of building a granary is for the builder to sit astride the top of the unfinished wall; mud bricks and pats are thrown up to him. On finishing the day's courses within his reach, the builder moves backwards, away from this new work, and sits on that part of the new wall built the previous day. So scaffoldings and ladders are used in the construction of large buildings only, but ladders are sometimes used for repairs, maintenance and decoration" [Moughtin J.c., 1985: Hausa Architecture. Ethnographica Limited]. 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.