Nupe woman walking in narrow street surrounded by mud wall fences, Bida, Nigeria

"The smallest nucleated settlement among rural societies in Niger state is a compound, known as emi in Nupe. A number of compounds make up a ward known as efu in Nupe, while a number of wards make up a village, known as tunga in Nupe. Each compound is surrounded by a perimeter fence which could be constructed of mud wall or of grasses. In almost all cases the compound was entered through a principal entrance building known as katamba." [Aiyedun K. and Oyerinde S.,1998: Traditional Architecture among rural Communities in Niger State: An Ethnoarcheological Study.] This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Life magazine and traveled to Africa from August 18, 1959 to December 20, 1959.