Traditional houses among the Shilluk people, near Malakal, Sudan

"A well constructed tukul is neat and of really fine appearance. Dwelling houses are usually of the same size, conical in shape, walls of mud, sometimes reinforced with poles or corn stalks, and surrounded by a fence of dura-stalks. The roofs are thatched with two kind of grass. Family class prescribes which kind may be used in thatching the house." [Westerman D., 1912: The Shilluk People]. During his trip to Sudan, Elisofon visited the Shilluk people near Malakal in the Upper Nile region (now, A`ali an-Nil region). This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Life magazine and traveled to Africa from January 8, 1947 to end of June 1947.