Traditional mud brick village in eastern Bamana country, Niger River valley, Mali

"Bamana village architecture is dominated by extended family compounds (douw) which in turn are subdivided into individual households known as gouaw. In the eastern Bamana country, these architectural units are separated by mud brick walls five feet and higher in height and by the sides of buildings. In the same area, narrow common alleys traverse villages in a tortuous manner, and eventually lead in and out of them. In the western and southern Bamana country, houses are usually round with thatch roofs, and mud brick walls are less common. However, in recent years, rectangular mud brick construction has been increasingly adopted in this area." [Imperato P., 2001: Legends, Sorcerers, and Enchanted Lizards, Door Locks of the Bamana of Mali, Africana Publishing Company]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon traveled to Africa from March 17, 1970 to July 17,1970.