Granaries, part of family compound, Ireli, Mali

"The Dogon build four types of granaries: two for the men, and two for the women. The most common type is the square guyo ya (female) granary. There the wife keeps her personal belongings. For some special harvest, the women use a less common round granary (guyo totori). The man of the compound has at least one high granary, the guyo ana (male), with two levels inside, for the storage of millet and sorghum. The second male type of granary, the guyo togu (shelter) serves as a dwelling for a very old man." [Hollyman S. and Van Beek W., 2001: Dogon, Africa's People of the Cliffs. Harry N Abrams, Inc.]. A village like Ireli, one of the larger ones along the cliffs, comprises eight wards: Nattaye, Oro, Bara, Dama, Toro, Ida, Niene and Ganie. The village at the foot of the Bandiagara escarpment is approximately one kilometer long and is divided by a steep-walled gorge accessible only by foot. 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.