Tuareg men selling ornamented poles at the market, Chadawanka village, Niger

The nomadic Tuareg used to live primarily in tents made out of either woven fiber mats or leather. The tent (ehen) was held up with wooden poles; wealthier Tuareg, especially those from eastern Mali, ornamented their tents with highly decorated poles that could also be used to secure a wall mat (esaber) placed around the bed, or from which to hang leather bags. The intricate carved designs indicate that these are prestige pieces intended to embellish the tent. 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.