Dogon family compounds at the base of the Bandiagara escarpment. Near Sanga, Mali

"The word ginu stands for the house and the compound surrounding it. Walled in with a low stone fence that marks the limit but allows the neighbors and the passersby to look in, a Dogon house lies open to the rest of the world. A typical family compound has a hut for the man, a hut for each of his wives, and a fair number of granaries. An altar, tucked away in a corner of the compound, and if possible situated under an overhanging rock, serves for worship and sacrifices." [Hollyman S. and Van Beek W., 2001: Dogon, Africa's People of the Cliffs. Harry N Abrams, Inc.]. During his trip to Mali, Elisofon visited the Dogon people in Sanga (Sangha), a group of thirteen villages lying east of Bandiagara at the top of an escarpment. The most important villages are Ogol-du-Haut and Ogol-du-Bas. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for National Geographic and traveled to Africa from January 19, 1972 to mid April 1972.