Bozo people transporting goods on boats by the Niger River, near Tombouctou, Mali

The Bozo people live predominantly along the Niger River, in small towns constituted of small houses. Their economy is based on fishing. Bozo people have a monopoly on the transport system because of their knowledge in the river by Niger, and are regarded as the masters of water. Tombouctou (Timbuktu) is also populated by Songhay, Tuareg, Fulani, and Moorish people, and is about 15km north of the River Niger. It is also at the intersection of an east-west and a north-south Trans-Saharan trade across the Sahara to Araouane. Its geographical setting made it a natural meeting point for nearby African populations and nomadic Berber and Arab peoples from the north. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon traveled to Africa from March 17, 1970 to July 17, 1970.