Ladder propped against wall of a Dogon family compound, Sanga region, Mali

The Upper storey is reached by a ladder made from a forked tree-trunk usually propped against the outside wall, positioned near the entry to the vestibule. This upper level includes a multifunctional terrace which leads to other storage rooms on both sides. The walls of these dwellings are made of rubble embedded in adobe and plastered over with a coat of adobe. 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. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon traveled to Africa from March 17, 1970 to July 17, 1970.