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A Dogon family compound, Ireli, Mali

National Museum of African Art

Object Details

Local Numbers
EENG-VII-15, 14A.
General
Title source: Index card based on photographer's notes.
Photographer
Elisofon, Eliot
Collection Photographer
Elisofon, Eliot
Place
Africa
Mali
Topic
Vernacular architecture
Cultural landscapes
Domestic scenes
Households
Photographer
Elisofon, Eliot
Culture
Dogon (African people)
See more items in
Eliot Elisofon Field collection
Eliot Elisofon Field collection / Mali
Extent
1 Negatives (photographic) (b&w, 35mm.)
Date
1971
Archival Repository
Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art
Identifier
EEPA.1973-001, Item EEPA EENG 09646
Type
Archival materials
Negatives (photographic)
Black-and-white negatives
Negatives
Collection Citation
Eliot Elisofon Field Collection, EEPA 1973-001, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution
Collection Rights
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Genre/Form
Black-and-white negatives
Negatives
Scope and Contents
"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. Dogon women spend countless hours pounding millet, hefting their heavy wooden poles with dexterity. They remove the hulls and later crunch the kernels of grain in another bout of pounding. girls learn at an early age, practicing in small mortars." [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.
Collection Restrictions
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1536870822481-1536871015171-1
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo7611ec104-43fe-41b6-95f5-445d705cd5d5

Related Content

  • Eliot Elisofon Field collection

A Dogon family compound, Ireli, Mali
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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