. The ban of the Bori; demons and demon-dancing in West and North Africa . und huts. Thebuilding and plan of the common round and square Hausahouses have already been described elsewhere,1 so theyneed not be repeated here, and since the Arabic househardly enters into the question, a detailed description isnot appropriate. All that need be said is that there arethe several apartments, in addition to the ordinary bed-sitting-rooms, all opening on to a central court, there beingusually the depth of only one room between the court-yard and the outer wall. The house is therefore square,consisting o
. The ban of the Bori; demons and demon-dancing in West and North Africa . und huts. Thebuilding and plan of the common round and square Hausahouses have already been described elsewhere,1 so theyneed not be repeated here, and since the Arabic househardly enters into the question, a detailed description isnot appropriate. All that need be said is that there arethe several apartments, in addition to the ordinary bed-sitting-rooms, all opening on to a central court, there beingusually the depth of only one room between the court-yard and the outer wall. The house is therefore square,consisting of single rooms forming the four sides, the wallsbeing strongly built of brick, and permanent. The roomsare separate structurally, and with no inside room, the best one which I saw, measured 25 feetby 9 feet by about 12 feet in height. A double door, opening inwards on to the nagged court-yard, is secured by hooks stuck in the wall, and by bars ofwood. It is often studded with nails, and although it isevident that they have been placed so as to give a dia- 70. 9.—A lane in —The drawing-room (and medicine-hous?) of Haja Gogo. HABITATIONS AND DOMESTIC LIFE 71 grammatic representation of a hand—which in some casesis in the form of a lyre—it may be that the mere drivingin of the nails gives protection, imprisoning in the wood-work of the door the good influence invoked. An out-line resembling a double hand is often seen also. An ironring acts as a knocker, and when this is rapped, the crycomes : Askul (Who is it ?). On a satisfactory replybeing received, the fastenings are undone, and, afterwaiting a moment for the women to get inside the roomsout of sight, the visitor enters. Near the door is theretiring room, and washhouse, through which flows waterin a drain, that for drinking being obtained from a wellin the courtyard. The furniture consists of divans, raisedwide beds, European chairs, chiffoniers, etc., gaudilypainted Arabic brackets, like those in
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdec, booksubjectdance, booksubjectdemonology
