i Parkia biglobosa - School of Forest Resources & Environmental ...

Kandiga, three or four related families may share a common yard, an area surrounded by
a low mud wall, with a secure gate that serves as a pen for the livestock. The animals
roost or are herded in for the night to prevent theft and the compound serves as a manure
collection site. Often, a cone shaped mud silo with a thatched roof is also standing in the
yard. Millet, sorghum, groundnuts and other farm produce are stored in this silo
throughout the dry season (Figure 7). Adjoining the yard will be entrances to each
family’s house.
Figure 7 – Typical compound house in Kandiga
A single-family house is comprised of an outdoor patio surrounded by a low wall
that prevents larger livestock like goats and sheep and cattle from entering the human
habitat. The majority of activity occurs on this patio, a tamped earthen floor that can be
plastered with mud plaster or a mud/cement mixture depending on the family’s wealth.
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