Title: Ladder
Material: Wood
People: Dogon
Country: Mali, West Africa
Description: The Dogon people of Mali, West Africa, are well known
for their striking wooden sculpture & innovative architecture.
The Dogon ladder was used throughout Mali from around
the late 19th century. The Dogon people created ladders by
carving wedges into tree trunks that fork at the top. The
notches served as footholds, while the fork at the top
stabilized the ladder. The Dogon used ladders to climb to
their traditional cliff dwellings & to access their raised
granaries.
