File:Building a hut, Part 3 (5019a92b-f55c-9a71-8d53-06236a4cbae8).JPG

wooden dome frame has bottom half covered in grass, people in traditional dress are working on more

Traditionally, Africans have incorporated natural materials from their surroundings into the building of their huts or homes. Thatching is quite durable. They build huts of grass thatched over a framework of branches, planted into the ground and tied with strips of bark or rope at the apex. The men usually gather the branches and construct the framework, while the woman gather grass and set about thatching the hut in layers. The basic design is uniform: layers of dried grass or palm fronds are woven to a wooden frame so tightly that water can't penetrate into the building below. Thatch can protect a home from summer’s searing heat.

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