Thabang and family outside their home in Ha Motenalapi in the Senqunyane valley, Lesotho, 2000

Thabang and family outside their home in Ha Motenalapi in the Senqunyane valley, Lesotho. We were camped in tents nearby on an archaeological expedition and they invited us to sleep in this hut for three nights even though this meant the whole family slept in a smaller hut out of frame. They are wearing their Basotho tribal blankets. The door and window mouldings demonstrate Litema, the mural art of the Basotho. The hut floor and window mouldings are made from Daga, a mix of earth and dung. The high ammonia content of the dung acts as an antiseptic. The patterns engraved around the doorways may represent the surrounding furrowed fields.

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