Nupe architecture

Gidan Nupe
Alternative names	"Ezhi", "Kangi"
General information
Status	Residences
Type	Traditional House
Architectural style	Nigerian
Location	Nigeria

Nupe architecture refers to the traditional homes of the Nupe, located within the middle belt of Nigeria with two notable landscapes of upland and riverine communities. The group of houses, Emizhi, constitutes a ward, efu, while in larger settlements, wards are separated by farms, land, or open spaces. The construction, decoration and use of materials, reflect the cultural world view and local environments inhabited by the Nupe.

Form

The main construction materials are clay, Eggun, and traditionally Dongo (a thatch from mineral fibre) but nowadays a galvanized iron roofing sheet, and a fench, Tsara. The huts typically employ sun-dried bricks, plastered in mortar. The homes feature various cultural motifs such as geometric decoration or ornamentation patterns on doors, walls and roof junctions.

Nupe compounds comprise of several individual courtyard units linked together by alleys. A typical compound includes a katamba (an entrance hut), keta (sleeping rooms), zhempa (the courtyard), ega (the animal pen), edo (the granaries), katagi (the kitchen), yekun (the hearth) and shikipata (the toilets and baths). The Nupe family system usually includes the extended family living together.

The zhempa is an exterior out of the door space, surrounded by at least a kitchen, animal pen and rooms. Furthermore, the zhempa may also serve as a resting place if the weather proves too hot. The katamba serves as the main entrance and name stems from kata (meaning room) and mba (meaning the lord), literally translating to "the lord's room". It is an important structure because no compound is without a katamba.