Special architecture in Benin
The Somba are an important ethnic group, which have the northeast of Benin as its main habitat. In Togo they are best known as the Tamberma. They live in ingeniously built huts of loam that resemble fortified mini-castles (tata somba). In the past, their main source of nutrition consisted mainly of meat, nowadays they mainly eat corn and millet. The main drink is tchouc, a type of beer that is prepared by the women. The quality of the beer determines the status of the woman. The four wind directions have a special meaning at the Somba: West is earlier, East is after, North is female and South is male. The Somba live very animistically and their lives are dedicated to the four main events: birth, initiation, marriage and death. The inkervings in their skin mark these different phases of their lives.
