The document describes the traditional houses and settlements of the Dorze people in Ethiopia. The Dorze are known for their tall beehive-shaped huts, which can last up to 60 years. The huts are constructed entirely from local organic materials like bamboo, leaves, and grass using techniques that allow the entire structure to be transported if needed. Inside the huts, there is space for cooking, sitting, sleeping, and storage. Smaller huts may include spaces for guests, workshops, and livestock.

1. Traditional Dorze
huts/houses

2. Settlement
The Dorze are a small ethnic group in Ethiopia who speak a language
in the omotic family.
Numbering approximately 28,000.
They also are farmers, who prevent soil erosion by ingenious terracing
of the mountainside.
Dorze people lives southwest Ethiopia in the mountains north of Arba
Minch and they are famous for their huge huts, resembling a giant
beehive. Although these huts look fragile, they can last up to 60 years.
The huts can also be transported to another locations, thanks to the
structure made of vertical poles.
Traditional Dorze huts/houses

3. In the middle of the hut there is an open fire for cooking. There are
also low benches to sit around the fire. Along the walls are located
sleeping places and places for storage.

4. Smaller huts can include guest houses, a workshop kitchen and even cattle
Dorze huts

5. The chencha house is found in a small relatively high area west of
lake margarita,
South of the city of the city of boroda. Chencha and it’s
surroundings are the home of the dorze tribe, an industrious
people renowned for their skill in weaving. The chencha house is
more oval than hemi-spherical in shape. The height of the hut
sometimes exceeds 8 m, and is usually not less than 6 m.
Apparently there is a good reason for making it as high as it is. As
soon as the portion which is directly in contact with the soil
begins to rot, as indeed it does, the whole house is sunk to an
appropriate extent allowing the fresh portion of the wall to come
in contact with the earth. This is done as often as necessary until
the hut becomes too low for normal human activities to take place
inside it. As a rule the

6. Design principles

7. Symmetry

8. The entire house is constructed
with almost blind walls except the
door and smoke outlets.

9. Constructions are carried out with
scale variation for different
purposes but with the same form.

10. A main space integrated with a
second airy space forming the nose
like entrance.

14. Every hut hat a sort of ''nose'' at its south side, serving as reception room
were accustomed at the rather darkness, coming from the full sunlight, to see the construction of the hut from the inside. It’s surprising the large
hut when outside it looked so small.
Inside Dorze hut

15. Interestingly opportunity for pen for animals are made
available in the
Dorze towering huts. This makes it possible to protect
animals from the vagaries of the weather as well as
animal rustlers.
Dorze hut: animals live inside with the people

16.  The flooring, the walls and the
roofing and even the partitions are
made from bamboo.
 The doors are usually made of
timber.
 The leaves are used for finishing.

17. Material collection and
preparation
(Building sequence)

18. The Dorze houses are constructed entirely from organic
material :
 Bamboo
 Enset (false banana) leaves
 Grass
 Timber
Building a house is very similar to weaving a basket. They
can measure up to 9 m tall.
.

19. Bamboo with a good quality
is brought construction
begins.

20. The doors are usually
made of timber.

21.  The bamboo cover is separated
from trunk.
 Bamboo will be ready for
construction by splitting it in to
three parts with the help of an
axe or knife.

23. Bilkers standing inside house on scaffolding
and pulling a wet strip in to a place

24. The Dorze house is almost exclusively made
from bamboo.
Partially completed house; note scaffolding
protruding

25. Builder adding katla thatch

26. Man spilling inner fibers away from bamboo splint to obtain
bamboo to wave a fence

29. House being moved; men are inside, women outside; people brace
it with long bamboo poles to keep it from falling as it comes downhill
When termites attack the hut, the Dorze can just remove it
from its foundation and relocate it. This allows the home to
last much longer, but every move shortens the height of the
hut.