Dogon Wood Ladder, Mali, Based

One log, a few notches, and the roof is yours.

This ladder is Dogon, from Mali, and dates to the early 20th century. It is wood. Notched ladders cut from a single forked trunk have long been a feature of Dogon villages, used to reach granaries and flat rooftops. The fork spreads into a wide curved crown. Below it, a tapering shaft is cut with shallow steps, and the grain has opened into deep, dry furrows the color of driftwood. On its base it stands 62 inches high and 25 wide.

Modern ladders come with warning labels. This one leaves the matter to you.