 Mbari houses of the Owerri @-@ Igbo are large opened @-@ sided square planned shelters . They house many life @-@ sized , painted figures ( sculpted in mud to appease the Alusi ( deity ) and Ala , the earth goddess , with other deities of thunder and water ) . Other sculptures are of officials , craftsmen , foreigners ( mainly Europeans ) , animals , legendary creatures and ancestors . Mbari houses take years to build in what is regarded as a sacred process . When new ones are constructed , old ones are left to decay . Everyday houses were made of mud and thatched roofs with bare earth floors with carved design doors . Some houses had elaborate designs both in the interior and exterior . These designs could include Uli art designed by Igbo women . 
