Animal husbandry is considerably more important, and all tribes keep at least some cattle mainly of a humpless, short-horned breed. Cattle are used primarily for sacrifice and marriage payments. They are also used for their hides and manure, but almost never for milk. Some other domestic animals may be kept, such as sheep, goats, dogs, and chickens. Trade seems to be highly developed and regular markets are practically universal among the tribes in Benin.
Labor is divided between men and women in the villages.
The men do the hunting, tend to the livestock, clear the land, and perform the bulk of the agricultural work. Women do most of the market trading and gathering, and they also help considerably in the fields when needed. Most settlements in Benin are neighborhoods made up of dispersed family homesteads. A few compact villages exist in different areas. Most of the tribes of the region live in either round or rectangular huts made of mud or sun-dried brick with thatch roofs.