Dogon insecurity in the face of these historical pressures caused them to locate their villages in defensible positions along the walls of the escarpment. Elaborate ceremonial stools of this kind were owned by the hogon, the supreme religious and political leader in each [24] (Originally, for the Dogon, man was endowed with a dual soul. Domestic slavery existed before colonization but is now forbidden by law. 1000-1500 AD, Dogon Sculpture, Mali. [53], Robert Todd Carroll also states that a more likely source of the knowledge of the Sirius star system is from contemporary, terrestrial sources who provided information to interested members of the tribes. It is thus mysterious that there are so few references to the planets in ancient literature. [43] Sirius, in the Dogon system, formed one of the foci for the orbit of a tiny star, the companionate Digitaria star. "Mythes et organisation sociale au Soudan franais". The key spiritual figures in the religion were the Nummo/Nommo twins. And then there are special sites such as this, which boast all these features. van Beek (text) (2001). [12] Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. It was held once every sixty years and allegedly celebrated the white dwarf star, Sirius B. The Kanaga masqueraders, at one point, dance and sit next to the bundkamba, which represents the deceased. 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These events are held annually to honor the elders who have died since the last Dama. The first wife, or ya biru, holds a higher position in the family relative to any wives from later marriages. Another minority practices Christianity. In the past the Dogon were considered a warlike people; they often fought with other Dogon districts as well as with their non-Dogon neighbors such as the Fulani. The most ancient dialects are dyamsay and tombo, the former being most frequently used for traditional prayers and ritual chants. The cliff is not far from the city of Bandiagara in western Mali. The birth of human twins was celebrated in the Dogon culture in Griaule's day because it recalled the "fabulous past, when all beings came into existence in twos, symbols of the balance between humans and the divine". This marks the end of their youth, and they are initiated. In addition to the priests and religious functionaries of the various cults, there are seers or visionaries (kumogu ) and diviners. The escarpment, because of its geology, provided a natural stronghold for several societies. The mausoleum was built during the reign of Timur, the ruler of the Timurid Empire. [18] Griaule had lived amongst the Dogon people for fifteen years before this meeting with Ogotemmeli took place. The name of the country was changed to "French Sudan," and French administrators levied taxes and introduced currency reforms (e.g., French francs to replace the native cowrie shells). The Dogon dialects are highly distinct from one another and many varieties are not mutually intelligible, actually amounting to some 12 dialects and 50 sub-dialects. Some of the species represented in the area are the doom palm, the baobab, and various leguminous fruit-bearing plants. Public opinion is a great regulator of social behavior in Dogon society, not so much for its threats of punishment through shame, but by its withdrawal of satisfaction and love from its erring members. In his dress and behaviour the hogon symbolizes the Dogon myth of creation, to which the Dogon relate much of their social organization and culture. The great annual Feast of Sowing (bulu ) begins in April or May, prior to the beginning of the rainy season, in all the villages of the region. Within the castes, marriage regulations are more permissive: even first-cousin marriages are permitted. Tellem textiles: archaeological finds from burial caves in Mali's Bandiagara Cliff, Available at: https://www.africabib.org/rec.php?RID=084681896, Douglas, M. (1968). WebAlthough the Dogon recognize the creator god Amma as the Supreme Being and address prayers and sacrifices to him, the core set of beliefs and practices focuses on ancestor The Dogon believe the sacred snake Lb comes during the night to clean him and to transfer wisdom. Paulme, Denise (1940). During a greeting ritual, the person who has entered the contact answers a series of questions about his or her whole family, from the person who was already there. Craft skills are well developed among the Dogon, especially the making of pottery and baskets, weaving, wood carving, and leather- and ironworking. It is truly one of the most impressive regions in Sub-Saharan Africa . The Dogon are an ethnic group indigenous to the central plateau region of Mali, in West Africa, south of the Niger bend, near the city of Bandiagara, and in Burkina Faso. 575577, Index of African mythology and creation narratives, List of African deities and mythical figures, Traditional African religion and other religions, "Population dynamics and Paleoclimate over the past 3000 years in the Dogon Country, Mali", "Did the Dogon of Mali know about Sirius B? Dogon has been frequently referred to as a single language. Influence from Tellem art is evident in Dogon art because of its rectilinear designs (Laude, 24). "[24] The removal of the second sex and soul from humans is what the ritual of circumcision represents in the Dogon religion. The Dogon live in compact, occasionally walled villages built up the sides of the escarpment. And while some people may seem content with the story as it stands, our view is that there existcountless mysteries, scientific anomalies and surprising artifacts thathave yet to be discovered and explained. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. [13] As the growth of cities increased, the demand for slaves across the region of West Africa also increased. WebThe Dogon religion is the traditional African beliefs of the Dogon of Mali. The hogon is assisted in office by a sacrificial totem priest (yebene ), three bodyguards or policemen, a public crier or herald, and an ambassador who deals with other districts. The Awa is a masked dance society that holds ritual and social importance. The Dogon migrated after the empire's collapse to the cliffs of the Bandiagara plateau. ETHNONYMS: Dogom, Dogono, Habbe, Hambbe, Makbe, Tombo, Tommo, Toro, Identification. Other crops include sesame, maize, In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. Divorce is not uncommon; it occurs most often in polygynous households. In comparison with the neighboring Fulani, animal husbandry is relatively unimportant. Universit de Paris, Travaux et Mmoires de l'Institut d'Ethnologie, 33. Was this German silver mine really defended by two Roman forts and a line of "spike defenses? In conjunction with the council of elders, he makes decisions concerning public affairs. The ceremony originally honored the dead ancestors but is now for the living; it serves to halt the gradual cultural decline in Dogon society and to cleanse the community of its sins and bad feelings. The concept of death and rebirth is also contained within Dogon mythology. At this time, new masks are carved and dedicated to the ancestors. Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. The vast majority of marriages are monogamous, but nonsororal polygynous marriages are allowed in the Dogon culture. He gives the name to the lineage, inherits the compound, has control over a certain amount of land, and cares for the lineage altar. Retours au 'pays du reel'", Genevive Calame-Griaule: "On the Dogon Restudied". Articulo-Journal of Urban Research, (4), Available at: https://journals.openedition.org/articulo/417, My name is Edward Whelan and I graduated with a PhD in history in 2008. Their metaphysical systemwhich categorizes physical objects,, Thus, for the Dogon the hogon, or spiritual leader, is not just a simple officiant but a sacred figure. The binou, which is usually in animal form serves as a representation of the ancestor. The dama consists of an event, known as the Halic, that is held immediately after the death of a person and lasts for one day (Davis, 68). Because the word sewa is so commonly repeated throughout a Dogon village, neighboring peoples have dubbed the Dogon the sewa people. Social Organization. As sacred leader of the Lebe cult he oversees the important planting and Then, two things happened: either Chaos or Gaia created the universe as we know it, or Ouranos and Tethys gave birth to the first beings. [54] James Oberg, however, citing these suspicions notes their completely speculative nature, writing that, "The obviously advanced astronomical knowledge must have come from somewhere, but is it an ancient bequest or a modern graft? The cliffs and rocky terrain provided excellent protection from slave "The Nummo foresaw that the original rule of twin births was bound to disappear, and that errors might result comparable to those of the jackal, whose birth was single. The Chilling Mystery of the Octavius Ghost Ship, What is a Wendigo? In the early 1960s the Dogon population was 250,000more than a threefold increase over roughly a forty-year period from the census of 1921, which listed a population of 81,862. The Dogon are an ethnic group indigenous to the central plateau region of Mali, in West Africa, south of the Niger bend, near the city of Bandiagara, and in Burkina Faso.The population numbers between 400,000 and 800,000. Succession to office is patrilineal (by younger brother). Signs of other contacts and origins are evident in Dogon art. Those who follow this spiritual path believe in one Supreme Creator, Amma (or Ama [9] ), [10] the omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent Creator. Dogon funeral rituals come in two parts. Each district had its own recognized war leaders. Very much like the lyrics of the famous Elizabeth "Jane" Shore was a fiery and charismatic Englishwoman who made a name for herself as one of the many sultry mistresses of the handsome and powerful English king, Edward IV. [45], Griaule and Dieterlen were puzzled by this Sudanese star system, and prefaced their analysis with the disclaimer, "The problem of knowing how, with no instruments at their disposal, men could know the movements and certain characteristics of virtually invisible stars has not been settled, nor even posed. Large mock battles are performed in order to help chase the spirit, known as the nyama, from the deceased's body and village, and towards the path to the afterlife (Davis, 68). Once a boy is circumcised, he transitions into young adulthood and moves out of his father's house. Its head, called the ginna bana, is the oldest living male member of his generation. Encyclopedia.com. Although the Dogon recognize the creator god Amma as the Supreme Being and address prayers and sacrifices to him, the core set of beliefs and practices focuses on ancestor worship. Paris: ditions Domat-Montchrestien, F. Loviton. Hogon live alone and should be celibate, but a village girl may act as a maid. Each village is composed of one main lineage (occasionally, multiple lineages make up a single village) traced through the male line. Minor regional dialectal differences exist. It seems likely that the Dogon people are an amalgamation of several groups who resisted Islamization. AtAncient Origins, we believe that one of the most important fields of knowledge we can pursue as human beings is our beginnings. The term "Punjabi" signifies both an inhabitant of the Punjab and a speaker of the predominant Language, Wolof While the people keep chickens or herds of sheep and goats in Dogon villages, animal husbandry holds little economic value. This announces the entrance of persons wearing the masks used in this ceremony, while the deceased's entrance to his home in the family compound is decorated with ritual elements (Davis, 7273). Current Anthropology, Vol. [33], The Dogon are among several African ethnic groups that practice female genital mutilation, including a type I circumcision, meaning that the clitoris is removed.[34]. Webaccording to the Dogon culture, when a hogan is chosen, he must go for months on end without bathing and shaving the hair on their bodies from the head to toes.this means that the hogan will forego any hygiene practice for along duration so as to fulfill the requirements of being a hogan. Encyclopedia.com. Interest in other seemingly falsifiable claims, namely concerning a red dwarf star orbiting around Sirius (not hypothesized until the 1950s), led him to entertain a previous challenge by Temple, asserting that "Temple offered another line of reasoning. Medicine. Houses are built extremely close together, many times sharing walls and floors. Each caste is endogamous, and members do not take part in any of the common religious cults. The village of Songho has a circumcision cave ornamented with red and white rock paintings of animals and plants. The newly circumcised youths, now considered young men, walk around naked for a month after the procedure so that their achievement in age can be admired by the tribe. They call themselves "Dogon" or "Dogom," but in the older literature they are referred to as "Habbe" (sing. The Dogon languages show few remnants of a unique noun class system, an example of which is that human nouns take a distinct plural suffix. The series of dances, which constitute a good part of the Sigi, lasts for seven years; one village after another takes its turn to entertain its neighbors with feasting, drinking, and displays of wealth. Each Dogon village, or enlarged family, is headed by one male elder. According to Shawn R. Davis, this particular ritual incorporates the elements of the yingim and the danyim. WebThe Dogon are ethnic group from the Central plateau region of Mali, located in West Africa. One example: 'If a Sirius-C is ever discovered and found to be a red dwarf, I will conclude that the Dogon information has been fully validated. [15] These jihadic expeditions formed themselves to force the Dogon to abandon their traditional religious beliefs for Islam. Individuals with high status may own a small number of cattle.[30]. Davis, Shawn R. Dogon Funerals in African Art; Summer 2002, Vol. Often the buildings are so close to one another that the floors of some houses begin where the roofs of adjacent ones end. [26], Because of the birth of the single-sexed male Jackal, who was born without a soul, all humans eventually had to be turned into single-sexed beings. The leather-workers engage in significant trade with other ethnic groups and accumulate wealth. [28] Today, a significant minority of the Dogon practice Islam. One of its most distinctive features is the hierarchical series of occupational "castes" or status groups consisting of iron- and leatherworkers, griots (lineage genealogists), musicians, poets, and sorcerers. Women are forbidden from joining and prohibited from learning sigi so. Socialization. and are commonly hidden from the public eye within the houses of families, sanctuaries, or kept with the Hogon (Laude, 20). [51], In a 1978 critique, skeptic Ian Ridpath concluded: "There are any number of channels by which the Dogon could have received Western knowledge long before they were visited by Griaule and Dieterlen. 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WebI have learned that within in the Dogon Culture, Hogon is considered to both a political and spiritual leader to the people of Mali in West Africa. & E.I.K. Durieux-Boon (2004). Other authors have argued that previous 20th-century European visitors to the Dogon are a far more plausible source of such information and dispute whether Griaule's account accurately describes Dogon myths at all. Work activities are clearly differentiated. Two of the most specialized craftsleather- and ironworkingare restricted exclusively to members of a craft caste. Demography. Such jihads caused the Dogon to abandon their original villages and moved up to the cliffs of Bandiagara for better defense and to escape persecutionoften building their dwellings in little nooks and crannies.[15][17]. The danyim is held a couple of months later. Dyamsay and tombo, the demand for slaves across the region of Mali make up a single village traced... 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