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The
Dogon are a tribe from Mali who until fairly recently were
able to keep their culture largely undisturbed by hostile
tribes, colonists, and modern life. This is mainly due to
their geographical isolation along the steep rock walls and
plateau of the region Bandiagara. Even today, the Dogon live
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electricity,
plumbing or a road system. Visitors
to 'Pays Dogon' have to travel by foot or donkey cart, and have to make
sure they take a guide along who can tell them about all the sacred -
and sometimes forbidden - places scattered across the villages and countryside. |
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HISTORY
Dogon history is based on oral tradition which tells the story of
their ancestors who came to Bandiagara some time around the 10th
century. These ancestors were four brothers named Dyon, Ono, Arou,
and Domno. Inhabitants of different regions claim to be related
to one of these four brothers. Oral tradition tells us that the
Dogon originally come from the west bank of the Niger River (10th
to 13th centuries). They ended up in the Bandiagara cliffs region
around the 14th or 15th century. Before 1921, the Dogon lived mostly
along the cliffs and on the plateau. Here they were safe from war-hungry
tribes such as the Islamic Peul, who frequently tried to attack
them. Only after the French colonists managed to pacify the area
in 1921, Dogon people started to spread out across the plains where
water was more plentiful and land easier to cultivate. |
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RELIGION
The Dogon practice an animist religion, which believes all things
and natural forces contain a living soul. Their religion is defined
primarily through the worship of Amma, the creator god, and of their
ancestors and protector spirits.
The Dogon
have four important cults in which they express their beliefs
and perform religious rituals. The Awa cult, also known as the
cult of the masks, is exclusively male. The male society of this
cult is characterized by strict rules of conduct, responsibilities,
taboos and a secret language. All young men in the Awa cult are
instructed in the art of the masks, which is forbidden to women
and children. The cult of Binou is a society that links certain
families to a totem, often in the form of an animal. The cult
of the ancestors believes in maintaining good relations between
the living and the dead. The fourth cult is called Lébé,
which is agricultural and worships the mythical Nommo creatures.
The most important agricultural ritual is called the Bulu, which
takes place before the first rains and planting of the crops.
The most
mysterious part of Dogon religion and culture is their myth about
the Nommo and a star called Sirius B. The Dogon people call this
star Po Tolo. In the 1920s they told a French anthropologist about
this tiny and extremely dense star, explaining that it circled
around Sirius A, the brightest star in the sky. The most remarkable
part of this story is that Sirius B could not be viewed by people
until the 1970s when telescopes were finally strong enough to
see it. The Dogon claim that the Nommo, their half-fish, half-human
spirits told them about Sirius B. Nommo were mythical creatures
who supposedly came from the Sirius star system to earth and visited
the Dogon back in the earliest days of their history. This unusual
story has created much speculation from western scientists and
researchers, including Carl Sagan, who wrote a book on the theory
that the Dogon were visited by extraterrestrial beings in the
past.
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SOCIETY,
ECONOMY AND POLITICS
The Dogon are primarily farmers of millet, sorghum, rice, onions,
beans, tobacco, and sorrel. Their onions are famous and exported
throughout the Sudan region. Another locally famous Dogon product
is Dogon, or millet beer. Apart from farming they also keep herds
of goats and sheep along with a few cows and chickens. Because game
in the area is scarce, hunting contributes little to the Dogon diet.
Fishing is done once a year as a group activity.
The Dogon
live in large family households called Gina. A Gina is usually
composed of a polygamous family group: a husband with several
wives, and their unmarried children. Dogon villages mostly consist
of families who stem from the same (male) ancestor. This is called
a patrilineage. These lineages own houses and agricultural fields
have their own altars and ceremonies, as well as their own burial
grounds. The head of the lineage is called Gina Bana, who is the
oldest living male descendant of the common ancestor. The primary
responsibility of the Gina Bana is to be the master of ceremonies.
He is also the leader of a council of elders made up of all the
adult men of the group. The council and the Gina Bana settle family
disputes, administer the property, and send representatives to
the village council.
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CULTURE
The Dogon are known for their beautifully carved masks and wooden
figures. A popular image in paintings, masks and woodcarvings, is
that of the Kanaga, a religious symbol of a human form with two
arms pointing to the sky and legs pointing to earth. It symbolizes
life as a transitional phase from earth to heaven. The most common
colors used Dogon art are red, black, and white, and typical Dogon
patterns include spirals and checkerboard motifs. These motifs are
all related to the Dogon stories of origin.
When Dogon
women menstruate they have to go to special houses which they
cannot leave until their period has passed. This is because the
Dogon believe that blood attracts spirits, possibly evil ones.
For the women the monthly break is quite nice; food is brought
to them by other tribesmen and they get a rest from working in
the fields and watching the children. One very controversial cultural
custom concerning Dogon women is female circumcision. This is
the practice of removing parts of a young woman's genitalia to
'cleanse' her spiritually. It is often a terribly painful procedure,
performed without medication or sterilized knives and many young
women die. This custom is strongly tied with the Dogon creation
myth and religion; the very first female circumcision was performed
by Amma himself on the Mother Earth. Its practice is common in
societies that place a high stake on female virginity and patrilineage.
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"The
Big Myth" © Distant Train 2009 |