An enlarged family can count up to a hundred persons and is called guinna. 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. Their bodies are treated This page was last edited on 16 February 2023, at 14:24. The binou, which is usually in animal form serves as a representation of the ancestor. Omissions? 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. He wears white clothes and nobody is allowed to touch him. "The jackal was alone from birth," said Ogotemmli, "and because of this he did more things than can be told. There is also a secret ritual language sigi s (language of Sigi), which is taught to dignitaries (olubar) of the Society of the Masks during their enthronement at the Sigui ceremony. van Beek (text) (2001). Amsterdam: Time-Life Books B.V. [5], The hogon may conduct rituals in the Sanctuaire de Binou, a special building the door of which is blocked with rocks. Grain is stored in granaries. Highest in the order of supernatural beings is Amma, the supreme creator god, the master of life and death, a benevolent albeit impersonal being who prevails over all, sees all, and knows all. (2003), Wanono, Nadine & Renaudeau, Michel (1996), Hochstetler, J. Lee, Durieux, J. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. It is advisable to hire a guide with a car as the area is remote. The Dogon use this entertainment to earn income by charging tourists money for the masks they want to see and for the ritual itself (Davis, 68). The vast majority of marriages are monogamous, but nonsororal polygynous marriages are allowed in the Dogon culture. ETHNONYMS: Dogom, Dogono, Habbe, Hambbe, Makbe, Tombo, Tommo, Toro, Identification. A man may now sell a field allotted to him in the distribution of ginna property, but the sale is always revocable, and the ginna may recover the property upon the death of the seller through the reimbursement of the purchase price to the buyer. [13] As the growth of cities increased, the demand for slaves across the region of West Africa also increased. Orientation In another case of natures wrath rearing its head, flash floods have struck the iconic world heritage site at Petra, Jordan, forcing the evacuation of 1,700 tourists . Dogon insecurity in the face of these historical pressures caused them to locate their villages in defensible positions along the walls of the escarpment. This problem has been solved! Dogon society is organized by a patrilineal kinship system. During the yincomoli ceremony, a gourd is smashed over the deceased's wooden bowl, hoe, and bundukamba (burial blanket). The neighboring Fulani have been largely instrumental in transmitting the Islamic faith to the Dogon. Ogotemmeli taught Griaule the religious stories in the same way that Ogotemmeli had learned them from his father and grandfather; oral instruction which he had learned over the course of more than twenty years. 16th-20th Century. Each Dogon village may differ in the designs of the masks used in the dama ritual. Death and Afterlife. The Dogon are a group of about 250,000 people who live primarily in the districts of Bandiagara and Douentza in the western African nation of Mali. What is the origin of the legend of the Christed Son who was born of a virgin on December 25th? This chief head is the oldest living son of the ancestor of the local branch of the family. [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. Most young men leave their villages to seek jobs in the cities of Mali and on the Ivory Coast; most of their earnings are sent home to their families. In traditional Dogon society, land was transmitted within the family group (ginna, or lineage), and was considered inalienable property. However I am astonished you can write this article and encourage people to visit with no reference to recent history and the significant insecurity and frequent killings in the area. The Iliad can provide new insights on the role of motherhood among the ancient Greek gods, and by extension, amongst ancient mortal Greek women themselves. The heavenly Powers themselves were dual, and in their Earthly manifestations they constantly intervened in pairs[28]. The Dogon people with whom French anthropologists Griaule and Germaine Dieterlen worked during the 1930s and 1940s had a system of signs which ran into the thousands, including "their own systems of astronomy and calendrical measurements, methods of calculation and extensive anatomical and physiological knowledge, as well as a systematic pharmacopoeia". There are two endogamous castes in Dogon society: the smiths and the leather-workers. The traditional dama consists of a masquerade intended to lead the souls of the departed to their final resting places, through a series of ritual dances and rites. Blood alliances frequently were contracted between the Dogon and other groups such as the Bozo. It was first inhabited by the Tellem, Stone Age hunters, at least 10,000 years ago. For instance, in one of their most important rituals, the women praise the men, the men thank the women, the young express appreciation for the old, and the old recognize the contributions of the young. After initiation, he wears a red cap, and a pearl bracelet. Encyclopedia.com. Another 10% practices Christianity. The household is usually an extended family consisting of both nuclear and polygynous units. Universit de Paris, Travaux et Mmoires de l'Institut d'Ethnologie, 33. How the Dogon Preserved Their Unique Culture Along The Cliff 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. Their eyes were red, their tongues forked, and their arms flexible and unjointed.[21]. Current Anthropology, Vol. [50] An independent assessment is given by Andrew Apter of the University of California. Influence from Tellem art is evident in Dogon art because of its rectilinear designs (Laude, 24). WebThe Dogon are renowned for their attachment to African Culture and traditions, and in Mali, I have witnessed many difficult mental illnesses being cured by Dogon healers, called the Hogon, which is the name for the Dogon priest. Similarly each village may have their own way of performing the dama rituals. (2008). ETHNONYMS: 'kKxou and related words; Mizo (same as Lushai), Zo, Zomi. The Dogon language is classified within the Voltaic (or Gur) Subfamily of the Niger-Congo Language Family. African religions: Ritual and religious specialists. Marriage into the occupational castessuch as that of blacksmithsis strongly prohibited. Every four days, Dogon people participate in markets with neighboring tribes, such as the Fulani and the Dyula. It contained only about a quarter of the full vocabulary of "Dogo so", the Dogon language. In referring to relatives, linguistic usage distinguishes between the forms of address and the specific relationship. Dogon damas include the use of many masks, which they wore by securing them in their teeth, and statuettes. [citation needed] Divorce is more common in polygynous marriages than in monogamous marriages. Historically, Dogon villages were established in the Bandiagara area a thousand years ago because the people collectively refused to convert to Islam and retreated from areas controlled by Muslims.[5]. A secret language known as sigi so is used by members of the men's society (awa ) in connection with religious rites. Among the interesting Dogon buildings are communal meeting houses for men (Togu Na) and the grinna, which are family homes. [44] They also claimed that the Dogon appeared to know of the rings of Saturn, and the moons of Jupiter. Thegoal of Ancient Origins is to highlight recent archaeological discoveries, peer-reviewed academic research and evidence, as well as offering alternative viewpoints and explanations of science, archaeology, mythology, religion and history around the globe. Descended from the founding ancestor Dyon, the hogon The development of tourism in the Dogon Country and the Hombori Mountains (Mali) . The ritual language, "Sigi so" or "language of the Sigui", which was taught to male dignitaries of the Society of the Masks ("awa"), was considered a poor language. Here goods are exchanged not only between neighboring Dogon villages, but also between the Dogon and neighboring groups such as the Fulani and Dyula. Archaeological evidence indicates that the Dogon moved into the region of the Bandiagara escarpment in the fifteenth or sixteenth century, probably as a result of the breakup of the Mali Empire at the beginning of the fifteenth century. Dogons originated for the first time from the West bank of Niger around 1490 Other crops include sesame, maize, Once there, many trails are open to visitors along the escarpment and while visiting a traditional Dogon village, cultural respect is encouraged. The blacksmith, set apart by his caste, has no rights in the village and lives entirely on the proceeds of the sale of his goods to other villagers. Ogotemmli classified the Nummo as hermaphrodites. Other crops include sesame, maize, peanuts, yams, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, okra, watermelons, papayas, some figs, gourds, and cotton. 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. The district headman is also head of his lineage and occupies the "great house" (ginna) of that kin group. & Hollyman, Stephenie (photographs) & Walter E.A. The Dogon people were not the first inhabitants of the cliffs of Bandiagara. In the shadowy world of ancient warfare, one weapon stood out as a true marvel: Greek fire. [37] Women have no right to learn Sigui So. WebStudy with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like Sculpture Tellem, Mali. But Islamic law classified the Dogon and many other ethnicities of the region (Mossi, Gurma, Bobo, Busa and the Yoruba) as being within the non-canon dar al-harb and consequently fair game for slave raids organized by merchants. Dogon sculptures are not made to be seen publicly, and are commonly hidden from the public eye within the houses of families, sanctuaries, or kept with the Hogon (Laude, 20). Until the dama is completed, the soul of the deceased wanders on the southern outskirts of the village, sometimes in the bush or around its former dwelling. The colour white was a symbol of males. Since the late 20th century, the Dogon have developed peaceful trading relationships with other societies and have thereby increased variety in their diets. [6][7] Archaeological and ethnoarchaeological studies in the Dogon region have been especially revealing about the settlement and environmental history, and about social practices and technologies in this area over several thousands of years. The appealing factor lies in many raw, visual, fetishized pursuits and compelling cultural narratives. 5 (December 1991), pp. Dogon funeral rituals come in two parts. But after this generation, human beings were usually born single. Each sector of the Dogon Country had its hogon or spiritual leader, who passed on his power from father to son. Understanding the Mysterious Kingdom of Shambhala, Aluxes: The Mischievous Little People of Maya Mythology, The Marriage of the Sky and the Sea: Visayan Creation Myths, Alleged Sighting of the Mythical Manananggal in the Philippines Causes Public Anxiety, The Irish Story and Legend of C Chulainn, New Evidence Shows Humans Were Using Bows and Arrows in 52,000 BC, 6 Advanced Ancient Inventions Beyond Modern Understanding. Photographs of masked dancers, first taken in 1907, as well as examples of native art work, soon made their way into Europe and the United States, catching the interest and curiosity of the Western world. [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. [11] Other oral histories place the origin of the Dogon to the west beyond the river Niger, or tell of the Dogon coming from the east. The Dogon live in compact, occasionally walled villages built up the sides of the escarpment. The Dogon religion was centered on this loss of twinness or androgyny. 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. The first wife, or ya biru, holds a higher position in the family relative to any wives from later marriages. Ancient Chinese Earthquake Detector Invented 2,000 Years Ago Really Worked! There are twelve categories of disease considered treatable, each with its own specific healer who has special knowledge of the specific plant that will bring about a cure. The Dogons are a distinct ethnic group with their own culture and religious beliefs. 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