Dogon village along the Bandiagara escarpment. I have lived nearby and visited Dogon country. They were one of the last people in West Africa to lose their independence and come under French rule.[18]. Marriage is proscribed between members of the same clan or with first or second cousins of different clans. WebThe Hogon is the spiritual and political leader of the village. Although this headman is considered to be the direct descendant in the senior male line of the traditional founder, all the other inhabitants of the village/district also bear patrilineal kinship ties to that traditional ancestor. Dogon lineage is patrilineal, meaning She returns to her home at night. Evidence from substrate vocabulary in Bangime and Dogon, Dogon Languages and Linguistics An (sic) Comprehensive Annotated Bibliography, The Dogon People of Bandiagara, Mali, The Dance of Masks of the Dogon People, The Dogon People of Bandiagara, Mali: the Dogon Fish Festival, African worlds: studies in the cosmological ideas and social values of African peoples, Dogon images from the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dogon_people&oldid=1139711208, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles using infobox ethnic group with image parameters, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2017, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from December 2017, All articles with vague or ambiguous time, Vague or ambiguous time from December 2017, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Bedaux, R. & J.D. van der Waals (eds.) Women are forbidden from joining and prohibited from learning sigi so. [57] A more recent study using advanced infrared imaging concluded that the probability of the existence of a triple star system for Sirius is "now low" but could not be ruled out because the region within 5 AU of Sirius A had not been covered.[58]. 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. Due to the expense, the second traditional funeral rituals, or "damas", are becoming very rare. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. I View the full answer Previous question Next question During this time, new masks are carved and dedicated to their ancestors. Caste boys do not get circumcised.[31]. Dogon funeral rituals come in two parts. "The dual soul is a danger; a man should be male, and a woman female. The yingim consists of both the sacrifice of cows, or other valuable animals, and mock combat. Divorce is not uncommon; it occurs most often in polygynous households. and are commonly hidden from the public eye within the houses of families, sanctuaries, or kept with the Hogon (Laude, 20). Blood alliances frequently were contracted between the Dogon and other groups such as the Bozo. In the 7th century AD, the Byzantine Empire harnessed the power of fire with the creation of Greek fire, a weapon of destruction unlike any before its time. Hogon live alone and should be celibate, but a village girl may act as a maid. 32, No. In Dogon thought, males and females are born with both sexual components. Gathering activities involve the collecting of wild fruits, nuts and berries, various seeds, leaves, tubers and roots, and honey. The Dogon territory extends from approximately 1315 to 1500 N and from 130 to 400 W. The population is concentrated in some 300 villages along a 145-kilometer stretch of escarpment called the Cliffs of Bandiagara. Masks used during the yincomoli ceremony include the Yana Gulay, Satimbe, Sirige, and Kanaga. 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. [23] They were symbolized by the colour red, a female symbol. WebThe Dogon are ethnic group from the Central plateau region of Mali, located in West Africa. Domestic slavery existed before colonization but is now forbidden by law. Mudlarker Finds Bronze Age Shoe on a UK Riverbank Dated 2,800 Years Old! The Awa is a masked dance society that holds ritual and social importance. The historical pattern included the murder of indigenous males by raiders and enslavement of women and children. Paulme, Denise (1940). Kanaga mask in three pieces; 20th century; 108 x 59.1 x 22.9cm (42.mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}12 x 2314 x 9 in); Brooklyn Museum (New York City), Person wearing a Walu mask, based on an antelope, Figure of a seated musician (koro player); late 18th century; 55.8 x 17.7 x 10.8cm (22 x 7 x 414 in. There are two endogamous castes in Dogon society: the smiths and the leather-workers. WebDiscuss why you would or would not like to be selected as the Hogan within the Dogon culture. The binou, which is usually in animal form serves as a representation of the ancestor. The danyim is held a couple of months later. [20] The religion embraced many aspects of nature which are found in other traditional African religions. 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. This enigmatic figure is an ancestor figure from the Dogon people of Mali. The economy of the Sangha region has doubled since then, and its onions are sold as far as the market of Bamako and those of the Ivory Coast. Other crops include sesame, maize, peanuts, yams, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, okra, watermelons, papayas, some figs, gourds, and cotton. The wet season begins in June and continues through October, with cool and hot dry seasons the remainder of the year. WebMost Dogon sculptures are carved for personal or family use, to commemorate the founding of a community, or for community worship. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. All agree, however, that they learned about the star from Griaule. 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. 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. 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. 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. The first wife, or ya biru, holds a higher position in the family relative to any wives from later marriages. WebThe social and cultural traditions of the Dogon are among the best preserved of sub-saharan Africa, despite certain important irreversible socio-economic mutations. 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. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Encyclopedia of World Cultures. Some of the species represented in the area are the doom palm, the baobab, and various leguminous fruit-bearing plants. The hogon is always a man. By bringing together top experts and authors, this archaeology website explores lost civilizations, examines sacred writings, tours ancient places, investigates ancient discoveries and questions mysterious happenings. This chief head is the oldest living son of the ancestor of the local branch of the family. Each caste is endogamous, and members do not take part in any of the common religious cults. Afterwards, the boys stay for a few days in a hut separated from the rest of the village people, until the wounds have healed. ETHNONYMS: Cohatur, Kohatur, Kotar, Koter, Kothur (February 23, 2023). [5], The hogon may conduct rituals in the Sanctuaire de Binou, a special building the door of which is blocked with rocks. While the castes are correlated to profession, membership is determined by birth. 16th-20th Century. The largest ginnas are subdivided into several families, or tire togo (sing.). Elaborate ceremonial stools of this kind were owned by the hogon, the supreme religious and political leader in each The curvilinear design and the accompanying child suggest a female. Each village is composed of one main lineage (occasionally, multiple lineages make up a single village) traced through the male line. These caste groups live apart from the general population. & Hollyman, Stephenie (photographs) & Walter E.A. After initiation, he wears a red cap, and a pearl bracelet. There are three principal While there is not a great deal of accommodation near the Cliff of Bandiagara (Dogon County), there is some in nearby towns. The fundamental unit of Dogon social organization is the patrilineage, or ginna. Translation of 5,500-Year-Old Babel Text from China Reveals Oldest Known Map of Inner Solar System, The Gristhorpe Man: A Bronze Age Skeleton with a Story to Tell, 3: The Perfect Number - Trinity Symbolism in World Religious Traditions, Evidence that Noahs Ark Landed on a Mountain 17 Miles South of Ararat, The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts, The Truth Behind the Christ Myth: Ancient Origins of the Often Used Legend Part I, Library in Stone: The Ica Stones of Professor Cabrera Part I, Two Sides to Every Story: The North American Martyrs Shrines and Indigenous/ Roman Catholic Relations, The Origins of the Faeries: Encoded in our Cultures Part I, Curse of the Buried Pearl: The Hunt for Ancient Treasures Part I, The Enigma of the Shugborough Inscription, The Dogons Extraordinary Knowledge of the Cosmos and the Cult of Nommo, Those Who Once Reigned: Experts Name Famous and Forgotten Ancient Gods, The Legend of How Mansa Abu Bakr II of Mali Gave up the Throne to Explore the Atlantic Ocean, https://www.africabib.org/rec.php?RID=084681896, https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/africa/article/dogon-cultureprofane-and-arcane/47CD44EC412C57D64B141529BD52F19B, https://journals.openedition.org/articulo/417, Petra Historic World Heritage Site Blasted By Flash Floods, The Classical Gardens of Suzhou: A Sight to Behold, Denizens of South Africas Cradle of Humankind: The First Walking Apes, The Unfinished Timurid Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, The Magnificent Citadel of Erbil - A True Archaeological Sandwich, Kunta Kinteh - The African Island at the Heart of the Slave Trade. Women may leave their husbands early in their marriage, before the birth of their first child. Descended from the founding ancestor Dyon, the hogon A new 'sigi' is started every 60 years. Encyclopedia.com. Dogon art revolves around religious values, ideals, and freedoms (Laude, 19). Universit de Paris, Travaux et Mmoires de l'Institut d'Ethnologie, 33. This practice has been passed down for generations and is always followed, even during winter. Top image: Cliff of Bandiagara Source: Public Domain, Bolland, R. (1991). Associated with regeneration Bandiagara was once densely forested and species of plants found here grow nowhere else. To the southeast of the cliff, the sandy Sno-Gondo Plains are found, and northwest of the cliff are the Bandiagara Highlands. Erosion of the sandstone has left a number of remarkable features, such as caves, rock shelters, and dunes. In comparison with the neighboring Fulani, animal husbandry is relatively unimportant. 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