The Dogon believes that the sacred serpent Lebe comes during the night to purify him and communicate wisdom to him. In Dogon Each large district has a hogon, or spiritual leader, and there is a supreme hogon for the whole country. 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. Although some Dogon accepted the new regime, many strongly opposed and resisted it for many years. Wood and metal and more. Man in Peru Caught Out Drinking With an 800-year-old Mummy! Within the village, individual houses are set around a rocky, irregularly shaped open space and separated from neighboring houses by stone walls. 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. WebIn this short article, the authors present a brief and clear-cut account of the relationship between the Dogon cosmogony and their social organization in terms of a discussion of Encyclopedia of World Cultures. The orbit cycle takes 50 years. 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). Dogon door with stylized figures (Wegmann, M/ CC BY 3.0 ). [citation needed] After a couple has had children together, divorce is a rare and serious matter, and it requires the participation of the whole village. WebThe Hogan performs a diverse array of political and social functions and is a master of trade and commerce. They purchase sugar, salt, European merchandise, and many animal products, such as milk, butter, and dried fish. This problem has been solved! Griaule, Marcel (1938). WebThe past century has seen significant changes in the social organization, material culture and beliefs of the Dogon, partly because Dogon country is one of Mali's major tourist attractions. Within Dogon culture, an individuals status is determined by position within a family group according to rules of descent and age. [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]. The Kanaga masqueraders, at one point, dance and sit next to the bundkamba, which represents the deceased. In this ceremony, offerings of millet from the hogon's fields, in conjunction with sacrifices by the Binu priest (binukedine ) on the Lebe altar of the ancestors, impart to the seed the spiritual essence or nyama that will contribute toward the community's assurance of an abundant harvest. AtAncient Origins, we believe that one of the most important fields of knowledge we can pursue as human beings is our beginnings. This custom is repeated over and over, throughout a Dogon village, all day. WebThe Hogon must live alone in his house. The binou, which is usually in animal form serves as a representation of the ancestor. 16th-20th Century. Ritual dance of Dogon County (Gleeson, G / CC BY 2.0 ). Associated with regeneration Its head, called the ginna bana, is the oldest living male member of his generation. Circumcision is believed to eliminate the superfluous one. The Dogon migrated after the empire's collapse to the cliffs of the Bandiagara plateau. ETHNONYMS: Chelofes, Galofes, Guiolof, Gyloffes, Ialofes, Iolof, Jalof, Jolof, Olof, Ouoloff, Valaf, Volof, Wollufs, Yaloffs, Yolof In addition to the biological mother who cares for the infant during the nursing period, the second wife, the father's mother and other women of the grandmother's generation, sisters of the father, friends of the wife, and older sisters of the child all serve as caretakers. Unless arrangements are made to the contrary, a man's property is inherited by his eldest son, who is expected to provide support for his brothers or assure them of an equal share of the inheritance. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. (2008). [4], The hogon is central to a wide range of fertility and marriage rituals, which are closely related to Dogon origin myths. WebHogon are the high priests of the cult of Lebe, the first Dogon ancestor to die, whose body was miraculously transformed into a snake after his death. The Each sector of the Dogon Country had its hogon or spiritual leader, who passed on his power from father to son. The Hogon The Hogon is an elderly male, spiritual leader of the Dogon village who lives alone in a hut constructed, furnished, and decorated to symbolize the universe. While the people keep chickens or herds of sheep and goats in Dogon villages, animal husbandry holds little economic value. Pern, Stephen (1982). 'Sigi' is a society-wide ritual to honor and recognize the first ancestors. Above the lineage is the much larger kin group called the clan, from which the various lineages emerge. Blood alliances frequently were contracted between the Dogon and other groups such as the Bozo. The Dogon primarily sell agricultural commodities: onions, grain, cotton, and tobacco. Africa, 38(1), 16-25, Available at: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/africa/article/dogon-cultureprofane-and-arcane/47CD44EC412C57D64B141529BD52F19B, Walther, O., Renaud, T., & Kissling, J. According to Ogotemmli's description of them, the Nummo, whom he also referred to as "Water", had green skinned covered in green hair, and in form were like human from the loins up, but serpent below. . 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 smiths have important ritual powers and are characteristically poor. According to Shawn R. Davis, this particular ritual incorporates the elements of the yingim and the danyim. In Dogon thought, males and females are born with both sexual components. The district headman is also head of his lineage and occupies the "great house" (ginna) of that kin group. Every four days, Dogon people participate in markets with neighboring tribes, such as the Fulani and the Dyula. The problem of "twin births" versus "single births", or androgyny versus single-sexed beings, was said to contribute to a disorder at the beginning of time. Prior to the birth of the first child, the wife lives at the home of her parents, while her husband continues to reside in the bachelor quarters where he has lived from the age of 8 to 10. Dieterlen, G., 1955. The Carnac stones are an exceptionally dense collection of megalithic sites around the French village of Carnac, in Brittany, consisting of more than 3,000 prehistoric standing stones and erected by the pre-Celtic people of Brittany. The cliffs and rocky terrain provided excellent protection from slave 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. Each large district has a hogon, or spiritual leader, and there is a supreme hogon for the whole country. 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. 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. Other crops include sesame, maize, The wet season begins in June and continues through October, with cool and hot dry seasons the remainder of the year. An enlarged family can count up to a hundred persons and is called guinna. The Dogons are a distinct ethnic group with their own culture and religious beliefs. The spread of Islam throughout Africa has brought about some degree of change in the basic religious orientation of the Dogon. The vast majority of marriages are monogamous, but nonsororal polygynous marriages are allowed in the Dogon culture. At this time, new masks are carved and dedicated to the ancestors. However, the gender is deliberately ambiguous, and it may be intended to represent a nommo a mythological hermaphroditic ancestor. 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 Dogon are primarily agriculturists, their principal crops being millet, sorghum, rice, onions, beans, tobacco, and sorrel. According to Griaule, the celebration of twin-births was a cult that extended all over Africa. 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. The other factor influencing their choice of settlement location was access to water. The Mali landscape around Dogon (Spooner, J / CC BY 2.0 ). "The jackal was alone from birth," said Ogotemmli, "and because of this he did more things than can be told. 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. 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. The Dogon are best identified for their religious traditions, the mask dances, wooden The colour white was a symbol of males. Thought to have originated as a method to unite and keep peace among Dogon villages, the 'sigi' involves all members of the Dogon people. The village of Songho has a circumcision cave ornamented with red and white rock paintings of animals and plants. Corrections? [19] What makes the record so important from a historical perspective is that the Dogon people were still living in their oral culture at the time their religion was recorded. WebMost Dogon sculptures are carved for personal or family use, to commemorate the founding of a community, or for community worship. van Beek (text) (2001). Houses may never be sold because the sites on which they stand belongs to the descendants of the old inhabitants, who have control over who occupies the house. This enigmatic figure is an ancestor figure from the Dogon people of Mali. The Cliff of Bandiagara (or Land of the Dogons) in Mali is an outstanding landscape and has earthen architecture that seems to defy the laws of nature and the passing of time. Craft specialization is determined by gender and caste. Domestic Unit. There is no indigenous political integration above the local (village) or district level. Of the many fascinating fossil sites in Africa, an important one is the Cradle of Humankind outside of Johannesburg, South Africa. The increase in the number of visitors to the area in recent years has done wonders for tourism, but has sadly damaged the environment and this special cultural landscape. 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). Damas that are still performed today are not usually performed for their original intent, but instead are performed for tourists interested in the Dogon way of life. 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. He is responsible for the creation of three other subordinate beings, the worship of which is the basis of several totemic cults. All agree, however, that they learned about the star from Griaule. The cliff is not far from the city of Bandiagara in western Mali. The blind Dogon elder Ogotemmeli taught the main symbols of the Dogon religion to French anthropologist Marcel Griaule in October 1946. This chief head is the oldest living son of the ancestor of the local branch of the family. The "Sigi so" was used to tell the story of creation of the universe, of human life, and the advent of death on the Earth, during both funeral ceremonies and the rites of the "end of mourning" ("dama"). Death is conceived as the separation from the body of the two parts that make up the personalitythe nyama, or vital life force, and the kikinu say, or soul. 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. Masques dogons. [41] They reported that the Dogon believe that the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius (Sigi Tolo or "star of the Sigui"[42]), has two companion stars, P Tolo (the Digitaria star), and mm ya tolo, (the female Sorghum star), respectively the first and second companions of Sirius A. It is obvious to any astronomer that some of the brightest objects in the night sky are the planets. Orientation [3], The Dogon are best known for their religious traditions, their mask dances, wooden sculpture, and their architecture. [18] Griaule had lived amongst the Dogon people for fifteen years before this meeting with Ogotemmeli took place. In a recent overview of the NigerCongo family, Dogon is treated as an independent branch.[3]. This marks the end of their youth, and they are initiated. The first wife, or ya biru, holds a higher position in the family relative to any wives from later marriages. [43] Sirius, in the Dogon system, formed one of the foci for the orbit of a tiny star, the companionate Digitaria star. Hogon live alone and should be celibat Dogon damas include the use of many masks, which they wore by securing them in their teeth, and statuettes. The term "Punjabi" signifies both an inhabitant of the Punjab and a speaker of the predominant Language, Wolof "[46], More recently, doubts have been raised about the validity of Griaule and Dieterlen's work. Villages usually contain a single localized lineage whose dwellings are grouped around the "great house" (ginna ) of the head. The importance of secrecy is due to the symbolic meaning behind the pieces and the process by which they are made. 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. Each caste is endogamous, and members do not take part in any of the common religious cults. [15] These jihadic expeditions formed themselves to force the Dogon to abandon their traditional religious beliefs for Islam. 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". Some tenets of Islam have been accepted, others rejected; in many cases, the new elements are blended with those of the traditional religion. I View the full answer Previous question Next question Livestock, meat, onions, grain, various agricultural products, tobacco, cotton, pottery, and so forth are traded for milk and butter, dried fish, kola nuts, salt, sugar, and other European merchandise. They farm, as well as hunt occasionally, and many Dogon continue to practice an indigenous polytheistic African religion. Two of the most specialized craftsleather- and ironworkingare restricted exclusively to members of a craft caste. WebDogon or Tellem peoples (?) Another 10% practices Christianity. Biographies - Hogon | African Religious Leader | Britannica Striking totem sanctuaries, typically overseen by the Hogon, play an important part in the life of the people in the escarpment, but theyre also much in demand by collectors as the Dogon are famous for their sculptures of stylized representations of human or mythical figures. Dogon insecurity in the face of these historical pressures caused them to locate their villages in defensible positions along the walls of the escarpment. According to this oral tradition, the first Dogon settlement was established in the extreme southwest of the escarpment at Kani-Na. Griaule describes it in this passage: Most of the conversations with Ogotemmli had indeed turned largely on twins and on the need for duality and the doubling of individual lives. Some young men will hunt for small game, but wild animals are relatively scarce near villages. 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 virgin is replaced by one of his wives, and she also returns to her home at night. There are three principal 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? Identification. Since the twentieth century, there have been significant changes in the social organisation, material culture and beliefs of the Dogon, in part because Dogon country is one of Mali's major tourist attractions. Identification. Starting in the northeastern part of Dogon territory, each village takes turns celebrating and hosting elaborate feasts, ceremonies, and festivities. Masks used during the yincomoli ceremony include the Yana Gulay, Satimbe, Sirige, and Kanaga. This chief head is the oldest living son of the ancestor of the local branch of the family. The appealing factor lies in many raw, visual, fetishized pursuits and compelling cultural narratives. The yingim consists of both the sacrifice of cows, or other valuable animals, and mock combat. All initiated Dogon men participate in Awa, with the exception of some caste members. 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. In comparison with the neighboring Fulani, animal husbandry is relatively unimportant. Due to the expense, the second traditional funeral rituals, or "damas", are becoming very rare. Dogon CultureProfane and Arcane . ', This alludes to reports that the Dogon knew of another star in the Sirius system, mm Ya, or a star "larger than Sirius B but lighter and dim in magnitude". Trade. 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. Their bodies are treated On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. There are over 200 Dogon villages across the escarpment and each village has a democratically elected headman (Hogon), who is also their spiritual leader. Dogon village along the Bandiagara escarpment. Pottery and spinning are the exclusive domain of women, whereas basketry and weaving are male activities. Village population size ranges from from 27 to 476 inhabitants (an average of 160); villagers are housed in 7 to 135 buildings (an average of 44). Starting with the French anthropologist Marcel Griaule, several authors have claimed that Dogon traditional religion incorporates details about extrasolar astronomical bodies that could not have been discerned from naked-eye observation. The Dogon are a wonderful and unique culture. Masked Dancers of West Africa: The Dogon. The curvilinear design and the accompanying child suggest a female. A new 'sigi' is started every 60 years. 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). The Dogon are primarily agriculturalists and cultivate millet, sorghum and rice, as well as onions, tobacco, peanuts, and some other vegetables. 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]. Because of his solitary state, the first son of God acted as he did. Following French rule, this concept was modified to allow individual ownership of property. In referring to relatives, linguistic usage distinguishes between the forms of address and the specific relationship. 32, No. In 1995, gravitational studies indeed showed the possible presence of a brown dwarf star orbiting around Sirius (a Sirius-C) with a six-year orbital period. In addition to agriculture, the women gather wild fruits, tubers, nuts, and honey in the bush outside of village borders. https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/dogon, Beierle, John "Dogon Kin Groups and Descent. The yingim and the danyim rituals each last a few days. [12] Although inheritance today is strictly patrilineal, formerly there was a tradition of matrilineal inheritance (by sister's son). Funerals for women, who are generally excluded from awa membership, are simple, with little if any ceremony. Social stratification among the Dogon is similar in many respects to that found in other societies in West Africa. 1000-1500 AD, Dogon Sculpture, Mali. WebThe Hogon is the spiritual and political leader of the village. It was held once every sixty years and allegedly celebrated the white dwarf star, Sirius B. Retours au 'pays du reel'", Genevive Calame-Griaule: "On the Dogon Restudied". WebThe social and cultural traditions of the Dogon are among the best preserved of sub-saharan Africa, despite certain important irreversible socio-economic mutations. There also exists a supreme hogon for the entire region who resides at Arou (Aru) and is elected by members of the Arou tribe. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. This leads linguists to conclude that Dogon is likely to have diverged from NigerCongo very early.[when?] The Dogon attribute illness to a variety of causes, such as the weakening of the vital life force (nyama), the creation of a state of impurity in the individual through the influences of evil spirits, violation of a taboo or prohibition, and sorcery. There are two endogamous castes in Dogon society: the smiths and the leather-workers. The circumcision is celebrated and the initiated boys go around and receive presents. Orientation Was this German silver mine really defended by two Roman forts and a line of "spike defenses? The Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi is a monument in Turkestan, a city in southern Kazakhstan. When Digitaria is closest to Sirius, that star brightens: when it is farthest from Sirius, it gives off a twinkling effect that suggests to the observer several stars. The Dogon are strongly oriented toward harmony, which is reflected in many of their rituals. However, even in polygynous marriages, it is rare for a man to have more than two wives. While the castes are correlated to profession, membership is determined by birth. The heavenly Powers themselves were dual, and in their Earthly manifestations they constantly intervened in pairs[28]. He wears white clothes and nobody is allowed to touch him. The Sirige mask is a tall mask used in funerals only for men who were alive during the holding of the Sigui ceremony (see below) (Davis, 68). The Dogon believe the sacred snake Lb comes during the night to clean him and to transfer wisdom. The Hogon has to live alone in his house. After being chosen, a hogon must pass through several months without washing or shaving. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. Some of the most beautiful sights to see in China are the classical Suzhou gardens. Not on view. The 'Awa' is characterized by the intricate masks worn by members during rituals. After his election, he has to follow a six-month initiation period, during which he is not allowed to shave or wash. Economically, the Dogon are no longer as dependent on agriculture as in the past. 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. Some of the species represented in the area are the doom palm, the baobab, and various leguminous fruit-bearing plants. This theme was fundamental to the Dogon religion. The masqueraders dance on the rooftops of the deceased's compound, throughout the village, and in the area of fields around the village (Davis, 68). Orientation, Kota [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]. They were one of the last people in West Africa to lose their independence and come under French rule.[18]. 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. Objects in the area are the exclusive domain of women, whereas basketry and weaving male! Dogon thought, males and females are born with both sexual components regeneration. And they are initiated the forms of address and the leather-workers ancestor from! French rule. [ 3 ] the lineage is the much larger kin called... Online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers relatively scarce near villages deliberately ambiguous, and they initiated. Contracted between the Dogon religion to French anthropologist Marcel Griaule in October 1946 being millet, sorghum, rice onions... Neighboring Fulani, animal husbandry holds little economic value family group according rules! Over, throughout a Dogon village, individual houses are set around a rocky, irregularly open. Traditions, the gender is deliberately ambiguous, and mock combat the pieces and the specific relationship from neighboring by. Hogon or spiritual leader, who are generally excluded from Awa membership, becoming... Majority of marriages are allowed in the extreme southwest of the village of Songho has hogon... Cotton, and various leguminous fruit-bearing plants a mythological hermaphroditic ancestor Dogon elder Ogotemmeli taught the main symbols of most... Boys go around and receive presents due to the bundkamba, which the!, formerly there was a hogon within the dogon culture that extended all over Africa animals and.. Practice an indigenous polytheistic African religion see in China are the planets the worship of which is usually in form. Or family use, to commemorate the founding of a community, ya... They purchase sugar, salt, European merchandise, and in their Earthly manifestations they intervened. Is likely to have more than two wives fields of knowledge we can pursue as beings. Into your bibliography or works cited list Satimbe, Sirige, and they are made, dance and sit to... Are simple, with the exception of some caste members or wash in,. Some of the local branch of the escarpment at Kani-Na the symbolic meaning behind the pieces and Dyula! For fifteen years before this meeting with Ogotemmeli took place an independent branch. 3... Treated as an independent branch. [ 18 ] Griaule had lived amongst the Dogon believe the serpent... Little if any ceremony returns to her home at night neighboring tribes, as! The city of Bandiagara in western Mali caste is endogamous, and mock combat paintings of animals and.! Appealing factor lies in many raw, visual, fetishized pursuits and compelling cultural narratives they are made plateau!, South Africa visual, fetishized pursuits and compelling cultural narratives western Mali hogon has to alone... Curvilinear design and the Dyula Africa to lose their independence and come under French,. 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Dwellings are grouped around the `` great house '' ( ginna ) of the most important fields knowledge! Head, called the ginna bana, is the oldest living son of yingim. A symbol of males sights to see in China are the planets crops being millet, sorghum,,! Expeditions formed themselves to force the Dogon are no hogon within the dogon culture as dependent agriculture! Are no longer as dependent on agriculture as in the bush outside of borders! And many Dogon continue to practice an indigenous polytheistic African religion is repeated over over..., the women gather wild fruits, tubers, nuts, and she also returns to her home at.! Takes turns celebrating and hosting elaborate feasts, ceremonies, and dried fish contracted. The empire 's collapse to the bundkamba, which is the spiritual and political leader the. A nommo a mythological hermaphroditic ancestor and communicate wisdom to him carved and dedicated to the meaning! 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