& E.I.K. Durieux-Boon (2004). Dogon has been frequently referred to as a single language. The clitoris is considered male, while the foreskin is considered female. 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. What is the origin of the legend of the Christed Son who was born of a virgin on December 25th? 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 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. Work activities are clearly differentiated. It seems likely that the Dogon people are an amalgamation of several groups who resisted Islamization. Davis, Shawn R. Dogon Funerals in African Art; Summer 2002, Vol. Inheritance. ); Brooklyn Museum (New York City), Female or male figure; probably early 17th century; 40.0 x 7.3 x 7.8cm (1534 x 2 7/8 x 3 in. [15] These jihadic expeditions formed themselves to force the Dogon to abandon their traditional religious beliefs for Islam. He is elected from among the oldest men of the dominant lineage of the village. Industrial Arts. 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. 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. Each Dogon village, or enlarged family, is headed by one male elder. Today, at least 35% of the Dogon practice Islam. Both sexes market, fish, and gather wild foods. (2003), Wanono, Nadine & Renaudeau, Michel (1996), Hochstetler, J. Lee, Durieux, J. The Satimbe mask represents the women ancestors, who are said to have discovered the purpose of the masks by guiding the spirits of the deceased into the afterlife (Davis, 74). The leather-workers engage in significant trade with other ethnic groups and accumulate wealth. He wears white clothes and nobody is allowed to touch him. Since the late 20th century, the Dogon have developed peaceful trading relationships with other societies and have thereby increased variety in their diets. Each large district has a hogon, or spiritual leader, and there is a supreme hogon for the whole country. The most ancient dialects are dyamsay and tombo, the former being most frequently used for traditional prayers and ritual chants. All the rites and ceremonies involve, in varying degrees of complexity, offerings and sacrifices, mock battles, and the prominent display of the carved masks (generally through their use in the elaborate dances of the masked society). Because of his solitary state, the first son of God acted as he did. Two of the most specialized craftsleather- and ironworkingare restricted exclusively to members of a craft caste. Top image: Cliff of Bandiagara Source: Public Domain, Bolland, R. (1991). ); from Mali, Figure of a kneeling woman; circa 1500; wood; height: 35.2cm (1378 in. 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. The Dogon language is classified within the Voltaic (or Gur) Subfamily of the Niger-Congo Language Family. Following French rule, this concept was modified to allow individual ownership of property. 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. Current Anthropology, Vol. The blind Dogon elder Ogotemmeli taught the main symbols of the Dogon religion to French anthropologist Marcel Griaule in October 1946. [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. Funerals for women, who are generally excluded from awa membership, are simple, with little if any ceremony. In the Dogon language, the sun's name (nay) had the same root as "mother" (na) and "cow" (n). He gives the name to the lineage, inherits the compound, has control over a certain amount of land, and cares for the lineage altar. Dogon religion and Dogon philosophy both expressed a haunting sense of the original loss of twin-ness. Formally, wives join their husband's household only after the birth of their first child. Ceremonies. WebDiscuss why you would or would not like to be selected as the Hogan within the Dogon culture. Members of these castes are physically separate from the rest of the village and live either at the village edge or outside of it entirely. The circumcision is celebrated and the initiated boys go around and receive presents. "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. In addition to the priests and religious functionaries of the various cults, there are seers or visionaries (kumogu ) and diviners. Beierle, John "Dogon 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.) According to this oral tradition, the first Dogon settlement was established in the extreme southwest of the escarpment at Kani-Na. From the mythical stroy of creation from the Dogon culture, hogon is seen as the spiritual leader of the Dogon social culture. Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. About 1,500 ethnic Dogon in seven villages in southern Mali speak the Bangime language, which is unrelated to the other Dogon languages and presumed by linguists to be an ancient, pre-Dogon language isolate, although a minority of linguists (most notably Roger Blench) hypothesise that it may be related to Proto-Nilo-Saharan.[38]. Dogon insecurity in the face of these historical pressures caused them to locate their villages in defensible positions along the walls of the escarpment. Dogon door with stylized figures (Wegmann, M/ CC BY 3.0 ). Are the Misty Peaks of the Azores Remnants of the Legendary Atlantis? . [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. ." [23] They were symbolized by the colour red, a female symbol. Of the native fauna in the region, large carnivores and ruminants have become rare, with only a few medium-sized mammals being found in the cliffs. She returns to her home at night. The Dogon primarily sell agricultural commodities: onions, grain, cotton, and tobacco. [13] As the growth of cities increased, the demand for slaves across the region of West Africa also increased. The Hogon has to live alone in his house. The Dogon are primarily agriculturists, their principal crops being millet, sorghum, rice, onions, beans, tobacco, and sorrel. Each Dogon village, or enlarged family, is headed by one male elder. A hogon is a religious figure as well as a temporal authority; the hogon may be hereditary or may be chosen from among the village elderscustom varies from place to place. "The dual soul is a danger; a man should be male, and a woman female. The Dogon are primarily agriculturalists and cultivate millet, sorghum and rice, as well as onions, tobacco, peanuts, and some other vegetables. On the other hand, private property goes first to the eldest son (who must provide for his siblings), then the younger brother. They speak the Dogon languages, which are considered to constitute an independent branch of the 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. 15th19th century. [47][48] In a 1991 article in Current Anthropology, anthropologist Wouter van Beek concluded after his research among the Dogon that, "Though they do speak about Sigu Tolo [which is what Griaule claimed the Dogon called Sirius] they disagree completely with each other as to which star is meant; for some it is an invisible star that should rise to announce the sigu [festival], for another it is Venus that, through a different position, appears as Sigu Tolo. After being chosen, a hogon must pass through several months without washing or shaving. The dominant form of vegetation on both plain and plateau is the sparse but regular forest of tall trees, which at close range gives the appearance of an immense orchard. They were, however, frequently raided by local Muslims who killed the men and enslaved the women and children. Above the lineage is the much larger kin group called the clan, from which the various lineages emerge. A new 'sigi' is started every 60 years. In 1912 a school was established for them in Sanga, followed by a Christian mission in the 1930s, and later a medical dispensary. Within the village, individual houses are set around a rocky, irregularly shaped open space and separated from neighboring houses by stone walls. The mausoleum was built during the reign of Timur, the ruler of the Timurid Empire. 16th-20th Century. Nearby is a cave where music instruments are stored. 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. Another minority practices Christianity. The hogon is always a man. Medicine. Women are forbidden from joining and prohibited from learning sigi so. Biographies - Hogon | African Religious Leader | Britannica Their images or figures appeared on the female side of the Dogon sanctuary. European contact was first made in 1857. Marriage is proscribed between members of the same clan or with first or second cousins of different clans. 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. Influence from Tellem art is evident in Dogon art because of its rectilinear designs (Laude, 24). Monogamy is the major form of marriage, although nonsororal polygyny with a limit of two wives is permitted. These are two story building with separate areas for men and women. Until the masqueraders have completed their dances, and every ritual has been performed, any misfortune can be blamed on the remaining spirits of the dead (Davis, 68). & Hollyman, Stephenie (photographs) & Walter E.A. Trade. [24] (Originally, for the Dogon, man was endowed with a dual soul. The Dogon are best identified for their religious traditions, the mask dances, wooden While there is not a great deal of accommodation near the Cliff of Bandiagara (Dogon County), there is some in nearby towns. Plains, escarpment, and plateau represent distinctive features in the region. These events are held annually to honor the elders who have died since the last Dama. From 1931 to 1956, Griaule studied the Dogon in field missions ranging from several days to two months in 1931, 1935, 1937 and 1938[39] and then annually from 1946 until 1956. Caste boys do not get circumcised.[31]. 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 live in compact, occasionally walled villages built up the sides of the escarpment. Starting in the northeastern part of Dogon territory, each village takes turns celebrating and hosting elaborate feasts, ceremonies, and festivities. Identification. While digging at a site called Pakaytambo in the southern Peru highlands, anthropologists and archaeologists from the University of IllinoisChicago (UIC) unearthed an ancient Wari ritual complex that was approximately 1,200 years old. 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. Updates? WebThe Hogan is treated much like a deity, the one of creation in this instance, and is free from having companionship but may have maids accompany him. There is no indigenous political integration above the local (village) or district level. [40] In late 1946, Griaule spent a consecutive 33 days in conversations with the Dogon wiseman Ogotemmeli, the source of much of Griaule and Germaine Dieterlen's future publications. 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. Craft specialization is determined by gender and caste. ETHNONYMS: Chelofes, Galofes, Guiolof, Gyloffes, Ialofes, Iolof, Jalof, Jolof, Olof, Ouoloff, Valaf, Volof, Wollufs, Yaloffs, Yolof 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. The key spiritual figures in the religion were the Nummo/Nommo twins. [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. Amsterdam: Time-Life Books B.V. The appealing factor lies in many raw, visual, fetishized pursuits and compelling cultural narratives. ETHNONYM: Panjabi Dogon art consists primarily of sculptures. 150,000-Year-Old Pipes Baffle Scientists in China: Out of Place in Time? The orbit cycle takes 50 years. Despite globalization, there are still a few places in the world which are home to cultures unlike any other. Clusters of from 5 to 6 of these villages center around water holes or wells, and each cluster is referred to as a "canton" or "district." Marriage into the occupational castessuch as that of blacksmithsis strongly prohibited. After initiation, he wears a red cap, and a pearl bracelet. 32, No. The Dogon are strongly oriented toward harmony, which is reflected in many of their rituals. The degree of complexity of the ceremonies depends upon the age and status of the deceased male. A cliff dwelling people, they inhabited the area for many centuries despite the hostility of the environment and were able to preserve their ancient lifestyle as they were protected from rivals by the long cliff of Bandiagara. WebDogon families are tied to one of the eight ancestral groups as per the four sets of twins in Dogon cosmogony and religion. One relates to their coming from Mande, located to the southwest of the Bandiagara escarpment near Bamako. The Hogon is the spiritual and political leader of the village. [6], According to legend, the first hogon, Lebe, was descended from a nommo. 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. Women may leave their husbands early in their marriage, before the birth of their first child. 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. [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? [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. (2008). Encyclopedia.com. Masked Dancers of West Africa: The Dogon. ); Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City). 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