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. 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. Dogon insecurity in the face of these historical pressures caused them to locate their villages in defensible positions along the walls of the escarpment. Wood and metal and more. The private property of a woman goes first to her daughter, then to the youngest sister. Each caste is endogamous, and members do not take part in any of the common religious cults. The household is usually an extended family consisting of both nuclear and polygynous units. In general, Dogon kinship terminology is characterized by a classificatory system of "vocatives," terms of reference based on politeness and respective age of the interlocutor, and a descriptive system expressed by "determinatives," by means of which a third person is apprised of the relationship that exists between the speaker and the individual addressed. Unlike norms for the rest of society, parallel-cousin marriage is allowed within castes. A. The spread of Islam throughout Africa has brought about some degree of change in the basic religious orientation of the Dogon. Its head, called the ginna bana, is the oldest living male member of his generation. Location. Ciarcia, Gaetano "Dogons et Dogon. The extensive escarpment runs for over 93 miles (150 km) and it is between 300 and 900 feet (100 - 500 meters) high. Retrieved February 23, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/dogon. Afterwards, the boys stay for a few days in a hut separated from the rest of the village people, until the wounds have healed. [4], The hogon is central to a wide range of fertility and marriage rituals, which are closely related to Dogon origin myths. Circumcision is believed to eliminate the superfluous one. There are two endogamous castes in Dogon society: the smiths and the leather-workers. Such persons must submit to a number. Within Dogon culture, an individuals status is determined by position within a family group according to rules of descent and age. This led Mr. Temple to establish the theory that, according to Nommos, extraterrestrial inhabitants of Sirius travelled towards the earth at some point in the distant past, and one crossed to teach the old civilizations (the Egyptians and the Dogons) their There are two major events at which the Awa perform: the 'sigi' ritual and 'dama' funeral rituals.[35]. 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. ETHNONYMS: Chelofes, Galofes, Guiolof, Gyloffes, Ialofes, Iolof, Jalof, Jolof, Olof, Ouoloff, Valaf, Volof, Wollufs, Yaloffs, Yolof In referring to relatives, linguistic usage distinguishes between the forms of address and the specific relationship. After being chosen, a hogon must pass through several months without washing or shaving. Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. [citation needed] Divorce is more common in polygynous marriages than in monogamous marriages. 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. They call themselves "Dogon" or "Dogom," but in the older literature they are referred to as "Habbe" (sing. Domestic slavery existed before colonization but is now forbidden by law. In conjunction with the council of elders, he makes decisions concerning public affairs. Craft specialization is determined by gender and caste. 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. [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. At present I am a Read More. 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. "Mythes et organisation sociale au Soudan franais". Dogon village along the Bandiagara escarpment. This is manifested through the cult of the masks, the Lebe cult, the Binu cult, and the more general cult of the ancestors associated with the ginna. A new 'sigi' is started every 60 years. 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). Once a boy is circumcised, he transitions into young adulthood and moves out of his father's house. He wears white clothes and nobody is allowed to touch him. After initiation, he wears a red cap, and a pearl bracelet. 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). [51], In a 1978 critique, skeptic Ian Ridpath concluded: "There are any number of channels by which the Dogon could have received Western knowledge long before they were visited by Griaule and Dieterlen. He gives the name to the lineage, inherits the compound, has control over a certain amount of land, and cares for the lineage altar. The term "Punjabi" signifies both an inhabitant of the Punjab and a speaker of the predominant Language, Wolof After completion of the dama, the soul departs from the world of the living and goes to the great god Amma. There is no indigenous political integration above the local (village) or district level. "hogon | African religious leader | Britannica", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hogon&oldid=1122616271, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 18 November 2022, at 14:57. Women are forbidden from joining and prohibited from learning sigi so. This practice has been passed down for generations and is always followed, even during winter. His saliva is the source of the life-giving humidity, and his foot must not touch the earth directly or the ground will dry up. When a woman leaves her husband, she takes with her only the youngest childthe remaining children stay with the husband's family. Those fields that are not repurchased subsequently become individual property. 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. Another indication of this is the subjectobjectverb basic word order, which Dogon shares with such early NigerCongo branches as Ijoid and Mande. 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). There are three principal The Dogon are primarily agriculturists, their principal crops being millet, sorghum, rice, onions, beans, tobacco, and sorrel. In the Dogon language, the sun's name (nay) had the same root as "mother" (na) and "cow" (n). [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. [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]. Updates? The Cliff of Bandiagara, a beautiful and unique escarpment, is home to the Dogon people and culture, and because of its worldwide importance, was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1989. He is responsible for the creation of three other subordinate beings, the worship of which is the basis of several totemic cults. 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. [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. To the southeast of the cliff, the sandy Sno-Gondo Plains are found, and northwest of the cliff are the Bandiagara Highlands. Orientation 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. Archaeologists have been able to take a closer look at one of the United Kingdoms most famous shipwrecks. 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. [24] (Originally, for the Dogon, man was endowed with a dual soul. Dogon CultureProfane and Arcane . Age stratification in the form of age brotherhoods is also recognized by the Dogon; the age brotherhood (tumo ) figures primarily in the batono rite during the annual sowing festival. How the Dogon Preserved Their Unique Culture Along The Cliff Their eyes were red, their tongues forked, and their arms flexible and unjointed.[21]. Within the castes, marriage regulations are more permissive: even first-cousin marriages are permitted. Such jihads caused the Dogon to abandon their original villages and moved up to the cliffs of Bandiagara for better defense and to escape persecutionoften building their dwellings in little nooks and crannies.[15][17]. They purchase sugar, salt, European merchandise, and many animal products, such as milk, butter, and dried fish. 'Sigi' is a society-wide ritual to honor and recognize the first ancestors. [43] Sirius, in the Dogon system, formed one of the foci for the orbit of a tiny star, the companionate Digitaria star. 32, No. Large mock battles are performed in order to help chase the spirit, known as the nyama, from the deceased's body and village, and towards the path to the afterlife (Davis, 68). Demography. Corrections? 'We have in the Dogon information a predictive mechanism which it is our duty to test, regardless of our preconceptions.' African art and culture had been a driving inspiration to European modern artists like Pablo Picasso, Paul Gauguin, and Amedeo Modigliani, among others. He is in effect a priest (hogon ), who exercises ceremonial functions on behalf of the lineage, and, in conjunction with a council of elders, judicial functions as well. Top image: Cliff of Bandiagara Source: Public Domain, Bolland, R. (1991). Marriage. Despite globalization, there are still a few places in the world which are home to cultures unlike any other. The danyim is held a couple of months later. [12], It is often difficult to distinguish between pre-Muslim practices and later practices. [8][9][10], Over time, the Dogon moved north along the escarpment, arriving in the Sanga region in the 15th century. In 1912 a school was established for them in Sanga, followed by a Christian mission in the 1930s, and later a medical dispensary. The blacksmith performs the circumcision. Each village celebrates for around a year before the 'sigi' moves to the next village. The newly circumcised youths, now considered young men, walk around naked for a month after the procedure so that their achievement in age can be admired by the tribe. 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. Each isolated village or district (canton) in the region has a headman or chief (hogon) who has both religious and judicial responsibilities. Grain is stored in granaries. 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. The historical pattern included the murder of indigenous males by raiders and enslavement of women and children. Another example is the custom of elaborate greetings whenever one Dogon meets another. https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/dogon, Beierle, John "Dogon 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. According to this oral tradition, the first Dogon settlement was established in the extreme southwest of the escarpment at Kani-Na. These are two story building with separate areas for men and women. Palau Marti, Montserrat (1957). Was this German silver mine really defended by two Roman forts and a line of "spike defenses? Monogamy is the major form of marriage, although nonsororal polygyny with a limit of two wives is permitted. 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