Masks used during the yincomoli ceremony include the Yana Gulay, Satimbe, Sirige, and Kanaga. The Kanaga masqueraders, at one point, dance and sit next to the bundkamba, which represents the deceased. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Dogon religion and Dogon philosophy both expressed a haunting sense of the original loss of twin-ness. Encyclopedia of World Cultures. Monogamy is the major form of marriage, although nonsororal polygyny with a limit of two wives is 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]. [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? One relates to their coming from Mande, located to the southwest of the Bandiagara escarpment near Bamako. Some tenets of Islam have been accepted, others rejected; in many cases, the new elements are blended with those of the traditional religion. It was held once every sixty years and allegedly celebrated the white dwarf star, Sirius B. During the danyim, masqueraders perform dances every morning and evening for any period up to six days, depending on that village's practice. (2003), Wanono, Nadine & Renaudeau, Michel (1996), Hochstetler, J. Lee, Durieux, J. [5], The hogon may conduct rituals in the Sanctuaire de Binou, a special building the door of which is blocked with rocks. The curvilinear design and the accompanying child suggest a female. Within Dogon culture, an individuals status is determined by position within a family group according to rules of descent and age. The Chilling Mystery of the Octavius Ghost Ship, What is a Wendigo? After being chosen, a hogon must pass through several months without washing or shaving. 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"). Religious Beliefs. A men's society, frequently referred to as the "awa," or masked-dance society, is characterized by a strict code of etiquette, obligations, interdicts, and a secret language (sigi so). 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. 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. This theme was fundamental to the Dogon religion. The danyim is held a couple of months later. Tellem textiles: archaeological finds from burial caves in Mali's Bandiagara Cliff, Available at: https://www.africabib.org/rec.php?RID=084681896, Douglas, M. (1968). The smiths have important ritual powers and are characteristically poor. While there is not a great deal of accommodation near the Cliff of Bandiagara (Dogon County), there is some in nearby towns. Kin Groups and Descent. 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. Masques dogons. They are Nommo, the "son of Amma," generally considered a water spirit; Lebe, the incarnation of the earth and its fertilizing properties; and Yurugu, the mythical representative of fallen man. [28] Today, a significant minority of the Dogon practice Islam. According to Shawn R. Davis, this particular ritual incorporates the elements of the yingim and the danyim. The birth of human twins was celebrated in the Dogon culture in Griaule's day because it recalled the "fabulous past, when all beings came into existence in twos, symbols of the balance between humans and the divine". In traditional Dogon society, land was transmitted within the family group (ginna, or lineage), and was considered inalienable property. 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. Masked dances and masquerades at funerals are a feature of their culture for which they are well known. A few villages also keep bees. Thought to have originated as a method to unite and keep peace among Dogon villages, the 'sigi' involves all members of the Dogon people. This marks the end of their youth, and they are initiated. 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. He is elected from among the oldest men of the dominant lineage of the village. It contained only about a quarter of the full vocabulary of "Dogo so", the Dogon language. "The dual soul is a danger; a man should be male, and a woman female. Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. 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. Because of his solitary state, the first son of God acted as he did. Organisation sociale des dogon (Soudan Franais). Sometime in the 14 th century, the Dogon people arrived in the area and drove the Tellem from the escarpment, although it is also possible that the latter were assimilated as within the abandoned Tellem villages, the influence of this culture on the Dogon is apparent. Ciarcia, Gaetano "Dogons et Dogon. African religions: Ritual and religious specialists. WebThe Hogon is the spiritual and political leader of the village. 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 . 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. 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. . [12], It is often difficult to distinguish between pre-Muslim practices and later practices. (February 23, 2023). This problem has been solved! 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. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. "[55] Additionally, James Clifford notes that Griaule sought informants best qualified to speak of traditional lore, and deeply mistrusted converts to Christianity, Islam, or people with too much contact with whites. ); 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. [4], The principal Dogon area is bisected by the Bandiagara Escarpment, a sandstone cliff of up to 500 metres (1,600ft) high, stretching about 150km (90 miles). Orientation, Kota Each Dogon village may differ in the designs of the masks used in the dama ritual. In Dogon thought, males and females are born with both sexual components. 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. 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. Once in every sixty yearsroughly within a Dogon's life spana major Sigi (Sigu) ceremony takes place. Each village celebrates for around a year before the 'sigi' moves to the next village. ); from Mali, Figure of a kneeling woman; circa 1500; wood; height: 35.2cm (1378 in. European contact was first made in 1857. WebDogon or Tellem peoples (?) A virgin who has not yet had her period takes care of him, cleans his house, and prepares his meals. In the shadowy world of ancient warfare, one weapon stood out as a true marvel: Greek fire. WebStudy with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like Sculpture Tellem, Mali. 1000-1500 AD, Dogon Sculpture, Mali. Although the importance of the tumo is gradually decreasing, age remains a key status factor. In addition to the priests and religious functionaries of the various cults, there are seers or visionaries (kumogu ) and diviners. The funerary ceremonies of the Dogon consist of two parts: the initial rites, which take place immediately following death and continue for about a week, and the more elaborate dama rites that terminate the mourning period after an indeterminate period of time. This enigmatic figure is an ancestor figure from the Dogon people of Mali. The principal ceremonies center around agriculture and death. I have written a book and several peer reviewed journal articles. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. 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. Since the late 20th century, the Dogon have developed peaceful trading relationships with other societies and have thereby increased variety in their diets. [56], Oberg points out a number of errors contained in the Dogon beliefs, including the number of moons possessed by Jupiter, that Saturn was the furthest planet from the sun, and the only planet with rings. It is likely that the Dogon of today are descendants of several groups of diverse origin who migrated to escape Islamization. Elaborate ceremonial stools of this kind were owned by the hogon, the supreme religious and political leader in each Dogon people. 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. Identification. After his election, he has to follow a six-month initiation period, during which he is not allowed to shave or wash. & Hollyman, Stephenie (photographs) & Walter E.A. Within Dogon culture, an individuals status is determined by position within a family group according to rules of descent and age. 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. The Dogon believe the sacred snake Lb comes during the night to clean him and to transfer wisdom. The first wife, or ya biru, holds a higher position in the family relative to any wives from later marriages. While the people keep chickens or herds of sheep and goats in Dogon villages, animal husbandry holds little economic value. As Greek mythology goes, the universe was once a big soup of nothingness. Kado), a Fulbe word meaning "stranger" or "pagan.". & E.I.K. Durieux-Boon (2004). Influence from Tellem art is evident in Dogon art because of its rectilinear designs (Laude, 24). "[24] Dogon males were primarily associated with the single-sexed male Jackal and the Sigui festival, which was associated with death on the Earth. It is obvious to any astronomer that some of the brightest objects in the night sky are the planets. Because the word sewa is so commonly repeated throughout a Dogon village, neighboring peoples have dubbed the Dogon the sewa people. [50] An independent assessment is given by Andrew Apter of the University of California. The cliff is not far from the city of Bandiagara in western Mali. Dogon funeral rituals come in two parts. [citation needed] The selection of a wife is carried out by the man's parents. Retrieved February 23, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/dogon. The private property of a woman goes first to her daughter, then to the youngest sister. Dogon village along the Bandiagara escarpment. 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. Among the Dogon, several oral traditions have been recorded as to their origin. The clitoris is considered male, while the foreskin is considered female. Dogon damas include the use of many masks, which they wore by securing them in their teeth, and statuettes. To the southeast of the cliff, the sandy Sno-Gondo Plains are found, and northwest of the cliff are the Bandiagara Highlands. Blood alliances frequently were contracted between the Dogon and other groups such as the Bozo. The leather-workers engage in significant trade with other ethnic groups and accumulate wealth. The Dogon migrated after the empire's collapse to the cliffs of the Bandiagara plateau. 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. ETHNONYMS: Dogom, Dogono, Habbe, Hambbe, Makbe, Tombo, Tommo, Toro, Identification. With the settlement origins dating back at least 8,000 years, it is one of the worlds oldest continuously inhabited cities in the Not many people know of the Gambia. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. [12] See also [ edit] Pangool Mand creation myth Samay (mythology) Zin (water spirits) Traditional African religion portal Mali portal References [ edit] In addition, men tend the livestock, hunt, and clear and fertilize the fields, whereas women collaborate in sowing, weeding, and harvesting the grain and in raising seasonal crops such as onions. 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