Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. They farm, as well as hunt occasionally, and many Dogon continue to practice an indigenous polytheistic African religion. ); Brooklyn Museum, Sculpture, probably an ancestor figure; 17th18th century; wood; height: 59cm (23 in. Palau Marti, Montserrat (1957). Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Afterwards, the boys stay for a few days in a hut separated from the rest of the village people, until the wounds have healed. This custom is repeated over and over, throughout a Dogon village, all day. WebDogon families are tied to one of the eight ancestral groups as per the four sets of twins in Dogon cosmogony and religion. I View the full answer Previous question Next question Each caste is endogamous, and members do not take part in any of the common religious cults. Les dogon. One relates to their coming from Mande, located to the southwest of the Bandiagara escarpment near Bamako. 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. Biographies - Hogon | African Religious Leader | Britannica & Hollyman, Stephenie (photographs) & Walter E.A. 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. Each Dogon village may differ in the designs of the masks used in the dama ritual. They have been linked to the Mande subfamily but also to Gur. The designation "Naga" is applied to the numerous Indo-Mongoloid tribes living in the hill country at the, Chin The circumcision is celebrated and the initiated boys go around and receive presents. 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). The smiths have important ritual powers and are characteristically poor. (February 23, 2023). This was to prevent a being like the Jackal from ever being born on Earth again. The Iraqi city of Erbil is truly magnificent - and in many ways. 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. It was held once every sixty years and allegedly celebrated the white dwarf star, Sirius B. Retrieved February 23, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/dogon. [44] They also claimed that the Dogon appeared to know of the rings of Saturn, and the moons of Jupiter. The Dogon are primarily agriculturalists and cultivate millet, sorghum and rice, as well as onions, tobacco, peanuts, and some other vegetables. 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." The development of tourism in the Dogon Country and the Hombori Mountains (Mali) . 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. The orbit cycle takes 50 years. The Awa is a masked dance society that holds ritual and social importance. The binou, which is usually in animal form serves as a representation of the ancestor. The Hogon is the spiritual and political leader of the village. 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. Heaven on Earth? I have written a book and several peer reviewed journal articles. Due to the expense, the second traditional funeral rituals, or "damas", are becoming very rare. 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. A virgin who has not yet had her period takes care of him, cleans his house, and prepares his meals. The Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi is a monument in Turkestan, a city in southern Kazakhstan. It is obvious to any astronomer that some of the brightest objects in the night sky are the planets. All agree, however, that they learned about the star from Griaule. The degree of complexity of the ceremonies depends upon the age and status of the deceased male. Also regional and dialect group names: Chinbok, Chinbon, Dai, Kuku, Lai (s, Karen 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. Ogotemmeli taught Griaule the religious stories in the same way that Ogotemmeli had learned them from his father and grandfather; oral instruction which he had learned over the course of more than twenty years. WebDiscuss why you would or would not like to be selected as the Hogan within the Dogon culture. Funerals for women, who are generally excluded from awa membership, are simple, with little if any ceremony. In conjunction with the council of elders, he makes decisions concerning public affairs. The curvilinear design and the accompanying child suggest a female. ." Once a boy is circumcised, he transitions into young adulthood and moves out of his father's house. In the event of a divorce, the woman takes only the youngest child with her, and the rest remain as a part of the husband's household. They were one of the last people in West Africa to lose their independence and come under French rule.[18]. Orientation, Kota However, the gender is deliberately ambiguous, and it may be intended to represent a nommo a mythological hermaphroditic ancestor. 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]. The Hogon has to live alone in his house. 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). Both sexes market, fish, and gather wild foods. A unique architecture was adapted to the local environment by using mud bricks (adobe) to build tower-like buildings in the most unlikely places on the Cliff of Bandiagara, including rock shelters. 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. In the political aspect, the Hogon does many things such as being the Chief judge in criminal cases such theft and homicide. ); Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City). ETHNONYM: Panjabi Nobody should touch the hogon. They make music on a special instrument that is made of a rod of wood and calabashes that makes the sound of a rattle. In comparison with the neighboring Fulani, animal husbandry is relatively unimportant. 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). Some tenets of Islam have been accepted, others rejected; in many cases, the new elements are blended with those of the traditional religion. These caste groups live apart from the general population. 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. He wears white clothes and nobody is allowed to touch him. After his election, he has to follow a six-month initiation period, during which he is not allowed to shave or wash. Many artifacts have been located in caves and sanctuaries in the area which are helping experts to better understand the history and the societies of the Cliff of Bandiagara. Every four days, Dogon people participate in markets with neighboring tribes, such as the Fulani and the Dyula. Social Control. The hogon is always a man. [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. 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. 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. Retours au 'pays du reel'", Genevive Calame-Griaule: "On the Dogon Restudied". Dogon village along the Bandiagara escarpment. [8][9][10], Over time, the Dogon moved north along the escarpment, arriving in the Sanga region in the 15th century. Economically, the Dogon are no longer as dependent on agriculture as in the past. Among the Dogon, several oral traditions have been recorded as to their origin. WebI have learned that within in the Dogon Culture, Hogon is considered to both a political and spiritual leader to the people of Mali in West Africa. [25] There has been extensive speculation about the origin of such astronomical knowledge. Dogon religion and Dogon philosophy both expressed a haunting sense of the original loss of twin-ness. This marks the end of their youth, and they are initiated. 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. Those who follow this spiritual path believe in one Supreme Creator, Amma (or Ama [9] ), [10] the omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent Creator. Pern, Stephen (1982). 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). WebDogon or Tellem peoples (?) Archaeologists have been able to take a closer look at one of the United Kingdoms most famous shipwrecks. After being chosen, a hogon must pass through several months without washing or shaving. 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