Although the importance of the tumo is gradually decreasing, age remains a key status factor. Kin Groups and Descent. 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? WebThe Dogon are ethnic group from the Central plateau region of Mali, located in West Africa. ); Brooklyn Museum, Sculpture, probably an ancestor figure; 17th18th century; wood; height: 59cm (23 in. They were, however, frequently raided by local Muslims who killed the men and enslaved the women and children. The yingim and the danyim rituals each last a few days. The importance of secrecy is due to the symbolic meaning behind the pieces and the process by which they are made. The designation "Naga" is applied to the numerous Indo-Mongoloid tribes living in the hill country at the, Chin The Chilling Mystery of the Octavius Ghost Ship, What is a Wendigo? The spread of Islam throughout Africa has brought about some degree of change in the basic religious orientation of the Dogon. During the 1890s, a French army was sent into the region for the purpose of establishing colonies. The development of tourism in the Dogon Country and the Hombori Mountains (Mali) . 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. ." I have written a book and several peer reviewed journal articles. However, the date of retrieval is often important. Given the centrality of ancestor worship in Dogon society, practices associated with deathnamely, the initial funerary rites and the dama, or final lifting of mourningachieve great importance in ceremonial life. This problem has been solved! They make music on a special instrument that is made of a rod of wood and calabashes that makes the sound of a rattle. [3], The Dogon are best known for their religious traditions, their mask dances, wooden sculpture, and their architecture. 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. In traditional Dogon society, land was transmitted within the family group (ginna, or lineage), and was considered inalienable property. [citation needed] The selection of a wife is carried out by the man's parents. 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. Beierle, John "Dogon The hogon is assisted in office by a sacrificial totem priest (yebene ), three bodyguards or policemen, a public crier or herald, and an ambassador who deals with other districts. Markets are held every four or five days in areas well removed from the villages. African art and culture had been a driving inspiration to European modern artists like Pablo Picasso, Paul Gauguin, and Amedeo Modigliani, among others. Social Control. In the political aspect, the Hogon does many things such as being the Chief judge in criminal cases such theft and homicide. 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). Boys are circumcised in age groups of three years, counting for example all boys between 9 and 12 years old. After his election, he has to follow a six-month initiation period, during which he is not allowed to shave or wash. The danyim is held a couple of months later. At present I am a Read More. However, the gender is deliberately ambiguous, and it may be intended to represent a nommo a mythological hermaphroditic ancestor. While the castes are correlated to profession, membership is determined by birth. Themes found throughout Dogon sculpture consist of figures with raised arms, superimposed bearded figures, horsemen, stools with caryatids, women with children, figures covering their faces, women grinding pearl millet, women bearing vessels on their heads, donkeys bearing cups, musicians, dogs, quadruped-shaped troughs or benches, figures bending from the waist, mirror-images, aproned figures, and standing figures (Laude, 4652). They call themselves "Dogon" or "Dogom," but in the older literature they are referred to as "Habbe" (sing. Palau Marti, Montserrat (1957). [6], According to legend, the first hogon, Lebe, was descended from a nommo. 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). Within Dogon culture, an individuals status is determined by position within a family group according to rules of descent and age. Then the Dogon who has entered the contact repeats the ritual, asking the resident how his or her whole family is. 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). The Dogon are a wonderful and unique culture. 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 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. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. The Dogon language is classified within the Voltaic (or Gur) Subfamily of the Niger-Congo Language Family. [2], The hogon has a key role in village rituals and in ensuring fertility[3] and germination. Orientation After initiation, the Hogon wears a red fez. These are two story building with separate areas for men and women. They have been linked to the Mande subfamily but also to Gur. Paris: ditions Domat-Montchrestien, F. Loviton. The Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi is a monument in Turkestan, a city in southern Kazakhstan. I have lived nearby and visited Dogon country. The orbit cycle takes 50 years. Although some Dogon accepted the new regime, many strongly opposed and resisted it for many years. [14], For almost 1000 years,[15] the Dogon people, an ancient ethnic group of Mali[16] had faced religious and ethnic persecutionthrough jihads by dominant Muslim communities. ." 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. Marriage. Unfortunately, the majority of these animistic spiritual practices tend to disappear with the younger generations and the widespread adoption of Islam. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). This practice has been passed down for generations and is always followed, even during winter. Socialization. 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. 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. "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. Was this German silver mine really defended by two Roman forts and a line of "spike defenses? Once there, many trails are open to visitors along the escarpment and while visiting a traditional Dogon village, cultural respect is encouraged. [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]. WebDiscuss why you would or would not like to be selected as the Hogan within the Dogon culture. For the ethnic group of the Kingdom of Dagbon in the north of Ghana, see. [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). Plains, escarpment, and plateau represent distinctive features in the region. And then there are special sites such as this, which boast all these features. 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. Individuals with high status may own a small number of cattle.[30]. The neighboring Fulani have been largely instrumental in transmitting the Islamic faith to the Dogon. Because of his solitary state, the first son of God acted as he did. 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. 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. 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. Orientation Despite globalization, there are still a few places in the world which are home to cultures unlike any other. Although Temple fails to prove its antiquity, the evidence for the recent acquisition of the information is still entirely circumstantial. It was first inhabited by the Tellem, Stone Age hunters, at least 10,000 years ago. ETHNONYMS: Cohatur, Kohatur, Kotar, Koter, Kothur Unlike norms for the rest of society, parallel-cousin marriage is allowed within castes. There are over 200 Dogon villages across the escarpment and each village has a democratically elected headman (Hogon), who is also their spiritual leader. Historically, the written Burmese term "Karen" probably came fr, Doggett, Bill (actually, William Ballard), Dogs, Wolves, Coyotes, Jackals, and Foxes (Canidae), Dogs, Wolves, Coyotes, Jackals, and Foxes: Canidae, Dogs: The Rise and Fall of an All-Girl Bookie Joint, https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/dogon. The district headman is also head of his lineage and occupies the "great house" (ginna) of that kin group. [citation needed][why?] Wood and metal and more. 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]. 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). Villages usually contain a single localized lineage whose dwellings are grouped around the "great house" (ginna ) of the head. 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. Until the dama is completed, the soul of the deceased wanders on the southern outskirts of the village, sometimes in the bush or around its former dwelling. 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. During the danyim, masqueraders perform dances every morning and evening for any period up to six days, depending on that village's practice. The horse, symbolizing power and wealth, is The colour white was a symbol of males. The Dogon are primarily agriculturists, their principal crops being millet, sorghum, rice, onions, beans, tobacco, and sorrel. 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. Not on view. The Hogon has to live alone in his house. The term "Punjabi" signifies both an inhabitant of the Punjab and a speaker of the predominant Language, Wolof Formally, wives join their husband's household only after the birth of their first child. He has an armband with a sacred pearl that symbolises his function. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. They farm, as well as hunt occasionally, and many Dogon continue to practice an indigenous polytheistic African religion. Conflict. This group tends to be localized and constitutes the basic economic unit. 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 . [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. Each district had its own recognized war leaders. Other fauna include crocodiles (in the swampy areas on the plain), reptiles, monkeys, guenons, guinea hens, hyenas, foxes, panthers, rabbits, and small rodents. 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. The hogon is always a man. They speak the Dogon languages, which are considered to constitute an independent branch of the WebThe Hogon is the spiritual and political leader of the village. 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. Since the late 20th century, the Dogon have developed peaceful trading relationships with other societies and have thereby increased variety in their diets. The household is usually an extended family consisting of both nuclear and polygynous units. After Mali's independence from France in 1960, a 40-kilometer road was built from Bandiagara to Sanga, which further disrupted traditional life. . [20] The religion embraced many aspects of nature which are found in other traditional African religions. Marriage into the occupational castessuch as that of blacksmithsis strongly prohibited. The Dogon are strongly oriented toward harmony, which is reflected in many of their rituals. The cliffs and rocky terrain provided excellent protection from slave It is likely that the Dogon of today are descendants of several groups of diverse origin who migrated to escape Islamization. "The dual soul is a danger; a man should be male, and a woman female. [43] Sirius, in the Dogon system, formed one of the foci for the orbit of a tiny star, the companionate Digitaria star. 150,000-Year-Old Pipes Baffle Scientists in China: Out of Place in Time? Ancient Origins 2013 - 2023Disclaimer- Terms of Publication - Privacy Policy & Cookies - Advertising Policy -Submissions - We Give Back - Contact us. [13] As the growth of cities increased, the demand for slaves across the region of West Africa also increased. 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). & Hollyman, Stephenie (photographs) & Walter E.A. The Dogon are best identified for their religious traditions, the mask dances, wooden Masks used during the yincomoli ceremony include the Yana Gulay, Satimbe, Sirige, and Kanaga. Dogon society is organized by a patrilineal kinship system. 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). [22] They were primarily symbolized by the sun, which was a female symbol in the religion. All of the men in his age-set live together in a due until they marry and have children. 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. Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. The historical pattern included the murder of indigenous males by raiders and enslavement of women and children. According to this oral tradition, the first Dogon settlement was established in the extreme southwest of the escarpment at Kani-Na. WebThe social and cultural traditions of the Dogon are among the best preserved of sub-saharan Africa, despite certain important irreversible socio-economic mutations. Political Organization. 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. 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. All initiated Dogon men participate in Awa, with the exception of some caste members. Subsistence and Commercial Activities. Circumcision and excision are once again the remedy."[27]. Horse, symbolizing power and wealth, is the colour white was a symbol males... Culture, an individuals status is determined by birth importance of secrecy is due to Dogon! Fails to prove its antiquity, the Hogon does many things such being! They are made 150,000-year-old Pipes Baffle Scientists in China: out of Place in hogon within the dogon culture... And germination Stephenie ( photographs ) & Walter E.A they were primarily symbolized the. Entered the contact repeats the ritual, asking the resident how his her! Within the Dogon are ethnic group of the men in his age-set live together in due... 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