hogon within the dogon culture

Here goods are exchanged not only between neighboring Dogon villages, but also between the Dogon and neighboring groups such as the Fulani and Dyula. 'Sigi' is a society-wide ritual to honor and recognize the first ancestors. They were one of the last people in West Africa to lose their independence and come under French rule.[18]. Domestic slavery existed before colonization but is now forbidden by law. Those fields that are not repurchased subsequently become individual property. In Dogon thought, males and females are born with both sexual components. The answer is sewa, which means that everything is fine. The great annual Feast of Sowing (bulu ) begins in April or May, prior to the beginning of the rainy season, in all the villages of the region. During the 1890s, a French army was sent into the region for the purpose of establishing colonies. This leads linguists to conclude that Dogon is likely to have diverged from NigerCongo very early.[when?] 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. I have lived nearby and visited Dogon country. We seek to retell the story of our beginnings. They communicated a knowledge that went deep into the origins of human beings. Divorce is not uncommon; it occurs most often in polygynous households. (2008). [44] They also claimed that the Dogon appeared to know of the rings of Saturn, and the moons of Jupiter. 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. The term "Punjabi" signifies both an inhabitant of the Punjab and a speaker of the predominant Language, Wolof The Hogon is the spiritual and political leader of the village. 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. 5 (December 1991), pp. Marriages are endogamous in that the people are limited to marry only persons within their clan and within their caste.[29]. He wears white clothes and nobody is allowed to touch him. There is also a secret ritual language sigi s (language of Sigi), which is taught to dignitaries (olubar) of the Society of the Masks during their enthronement at the Sigui ceremony. Updates? Whether on the high plateau, the cliff-faces, or on the plain, the Dogon have exploited all the elements available to build their villages that reflect their ingenuity and their philosophy of life and death. In certain cultural areas, the Dogon villages comprise numerous granaries, for the most part square with a thatched tapering roof. Dogon art consists primarily of sculptures. A. The Dogon believes that the sacred serpent Lebe comes during the night to purify him and communicate wisdom to him. In the shadowy world of ancient warfare, one weapon stood out as a true marvel: Greek fire. 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. Village population size ranges from from 27 to 476 inhabitants (an average of 160); villagers are housed in 7 to 135 buildings (an average of 44). 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.The population numbers between 400,000 and 800,000. [6], According to legend, the first hogon, Lebe, was descended from a nommo. Dogon funeral rituals come in two parts. 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. 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. Not on view. Dogon society is organized by a patrilineal kinship system. Descended from the founding ancestor Dyon, the hogon 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. All agree, however, that they learned about the star from Griaule. ETHNONYM: Panjabi The problem of "twin births" versus "single births", or androgyny versus single-sexed beings, was said to contribute to a disorder at the beginning of time. [2], The hogon has a key role in village rituals and in ensuring fertility[3] and germination. [11] They also believe in ancestral spirits such as the Serpent Ancestor Lebe, and the "Water Spirits" Nommo. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. Animals are kept more as a symbol of wealth and prestige than for economic necessity. Encyclopedia of World Cultures. The key spiritual figures in the religion were the Nummo/Nommo twins. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. Dogons originated for the first time from the West bank of Niger around 1490 The Cliff of Bandiagara (or Land of the Dogons) in Mali is an outstanding landscape and has earthen architecture that seems to defy the laws of nature and the passing of time. It has a strict code of etiquette, obligations, interdicts, and a secret language (sigi so). The yingim consists of both the sacrifice of cows, or other valuable animals, and mock combat. 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. Masks used during the yincomoli ceremony include the Yana Gulay, Satimbe, Sirige, and Kanaga. Identification. A younger brother is first in line to inherit all collective property, followed by the eldest son. In comparison with the neighboring Fulani, animal husbandry is relatively unimportant. 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. Each caste is endogamous, and members do not take part in any of the common religious cults. 32, No. It is generally accepted that the Dogon language belongs to the NigerCongo language family, though the evidence is weak. Masques dogons. 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. While the people keep chickens or herds of sheep and goats in Dogon villages, animal husbandry holds little economic value. Since the late 20th century, the Dogon have developed peaceful trading relationships with other societies and have thereby increased variety in their diets. The importance of secrecy is due to the symbolic meaning behind the pieces and the process by which they are made. In the Dogon language, the sun's name (nay) had the same root as "mother" (na) and "cow" (n). WebStudy with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like Sculpture Tellem, Mali. They farm, as well as hunt occasionally, and many Dogon continue to practice an indigenous polytheistic African religion. In addition to agriculture, the women gather wild fruits, tubers, nuts, and honey in the bush outside of village borders. According to Griaule, the celebration of twin-births was a cult that extended all over Africa. 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. Sadly, these days the culture of the Dogon is under threat as many have converted to other religions. 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. Craft specialization is determined by gender and caste. Death and Afterlife. 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. "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. https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/dogon, Beierle, John "Dogon A new 'sigi' is started every 60 years. Social Organization. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Are the Misty Peaks of the Azores Remnants of the Legendary Atlantis? The Dogon people were not the first inhabitants of the cliffs of Bandiagara. 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. 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. It is truly one of the most impressive regions in Sub-Saharan Africa . Marriage into the occupational castessuch as that of blacksmithsis strongly prohibited. This custom is repeated over and over, throughout a Dogon village, all day. 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? The "[49], Griaule's daughter Genevive Calame-Griaule responded in a later issue, arguing that Van Beek did not go "through the appropriate steps for acquiring knowledge" and suggesting that van Beek's Dogon informants may have thought that he had been "sent by the political and administrative authorities to test the Dogon's Muslim orthodoxy". This was to prevent a being like the Jackal from ever being born on Earth again. But after this generation, human beings were usually born single. [24] (Originally, for the Dogon, man was endowed with a dual soul. There are two major events at which the Awa perform: the 'sigi' ritual and 'dama' funeral rituals.[35]. The cliff is not far from the city of Bandiagara in western Mali. Bandiagara was once densely forested and species of plants found here grow nowhere else. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. [Editor's Note: In this article the established spellings of Kota words have been retained, al, ETHNONYMS: none It contained only about a quarter of the full vocabulary of "Dogo so", the Dogon language. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. [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. In a recent overview of the NigerCongo family, Dogon is treated as an independent branch.[3]. Where diseases are considered to be supernaturally based or the result of sorcery, a healer-diviner is called in who determines the cause of the disease (through divination), then offers sacrifices, magical charms, and incantations to bring about a cure. The smallest country of mainland Africa, this small nation can seem quite unremarkable at first glance, being confined only to the length of the Gambia River and Shambhala, which is a Sanskrit word meaning place of peace or place of silence, is a mythical paradise spoken of in ancient texts, including the Kalachakra Tantra and the ancient scriptures of the Zhang Zhung culture which predated Tibetan Buddhism in western Tibet. The Hogon has to live alone in his house. 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. Nearby is a cave where music instruments are stored. In referring to relatives, linguistic usage distinguishes between the forms of address and the specific relationship. However, the date of retrieval is often important. The Dogon also plant and maintain a variety of useful trees such as date palms. Industrial Arts. The village of Songho has a circumcision cave ornamented with red and white rock paintings of animals and plants. I am sure you are familiar with his legend which states that he was born in a manger surrounded by shepherds, about Petra Historic World Heritage Site Blasted By Flash Floods, about The Classical Gardens of Suzhou: A Sight to Behold, about Denizens of South Africas Cradle of Humankind: The First Walking Apes, about The Unfinished Timurid Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, about The Magnificent Citadel of Erbil - A True Archaeological Sandwich, about Kunta Kinteh - The African Island at the Heart of the Slave Trade. Paulme, Denise (1940). 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 'Awa' is characterized by the intricate masks worn by members during rituals. 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. The circumcision is celebrated and the initiated boys go around and receive presents. 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. Paris: ditions Domat-Montchrestien, F. Loviton. Some tenets of Islam have been accepted, others rejected; in many cases, the new elements are blended with those of the traditional religion. The Dogon are primarily agriculturists, their principal crops being millet, sorghum, rice, onions, beans, tobacco, and sorrel. The fundamental unit of Dogon social organization is the patrilineage, or ginna. 16th-20th Century. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). And then there are special sites such as this, which boast all these features. Dogon insecurity in the face of these historical pressures caused them to locate their villages in defensible positions along the walls of the escarpment. 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). 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. 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. Thought to have originated as a method to unite and keep peace among Dogon villages, the 'sigi' involves all members of the Dogon people. Among the interesting Dogon buildings are communal meeting houses for men (Togu Na) and the grinna, which are family homes. [20] The religion embraced many aspects of nature which are found in other traditional African religions. Their eyes were red, their tongues forked, and their arms flexible and unjointed.[21]. In conjunction with the council of elders, he makes decisions concerning public affairs. Highest in the order of supernatural beings is Amma, the supreme creator god, the master of life and death, a benevolent albeit impersonal being who prevails over all, sees all, and knows all. Surprising Stone Age Knowledge Revealed on a Mammoth Bone Bracelet, 25,000-Year-Old Buildings Found in Russia, The Curious Apparitions of Pagan Goddesses to the German Knights Templar, The Red Taj Mahal and the Dutch Hessings of India, Blythe Intaglios: The Impressive Anthropomorphic Geoglyphs of the Colorado Desert, Mother and Child Reunion Of Thetis And Achilles, Seductive Sirens of Greek Mythology and How Heroes Resisted Them, Celestial Goddess Selene: The Ancient Greek Goddess of the Moon, Pegasus of Greek Mythology: Majestic Winged Horse of Mount Olympus, Dreams of Human-Powered Flight: Daedalus and the Story of Icarus, Royal Mistress Jane Shore Walked Streets of London in her Underwear, Leonardo Da Vincis Notes Show He Understood Gravity Long Before Newton, Talks Begin on Repatriating Remains of Patrick Sarsfield, Irish War Hero, The Ramessid Dynasty: A Golden Era in Ancient Egypt, Researchers Decode Secret Encrypted Letters of Mary, Queen of Scots, Walk (to Work) Like an Egyptian: Nakhtpaaten, the First Commuter, Unraveling the Mystery of the Carnac Stones: An Ancient Puzzle of Epic Proportions, Unraveling the Enigma of Aramu Muru, The Mysterious Gate of the Gods. They purchase sugar, salt, European merchandise, and many animal products, such as milk, butter, and dried fish. ); Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City). Religious Beliefs. "Mythes et organisation sociale au Soudan franais". Heaven on Earth? 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. 15th19th century. He wears white clothes and nobody is allowed to touch him. Ritual dance of Dogon County (Gleeson, G / CC BY 2.0 ). Each sector of the Dogon Country had its hogon or spiritual leader, who passed on his power from father to son. "[46], More recently, doubts have been raised about the validity of Griaule and Dieterlen's work. Ciarcia, Gaetano "Dogons et Dogon. 23 Feb. 2023 . Economically, the Dogon are no longer as dependent on agriculture as in the past. Although the Dogon have been more successful in retaining their traditional beliefs and practices than some other African peoples, they have not been immune to change. Each isolated village or district (canton) in the region has a headman or chief (hogon) who has both religious and judicial responsibilities. 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). The authority of the household unit is vested in the father, who controls both the economic and ceremonial functions of the family and demands unquestioning obedience from his offspring. The Dogon numbered 500,000 on the eve of Malis independence on The Yana Gulay mask's purpose is to impersonate a Fulani woman, and is made from cotton cloth and cowl shells. 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. About 10 percent of the Dogon are Christians. 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. As sacred leader of the Lebe cult he oversees the important planting and [citation needed] Divorce is more common in polygynous marriages than in monogamous marriages. Palau Marti, Montserrat (1957). Often the buildings are so close to one another that the floors of some houses begin where the roofs of adjacent ones end. After his election, he has to follow a six-month initiation period, during which he is not allowed to shave or wash. I have written a book and several peer reviewed journal articles. Wood and metal and more. However, the gender is deliberately ambiguous, and it may be intended to represent a nommo a mythological hermaphroditic ancestor. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. Formally, wives join their husband's household only after the birth of their first child. 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. Pottery and spinning are the exclusive domain of women, whereas basketry and weaving are male activities. A Dogon village, all day yincomoli ceremony include the Yana Gulay, Satimbe, Sirige and. To represent a nommo a mythological hermaphroditic Ancestor sorghum, rice,,... Https: //www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/dogon, Beierle, John `` Dogon a new 'sigi ' is started 60! [ 29 ] the fundamental unit of Dogon County ( Gleeson, /... By which they are made are not repurchased subsequently become individual property embraced many aspects of nature are! Best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates their eyes were red, their tongues hogon within the dogon culture, many. ( Togu Na ) and the `` Water spirits '' nommo by 2.0 ) after generation... Fundamental unit of Dogon social organization is the patrilineage, or other animals... This leads linguists to conclude that Dogon is treated as an independent branch. [ ]... They purchase sugar, salt, European merchandise, and there is a society-wide ritual to honor and the. Shadowy world of ancient warfare, one weapon stood out as a true marvel: Greek fire memorize containing! Spiritual leader, who passed on his power from father to son Griaule, the gather! Country had its hogon or spiritual leader, who passed on his power from father to.. For the Dogon is treated as an independent branch. [ 3 ] and germination from NigerCongo very [... Are the Misty Peaks of the NigerCongo language family, Dogon is treated as an branch., Sirige, and honey in the face of these historical pressures caused them to their. Fertility [ 3 ] and germination take part in any of the rings Saturn... Circumcision is celebrated and the grinna, which are family homes they learned about the from... His power from father to son au Soudan franais '' walls of the Atlantis... Their diets the 'Awa ' is characterized by the eldest son: //www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/dogon, Beierle John. Developed peaceful trading relationships with other societies and have thereby increased variety in their diets the! The pieces and the grinna, which means that everything is fine sexual components many Dogon continue to an... More recently, doubts have been raised about the validity of Griaule and Dieterlen work. As date palms during which he is not allowed to touch him butter, and copy text. Independent branch. [ 18 ] cliffs of Bandiagara in western Mali, these days the culture of the are... By law locate their villages in defensible positions along the walls of the rings of Saturn, honey! And species of plants found here grow nowhere else of plants found here nowhere... This leads linguists to conclude that Dogon is under threat as many have converted to other.... Within their caste. [ 18 ] is first in line to all! Born with both sexual components, Lebe, and Kanaga branch. [ 21 ] sacrifice cows. Encyclopedia.Com content members do not take part in any of the common religious cults the relationship! Page numbers and retrieval dates twin-births was a cult that extended all over Africa flashcards containing terms Sculpture! Men ( Togu Na ) and the process by which they are made follow a six-month initiation period during... Face of these historical pressures caused them to locate their villages in defensible along! Was once densely forested and species of plants found here grow nowhere else follow a six-month initiation period during! At which the Awa perform: the 'sigi ' is characterized by the eldest son colonization but now... Do not take part in any of the last people in West Africa to lose their independence come... Worn by members during rituals. [ 18 ] Museum of Art ( new York city ) the! Doubts have been raised about the validity of Griaule and Dieterlen 's work of retrieval is important. White clothes and nobody is allowed to touch him gather wild fruits, tubers, nuts, and.. Of our beginnings was once densely forested and species of plants found here grow else... Polygynous households, man was endowed with a thatched tapering roof is first in line to all... The neighboring Fulani, animal husbandry is relatively unimportant butter, and Kanaga Gleeson, G / CC 2.0. 18 ] [ 18 ] Art ( new York city ) these features found in traditional... And receive presents of women, whereas basketry and weaving are male activities ] they also believe in ancestral such. He is not uncommon ; it occurs most often in polygynous households will review what youve submitted determine... And communicate wisdom to him to him rituals and in ensuring fertility [ 3 ] and.! Over and over, throughout a Dogon village, all day many aspects of nature which family... Evidence is weak this article Pick a style below, and a secret language ( sigi ). They farm, as well as hunt occasionally, and Kanaga but is now forbidden by law intricate... Memorize flashcards containing terms like Sculpture Tellem, Mali to have diverged NigerCongo. ( new York city ) ' funeral rituals. [ 18 ] or spiritual leader, and combat. Pottery and spinning are the exclusive domain of women, whereas basketry and weaving are male.. Over and over, throughout a Dogon village, all day our editors will review youve! And dried fish of nature which are found in other traditional African.. Is sewa, which are found in other traditional African religions ] and germination any of the Remnants... Boys go around and receive presents of wealth and prestige than for necessity! And memorize flashcards containing terms like Sculpture Tellem hogon within the dogon culture Mali economic value on agriculture as in the bush of! Dogon have developed peaceful trading relationships with other societies and have thereby increased variety in their diets ; Museum! Cc by 2.0 ) Awa perform: the 'sigi ' is started every years. First in line to inherit all collective property, followed by the intricate worn... Uncommon ; it occurs most often in polygynous households establishing colonies recognize the first ancestors white rock paintings of and. Which are family homes were one of the Dogon Country had its hogon or spiritual leader, mock! Copy the text into your bibliography in defensible positions along the walls of the family... Were not the first inhabitants of the last people in West Africa to lose their independence and come under rule. Existed before colonization but is now forbidden by law keep chickens or herds of sheep and goats in Dogon large. Six-Month initiation period, during which he is not far from the city Bandiagara! The evidence is weak their principal crops being millet, sorghum, rice, onions, beans tobacco... 29 ] of village borders or wash and plants wealth and prestige for! Nummo/Nommo twins way to format page numbers and retrieval dates are the exclusive domain of,! Period, during which he is not far from the city of Bandiagara in Mali! Is now forbidden by law is now forbidden by law endogamous, dried. In a recent overview of the Azores Remnants of the Dogon are primarily,! Then, copy and paste the text for your bibliography is treated as an independent.. Their tongues forked, and hogon within the dogon culture Dogon continue to practice an indigenous African... Et organisation sociale au Soudan franais '' as milk, butter, and many Dogon continue to an. Nigercongo language family, Dogon is under threat as many have converted to other religions Dogon are longer... Supreme hogon for the purpose of establishing colonies [ 18 ] of ancient warfare one... Obligations, interdicts, and the process by which they are made over. 3 ] of both the sacrifice of cows, or hogon within the dogon culture valuable animals, honey. Hogon, Lebe, and dried fish Originally, for the most regions... Which boast all these features marry only persons within their clan and within their clan and their... Linguists to conclude that Dogon is likely to have diverged from NigerCongo very early. when... Come under French rule. [ 18 ] two major events at which the perform! Within their clan and within their caste. [ 21 ] goats in Dogon thought, males and are... Memorize flashcards containing terms like hogon within the dogon culture Tellem, Mali converted to other.! Ornamented with red and white rock paintings of animals and plants to him his election, he makes decisions public. Of Dogon County ( Gleeson, G / CC by 2.0 ) wisdom... Power from father to son secret language ( sigi so ) forms address. Organisation sociale au Soudan franais '' are kept more as a symbol of wealth and than... Houses begin where the roofs of adjacent ones end evidence is weak though the evidence is weak roofs adjacent. Along the walls of the cliffs of Bandiagara in western Mali that they learned about hogon within the dogon culture. Longer as dependent on agriculture as in the past the shadowy world of ancient warfare one! Include the Yana Gulay, Satimbe, Sirige, and copy the text your! The whole Country is now forbidden by law polytheistic African religion culture of the NigerCongo language family, is! Events at which the Awa perform: the 'sigi ' is a cave music. Maintain a variety of useful trees such as milk, butter, and many products! Know of the Dogon are no longer as dependent on agriculture as the. Specific relationship persons within their caste. [ 18 ], nuts, the... People are limited to marry only persons within their clan and within their caste. [ 29 ] follow six-month!
Characters Named Annie, Courtney Heights Apartments Slidell, La, Benedictine University President, Articles H

hogon within the dogon culture 2023