Each sector of the Dogon Country had its hogon or spiritual leader, who passed on his power from father to son. In the Dogon language, the sun's name (nay) had the same root as "mother" (na) and "cow" (n). Conflict. [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 referring to relatives, linguistic usage distinguishes between the forms of address and the specific relationship. 'We have in the Dogon information a predictive mechanism which it is our duty to test, regardless of our preconceptions.' ); from Mali, Figure of a kneeling woman; circa 1500; wood; height: 35.2cm (1378 in. ETHNONYMS: Chelofes, Galofes, Guiolof, Gyloffes, Ialofes, Iolof, Jalof, Jolof, Olof, Ouoloff, Valaf, Volof, Wollufs, Yaloffs, Yolof WebThe Hogon is the spiritual and political leader of the village. Each Dogon village, or enlarged family, is headed by one male elder. Top image: Cliff of Bandiagara Source: Public Domain, Bolland, R. (1991). The smiths have important ritual powers and are characteristically poor. The Dogon primarily sell agricultural commodities: onions, grain, cotton, and tobacco. 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. The importance of secrecy is due to the symbolic meaning behind the pieces and the process by which they are made. 16-19th century. 32, No. 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. Each village celebrates for around a year before the 'sigi' moves to the next village. Organisation sociale des dogon (Soudan Franais). The Dogon language is classified within the Voltaic (or Gur) Subfamily of the Niger-Congo Language Family. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Ritual dance of Dogon County (Gleeson, G / CC BY 2.0 ). Wood, covered with sacrifical materials, Seated Couple, Dogon, Mali. He wears white clothes and nobody is allowed to touch him. The Chilling Mystery of the Octavius Ghost Ship, What is a Wendigo? The Mali landscape around Dogon (Spooner, J / CC BY 2.0 ). In 1912 a school was established for them in Sanga, followed by a Christian mission in the 1930s, and later a medical dispensary. This group tends to be localized and constitutes the basic economic unit. It is obvious to any astronomer that some of the brightest objects in the night sky are the planets. In Dogon thought, males and females are born with both sexual components. [22] They were primarily symbolized by the sun, which was a female symbol in the religion. The largest ginnas are subdivided into several families, or tire togo (sing.). Dogons originated for the first time from the West bank of Niger around 1490 The [15] These jihadic expeditions formed themselves to force the Dogon to abandon their traditional religious beliefs for Islam. 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). Dieterlen, G., 1955. & Hollyman, Stephenie (photographs) & Walter E.A. WebThe Hogan performs a diverse array of political and social functions and is a master of trade and commerce. 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. It is likely that the Dogon of today are descendants of several groups of diverse origin who migrated to escape Islamization. The appealing factor lies in many raw, visual, fetishized pursuits and compelling cultural narratives. The yingim and the danyim rituals each last a few days. Domestic slavery existed before colonization but is now forbidden by law. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. 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. [24] (Originally, for the Dogon, man was endowed with a dual soul. The blacksmith, set apart by his caste, has no rights in the village and lives entirely on the proceeds of the sale of his goods to other villagers. They make music on a special instrument that is made of a rod of wood and calabashes that makes the sound of a rattle. The hogon is always a man. Another 10% practices Christianity. Dogon religion and Dogon philosophy both expressed a haunting sense of the original loss of twin-ness. In a polygynous marriage, the wives reside in separate houses within the husband's compound. "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. The Dogon numbered 500,000 on the eve of Malis independence on Pern, Stephen (1982). He has an armband with a sacred pearl that symbolises his function. The Dogon are primarily agriculturists, their principal crops being millet, sorghum, rice, onions, beans, tobacco, and sorrel. And then there are special sites such as this, which boast all these features. 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. Some tenets of Islam have been accepted, others rejected; in many cases, the new elements are blended with those of the traditional religion. [28] Today, a significant minority of the Dogon practice Islam. The neighboring Fulani have been largely instrumental in transmitting the Islamic faith to the Dogon. [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). Both sexes market, fish, and gather wild foods. At this time, new masks are carved and dedicated to the ancestors. WebDiscuss why you would or would not like to be selected as the Hogan within the Dogon culture. The 'Awa' is characterized by the intricate masks worn by members during rituals. Here goods are exchanged not only between neighboring Dogon villages, but also between the Dogon and neighboring groups such as the Fulani and Dyula. The mausoleum was built during the reign of Timur, the ruler of the Timurid Empire. Political Organization. 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). A hogon is a religious figure as well as a temporal authority;[1] the hogon may be hereditary or may be chosen from among the village elderscustom varies from place to place. 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. Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. During the danyim, masqueraders perform dances every morning and evening for any period up to six days, depending on that village's practice. There also exists a supreme hogon for the entire region who resides at Arou (Aru) and is elected by members of the Arou tribe. 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. Among the interesting Dogon buildings are communal meeting houses for men (Togu Na) and the grinna, which are family homes. Identification. Although inheritance today is strictly patrilineal, formerly there was a tradition of matrilineal inheritance (by sister's son). WebDogon Female Ancestor Sculpture. Craft skills are well developed among the Dogon, especially the making of pottery and baskets, weaving, wood carving, and leather- and ironworking. 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. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. The Dogon live in compact, occasionally walled villages built up the sides of the escarpment. The ritual language, "Sigi so" or "language of the Sigui", which was taught to male dignitaries of the Society of the Masks ("awa"), was considered a poor language. WebIn this short article, the authors present a brief and clear-cut account of the relationship between the Dogon cosmogony and their social organization in terms of a discussion of The first occurs immediately after the death of a person, and the second can occur years after the death. [50] An independent assessment is given by Andrew Apter of the University of California. There are three principal Unless arrangements are made to the contrary, a man's property is inherited by his eldest son, who is expected to provide support for his brothers or assure them of an equal share of the inheritance. Women are forbidden from joining and prohibited from learning sigi so. After being chosen, a hogon must pass through several months without washing or shaving. 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. This announces the entrance of persons wearing the masks used in this ceremony, while the deceased's entrance to his home in the family compound is decorated with ritual elements (Davis, 7273). Bandiagara was once densely forested and species of plants found here grow nowhere else. The historical pattern included the murder of indigenous males by raiders and enslavement of women and children. Expert Answer Introduction. 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. An enlarged family can count up to a hundred persons and is called guinna. The Dogon believes that the sacred serpent Lebe comes during the night to purify him and communicate wisdom to him. Ancient Chinese Earthquake Detector Invented 2,000 Years Ago Really Worked! 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. The Dogon religion was centered on this loss of twinness or androgyny. Death and Afterlife. 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