hogon within the dogon culture
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). WebThe Hogon is the spiritual and political leader of the village. Top image: Cliff of Bandiagara Source: Public Domain, Bolland, R. (1991). Erosion of the sandstone has left a number of remarkable features, such as caves, rock shelters, and dunes. ." [citation needed] After a couple has had children together, divorce is a rare and serious matter, and it requires the participation of the whole village. Paulme, Denise (1940). Today, at least 35% of the Dogon practice Islam. Divorce is not uncommon; it occurs most often in polygynous households. 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. Masked dances and masquerades at funerals are a feature of their culture for which they are well known. However, the gender is deliberately ambiguous, and it may be intended to represent a nommo a mythological hermaphroditic ancestor. (2008). They purchase sugar, salt, European merchandise, and many animal products, such as milk, butter, and dried fish. ETHNONYMS: Chelofes, Galofes, Guiolof, Gyloffes, Ialofes, Iolof, Jalof, Jolof, Olof, Ouoloff, Valaf, Volof, Wollufs, Yaloffs, Yolof Following the birth of the child, the couple moves into an unoccupied dwelling in the husband's village and quarter. Location. The fundamental unit of Dogon social organization is the patrilineage, or ginna. Individuals with high status may own a small number of cattle.[30]. 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. 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]. Although Temple fails to prove its antiquity, the evidence for the recent acquisition of the information is still entirely circumstantial. Succession to office is patrilineal (by younger brother). Each Dogon village may differ in the designs of the masks used in the dama ritual. 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. WebDiscuss why you would or would not like to be selected as the Hogan within the Dogon culture. [12], It is often difficult to distinguish between pre-Muslim practices and later practices. After his election, he has to follow a six-month initiation period, during which he is not allowed to shave or wash. Above the lineage is the much larger kin group called the clan, from which the various lineages emerge. Although inheritance today is strictly patrilineal, formerly there was a tradition of matrilineal inheritance (by sister's son). WebDogon Female Ancestor Sculpture. There are three principal While the people keep chickens or herds of sheep and goats in Dogon villages, animal husbandry holds little economic value. 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. It was held once every sixty years and allegedly celebrated the white dwarf star, Sirius B. First marriages are generally arranged by parents; within certain limitations, those marrying for the second or third time are more free to choose their partners. But after this generation, human beings were usually born single. [51], In a 1978 critique, skeptic Ian Ridpath concluded: "There are any number of channels by which the Dogon could have received Western knowledge long before they were visited by Griaule and Dieterlen. And while some people may seem content with the story as it stands, our view is that there existcountless mysteries, scientific anomalies and surprising artifacts thathave yet to be discovered and explained. Les dogon. This enigmatic figure is an ancestor figure from the Dogon people of Mali. & E.I.K. Durieux-Boon (2004). According to Shawn R. Davis, this particular ritual incorporates the elements of the yingim and the danyim. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. One of its most distinctive features is the hierarchical series of occupational "castes" or status groups consisting of iron- and leatherworkers, griots (lineage genealogists), musicians, poets, and sorcerers. Women are forbidden from joining and prohibited from learning sigi so. 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). Beierle, John "Dogon Each sector of the Dogon Country had its hogon or spiritual leader, who passed on his power from father to son. The Iraqi city of Erbil is truly magnificent - and in many ways. Historically, Dogon villages were established in the Bandiagara area a thousand years ago because the people collectively refused to convert to Islam and retreated from areas controlled by Muslims.[5]. Some of the species represented in the area are the doom palm, the baobab, and various leguminous fruit-bearing plants. "[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. This theme was fundamental to the Dogon religion. [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). He was eaten by another nommo, and their spirits merged; the nommo vomited out a new Lebe (part human and part spiritual), plus copious liquid which shaped the landscape.[7]. 150,000-Year-Old Pipes Baffle Scientists in China: Out of Place in Time? Due to the expense, the second traditional funeral rituals, or "damas", are becoming very rare. The Mali landscape around Dogon (Spooner, J / CC BY 2.0 ). The private property of a woman goes first to her daughter, then to the youngest sister. Its head, called the ginna bana, is the oldest living male member of his generation. Demography. As Greek mythology goes, the universe was once a big soup of nothingness. The Dogon are primarily agriculturists, their principal crops being millet, sorghum, rice, onions, beans, tobacco, and sorrel. Blood alliances frequently were contracted between the Dogon and other groups such as the Bozo. In traditional Dogon society, land was transmitted within the family group (ginna, or lineage), and was considered inalienable property. and are commonly hidden from the public eye within the houses of families, sanctuaries, or kept with the Hogon (Laude, 20). Another indication of this is the subjectobjectverb basic word order, which Dogon shares with such early NigerCongo branches as Ijoid and Mande. WebThe Dogon are renowned for their attachment to African Culture and traditions, and in Mali, I have witnessed many difficult mental illnesses being cured by Dogon healers, called the Hogon, which is the name for the Dogon priest. 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. The mausoleum was built during the reign of Timur, the ruler of the Timurid Empire. 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. Each isolated village or district (canton) in the region has a headman or chief (hogon) who has both religious and judicial responsibilities. In a polygynous marriage, the wives reside in separate houses within the husband's compound. "Mythes et organisation sociale au Soudan franais". The danyim is held a couple of months later. The Dogon languages show few remnants of a unique noun class system, an example of which is that human nouns take a distinct plural suffix. 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). Orientation These events are held annually to honor the elders who have died since the last Dama. A virgin who has not yet had her period takes care of him, cleans his house, and prepares his meals. The escarpment, because of its geology, provided a natural stronghold for several societies. 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. Every four days, Dogon people participate in markets with neighboring tribes, such as the Fulani and the Dyula. 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). There are at least five distinct groups of dialects. 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. Because of his solitary state, the first son of God acted as he did. Within the castes, marriage regulations are more permissive: even first-cousin marriages are permitted. 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. Paris: Institut d'Ethnologie. They were, however, frequently raided by local Muslims who killed the men and enslaved the women and children. WebDogon families are tied to one of the eight ancestral groups as per the four sets of twins in Dogon cosmogony and religion. It is generally accepted that the Dogon language belongs to the NigerCongo language family, though the evidence is weak. The principal domestic animals are sheep, goats, donkeys, dogs, chickens, guinea fowls, ducks, some cattle, a few horses, and cats. Retours au 'pays du reel'", Genevive Calame-Griaule: "On the Dogon Restudied". WebStudy with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like Sculpture Tellem, Mali. "[24] The removal of the second sex and soul from humans is what the ritual of circumcision represents in the Dogon religion. 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). It is truly one of the most impressive regions in Sub-Saharan Africa . Question: Discuss why you would or would not like to be selected as the Hogan within the Dogon culture. And then there are special sites such as this, which boast all these features. "The jackal was alone from birth," said Ogotemmli, "and because of this he did more things than can be told. ); Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City). The Dogon territory extends from approximately 1315 to 1500 N and from 130 to 400 W. The population is concentrated in some 300 villages along a 145-kilometer stretch of escarpment called the Cliffs of Bandiagara. Masks used during the yincomoli ceremony include the Yana Gulay, Satimbe, Sirige, and Kanaga. Masques dogons. 5 (December 1991), pp. [15] These jihadic expeditions formed themselves to force the Dogon to abandon their traditional religious beliefs for Islam. Death and Afterlife. Although some Dogon accepted the new regime, many strongly opposed and resisted it for many years. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. A hogon is a spiritual leader in a Dogon village who plays an important role in Dogon religion. 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 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. The virgin is replaced by one of his wives, and she also returns to her home at night. A hogon is a religious figure as well as a temporal authority; the hogon may be hereditary or may be chosen from among the village elderscustom varies from place to place. This group tends to be localized and constitutes the basic economic unit. The yingim and the danyim rituals each last a few days. Interest in other seemingly falsifiable claims, namely concerning a red dwarf star orbiting around Sirius (not hypothesized until the 1950s), led him to entertain a previous challenge by Temple, asserting that "Temple offered another line of reasoning. 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 . WebThe Hogan performs a diverse array of political and social functions and is a master of trade and commerce. Retrieved February 23, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/dogon. 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). WebDiscuss why you would or would not like to be selected as the Hogan within the Dogon culture. Similarly each village may have their own way of performing the dama rituals. Archaeologists have been able to take a closer look at one of the United Kingdoms most famous shipwrecks. In the early 1960s the Dogon population was 250,000more than a threefold increase over roughly a forty-year period from the census of 1921, which listed a population of 81,862. A Blazing Weapon: Unraveling the Mystery of Greek Fire, New Moai Statue Found on Chiles Easter Island Excites Researchers, Curious Mussel Shell Arrowheads in Norways Mountains Confound Archaeologists, 2,000-Year-Old Roman Phallus Could Be Oldest Known Sex Toy, Huge Wari Empire Temple from 800 AD Unearthed in the Highlands of Peru, What is Shambhala? An enlarged family can count up to a hundred persons and is called guinna. Monogamy is the major form of marriage, although nonsororal polygyny with a limit of two wives is permitted. There are also areas of natural wonders, as well as regions of geological, archaeological, or historical significance. 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"). Because the word sewa is so commonly repeated throughout a Dogon village, neighboring peoples have dubbed the Dogon the sewa people. Are the Misty Peaks of the Azores Remnants of the Legendary Atlantis? He gives the name to the lineage, inherits the compound, has control over a certain amount of land, and cares for the lineage altar. 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. Masked Dancers of West Africa: The Dogon. 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. 1000-1500 AD, Dogon Sculpture, Mali. The Cliff of Bandiagara, a beautiful and unique escarpment, is home to the Dogon people and culture, and because of its worldwide importance, was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1989. 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. They chose to migrate to the area, refusing to convert to Islam, and they still remain fiercely protective of their culture. Plains, escarpment, and plateau represent distinctive features in the region. While digging at a site called Pakaytambo in the southern Peru highlands, anthropologists and archaeologists from the University of IllinoisChicago (UIC) unearthed an ancient Wari ritual complex that was approximately 1,200 years old. Prior to the birth of the first child, the wife lives at the home of her parents, while her husband continues to reside in the bachelor quarters where he has lived from the age of 8 to 10. 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. At this time, new masks are carved and dedicated to the ancestors. Dogon door with stylized figures (Wegmann, M/ CC BY 3.0 ). [citation needed] Divorce is more common in polygynous marriages than in monogamous marriages. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. Dieterlen, G., 1955. The horse, symbolizing power and wealth, is [33], The Dogon are among several African ethnic groups that practice female genital mutilation, including a type I circumcision, meaning that the clitoris is removed.[34]. There are two endogamous castes in Dogon society: the smiths and the leather-workers. During the colonization of Mali by the French, the inhabitants of the escarpment were able to use caves and tunnels to avoid the Europeans and were able to preserve their way of life. These are two story building with separate areas for men and women. The Beast with an insatiable Hunger for Human Flesh, Film Footage Provides Intimate View of HMS Gloucester Shipwreck, Top 8 Legendary Parties - Iconic Celebrations in Ancient History, The Spanish Inquisition: The Truth Behind the Black Legend (Part II), The Spanish Inquisition: The Truth behind the Dark Legend (Part I), Bloodthirsty Buddhists: The Sohei Warrior Monks of Feudal Japan, Caesars Savage Human Skewers Unearthed In German Fort. The Chilling Mystery of the Octavius Ghost Ship, What is a Wendigo? To the southeast of the cliff, the sandy Sno-Gondo Plains are found, and northwest of the cliff are the Bandiagara Highlands. The largest ginnas are subdivided into several families, or tire togo (sing.). 23 Feb. 2023