Values: The Bandiagara escarpment, Land of the Dogons, is one of the most impressive geological, archaeological and ethnological landscapes in West Africa.
It is characterised by a km-long sandstone cliff, with a rocky plateau on top, and a sandy plain below. The plateau varies in height from m to over m and is broken by ravines, gorges and rocky passages connecting the plain with the plateau. The escarpment itself is rich in plants and vegetation types which have been destroyed by man in more accessible places.
These are mostly relict humid species sheltering in the ravines in an otherwise arid Sahelian climate, including several endemic species. Neighboring tribes include the Peul, the agricultural Mossi, and the Bobo and Bozo, whose main livelihood is fishing.
Of the Dogon settlements, most have fewer than inhabitants; only six have more than 2, The Dogon population has quadrupled over the last 60 years to , with many Dogon living away from the traditional protection of the cliffs. There are two main seasons, a dry season lasting from January to May and a wet season from June to mid-October. The area receives only 20 to 28 inches of rain each year.
The Dogon are farmers. Their main crop is millet, planted at the start of the rainy season. Other crops include rice, beans, peas, peanuts, and sesame. The Dogon divide the land into communal and private plots.
The eldest member of each lineage control the lands for miller and other subsidence crop, which are worked communally during the wet season. In the past 40 years, the plains and the top of the cliffs have become heavily settled, changing the distribution of farming. New dams on the plateau allow Dogon families to grow a cash crop of onions in small plots on the rock face during the dry season. Many villages now rely on cash from onions to pay for millet grown on the plains and at the edge of the cliffs, instead of growing their own.
Property in Dogon villages is inherited by the oldest son, who has responsibility for supporting his extended family. The basic unit of farmland is the field, often marked using short walls or earthen embankments Figure 8. Field assignments are based on seniority with the most desirable plots closest to the village reserved for the oldest men.
Agricultural production is divided among common fields used to grow subsistence crops such as millet and sorghum, and smaller family fields that include farm plots belonging to single women. Millet is planted after the first rain in June or July, and harvested in October.
Other subsistence crops are sorghum, groundnuts peanuts , calabash, and cassava. Rain falling during wetter months can be intense, leading to the erosion of unprotected soil surfaces. To combat soil loss, the Dogon utilize planting pits and stone lines on flat ground and terraces in sloping areas. Along with rain-fed crops, the Dogon grow irrigated vegetables to generate currency needed for the purchase of seed and other supplies. Among the most important are onions, often grown at the top of the plateau using water supplied by small reservoirs.
Tobacco grown in riverbeds also serves as a cash crop Van Beek, b. In some villages, potable water has become increasingly scarce as the water table has dropped, prompting villagers to deepen wells. In addition to water, the Dogon value trees as important resources. Communal labor and collective action are important with fields worked by kadaga, groups of ten to twenty similarly aged men Hollyman Hard work earns young men respect from elders and may enhance their status among peers.
Men do the majority of agricultural work and are responsible for making utensils, and constructing and maintaining buildings. In years with less rainfall, young Dogon men may travel to nearby towns in search of seasonal work. Women are responsible for tasks such as carrying water, pounding millet, making beer, and collecting and cutting firewood Figure 9.
When other tasks have been completed, they may join men in the fields. The Dogon creation myth interprets the universe and explains the structure and rationale for male and female roles, and other aspects of social organization.
Villages are believed to be shared by the inneomo living and innepuru dead , who coexist in a symbiotic union. The all-knowing sky god Amma is responsible for maintaining a balance between living and dead worlds. Each village has a shrine containing a small bit of soil to honor Lebe, the earth god who maintains the agricultural cycle and serves as a source of inspiration for the hogon, or spiritual leader Douny The role of the hogon falls to the oldest man in a village. The third supernatural entity is Nommo, the water god, often depicted with a human torso attached to a snakelike body.
Although they have no written language, the Dogon utilize a system of hieroglyphics to represent all things in the universe Vergani Social rules, traditions, and etiquette are passed to subsequent generations through stories, music, dance, and rituals Douglas Sacred objects within a village may be communal, or specific to a family unit or individual.
For example, small, single-chamber buildings called binu serve as public shrines for maintaining peace with the spiritual world Gray An individual or family may also maintain a fetish personal shrine , sometimes marked with a circle of stones as a warning not to be disturbed. In addition to shrines within villages, the Dogon recognize sacred spaces for ceremonies such as ponds, tunnels, and caves.
For example, the village of Sanga is known for its circumcision ceremony, where boys ages nine to fourteen are brought to a sandstone grotto for a three-day event marking their transition to adulthood.
A rock ledge forming one side of the grotto is painted with red, black, and white symbols to represent nearby families Figure The body is interred either in a cemetery located on flat land or in some cases, within a Tellem cave where it is covered with the bones of ancestors Douny The purpose of the dama end of mourning is to enable the kikinu, or soul, to depart the world of the living DeMott Less common is the sigui ceremony, held every sixty-five years to commemorate the replacement of one generation by the next Van Beek The highlight of most visits to a Dogon village is an opportunity to see a dama performance.
The timing of a dama varies across villages, with many holding a single celebration in April for all deaths that have happened in the last year. Because of the need to carve and paint masks, assemble regalia, and rehearse routines, a dama may require a month or more of preparation time.
Sometimes decorated with fibers, cowry shells, or beads, the masks are highly valued by foreign collectors. More than sixty different masks symbolize the worlds of the living and dead; some represent animals or people, and others portray spiritual beings or human attributes such as male or female power Lane Masks are said to contain nyama, the life force within both humans and animals Richards Most dancers wear regalia designed to enhance movements, such as colored hibiscus fibers attached to the wrists and ankles.
Decorations may also include breastplates made from shells and beads worn above loose pants. Colors used within regalia represent the four basic elements: red fire , black water , white sky , and yellow or ochre earth.
To maintain the integrity of costumes, materials such as paint, dye, and fiber must be obtained from the bush Figure Depending on the village, a dama ceremony may involve a series of private events in advance of public performances. These include impromptu dances, animal sacrifices, and mock gun battles Davis, The Dogon believe that wandering souls pose a danger to the living. The priests said that Sirius had a companion star that was invisible to the human eye.
They also stated that the star moved in a year elliptical orbit around Sirius, that it was small and incredibly heavy, and that it rotated on its axis. All these things happen to be true the actual orbital figure is But what makes this so remarkable is that the companion star of Sirius, called Sirius B, was first photographed in While people began to suspect its existence around , it was not seen through a telescope until The Dogon beliefs, on the other hand, were supposedly thousands of years old.
The Dogon name for Sirius B Po Tolo consists of the word for star tolo and "po," the name of the smallest seed known to them. By this name they describe the star's smallness -- it is, they say, "the smallest thing there is. The tribe claims that Po is composed of a mysterious, super-dense metal called sagala, which they declare is heavier than all the iron on Earth. Not until did Western science discover that this tiny star is a white dwarf, a category of star characterized by very great density.
Many artifacts were found describing the star system, including a statue examined by Dieterlen that is at least years old. The Dogon also describe a third star in the Sirius system, called Emme Ya. Larger and lighter than Sirius B, this star revolves around Sirius as well. Around the star Emme Ya orbits a planet from which the mythic Nommos originally came.
To date, however, astronomers have not identified Emme Ya. Will our celestial observation devices one day be powerful enough for us to find this legendary planet, thereby adding still more mystery to the extraordinary - seemingly impossible - astronomical knowledge of the Dogon? In addition to their knowledge of the Sirius group, the Dogon mythology includes Saturn's rings and Jupiter's four major moons.
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