hogon within the dogon culture
[53], Robert Todd Carroll also states that a more likely source of the knowledge of the Sirius star system is from contemporary, terrestrial sources who provided information to interested members of the tribes. 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. Within Dogon culture, an individuals status is determined by position within a family group according to rules of descent and age. Orientation Influence from Tellem art is evident in Dogon art because of its rectilinear designs (Laude, 24). [6], According to legend, the first hogon, Lebe, was descended from a nommo. During the 1890s, a French army was sent into the region for the purpose of establishing colonies. Trade. This practice has been passed down for generations and is always followed, even during winter. ." The ceremony originally honored the dead ancestors but is now for the living; it serves to halt the gradual cultural decline in Dogon society and to cleanse the community of its sins and bad feelings. Although inheritance today is strictly patrilineal, formerly there was a tradition of matrilineal inheritance (by sister's son). Ritual dance of Dogon County (Gleeson, G / CC BY 2.0 ). African religions: Ritual and religious specialists. Current Anthropology, Vol. The fundamental unit of Dogon social organization is the patrilineage, or ginna. In a polygynous marriage, the wives reside in separate houses within the husband's compound. Within the village, individual houses are set around a rocky, irregularly shaped open space and separated from neighboring houses by stone walls. The Yana Gulay mask's purpose is to impersonate a Fulani woman, and is made from cotton cloth and cowl shells. It was held once every sixty years and allegedly celebrated the white dwarf star, Sirius B. They make music on a special instrument that is made of a rod of wood and calabashes that makes the sound of a rattle. Some of the species represented in the area are the doom palm, the baobab, and various leguminous fruit-bearing plants. Medicine. 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 . . The virgin is replaced by one of his wives, and she also returns to her home at night. Other authors have argued that previous 20th-century European visitors to the Dogon are a far more plausible source of such information and dispute whether Griaule's account accurately describes Dogon myths at all. Fruit trees are valued possessions, and although they may be sold, the previous owner reserves the ownership of the field in which they are planted for his own use. WebDogon Female Ancestor Sculpture. 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]. Succession to office is patrilineal (by younger brother). He is elected from among the oldest men of the dominant lineage of the village. 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. This theme was fundamental to the Dogon religion. The district headman is also head of his lineage and occupies the "great house" (ginna) of that kin group. Elaborate ceremonial stools of this kind were owned by the hogon, the supreme religious and political leader in each Their eyes were red, their tongues forked, and their arms flexible and unjointed.[21]. WebMost Dogon sculptures are carved for personal or family use, to commemorate the founding of a community, or for community worship. "[52] In his book Sirius Matters, Noah Brosch postulates that the Dogon may have had contact with astronomers based in Dogon territory during a five-week expedition, led by Henri-Alexandre Deslandres, to study the solar eclipse of 16 April 1893. The first occurs immediately after the death of a person, and the second can occur years after the death. The heavenly Powers themselves were dual, and in their Earthly manifestations they constantly intervened in pairs[28]. 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. This chief head is the oldest living son of the ancestor of the local branch of the family. Paris: Institut d'Ethnologie. Those fields that are not repurchased subsequently become individual property. In the event of a divorce, the woman takes only the youngest child with her, and the rest remain as a part of the husband's household. Dogon village along the Bandiagara escarpment. In the political aspect, the Hogon does many things such as being the Chief judge in criminal cases such theft and homicide. [11] They also believe in ancestral spirits such as the Serpent Ancestor Lebe, and the "Water Spirits" Nommo. For instance, in one of their most important rituals, the women praise the men, the men thank the women, the young express appreciation for the old, and the old recognize the contributions of the young. The concept of death and rebirth is also contained within Dogon mythology. Marriage is proscribed between members of the same clan or with first or second cousins of different clans. Kinship Terminology. [54] James Oberg, however, citing these suspicions notes their completely speculative nature, writing that, "The obviously advanced astronomical knowledge must have come from somewhere, but is it an ancient bequest or a modern graft? Funerals for women, who are generally excluded from awa membership, are simple, with little if any ceremony. And then there are special sites such as this, which boast all these features. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Orientation 32, No. The Niger River is nearby and in the sandstone rock, a rivulet runs at the foot of the cliff at the lowest point of the area during the wet season. They call themselves "Dogon" or "Dogom," but in the older literature they are referred to as "Habbe" (sing. Ancient Origins 2013 - 2023Disclaimer- Terms of Publication - Privacy Policy & Cookies - Advertising Policy -Submissions - We Give Back - Contact us. A new 'sigi' is started every 60 years. Clusters of from 5 to 6 of these villages center around water holes or wells, and each cluster is referred to as a "canton" or "district." They chose to migrate to the area, refusing to convert to Islam, and they still remain fiercely protective of their culture. This page was last edited on 16 February 2023, at 14:24. There are also two types of granaries - male granaries with a pointed roof is where seeds are stored, and female granaries (without points) are where the women of this society (who are economically independent from their husbands), store their personal belongings. The Kanaga masqueraders, at one point, dance and sit next to the bundkamba, which represents the deceased. Wood, covered with sacrifical materials, Seated Couple, Dogon, Mali. Demography. However, even in polygynous marriages, it is rare for a man to have more than two wives. 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. In addition to agriculture, the women gather wild fruits, tubers, nuts, and honey in the bush outside of village borders. 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). The dama consists of an event, known as the Halic, that is held immediately after the death of a person and lasts for one day (Davis, 68). 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. 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. Another 10% practices Christianity. Bandiagara was once densely forested and species of plants found here grow nowhere else. ); Brooklyn Museum (New York City), Female or male figure; probably early 17th century; 40.0 x 7.3 x 7.8cm (1534 x 2 7/8 x 3 in. "[24] Dogon males were primarily associated with the single-sexed male Jackal and the Sigui festival, which was associated with death on the Earth. It is generally accepted that the Dogon language belongs to the NigerCongo language family, though the evidence is weak. Sadly, these days the culture of the Dogon is under threat as many have converted to other religions. [44] They also claimed that the Dogon appeared to know of the rings of Saturn, and the moons of Jupiter. Social Control. 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. He is responsible for the creation of three other subordinate beings, the worship of which is the basis of several totemic cults. Paulme, Denise (1940). Social Organization. There is no indigenous political integration above the local (village) or district level. The Dogon use this entertainment to earn income by charging tourists money for the masks they want to see and for the ritual itself (Davis, 68). The birth of human twins was celebrated in the Dogon culture in Griaule's day because it recalled the "fabulous past, when all beings came into existence in twos, symbols of the balance between humans and the divine". WebDogon or Tellem peoples (?) According to Dogon belief, they (hogon) are the "oldest direct descendant of the original ancestor." [19] What makes the record so important from a historical perspective is that the Dogon people were still living in their oral culture at the time their religion was recorded. Biographies - Hogon | African Religious Leader | Britannica Each village celebrates for around a year before the 'sigi' moves to the next village. Political Organization. WebThe Hogan performs a diverse array of political and social functions and is a master of trade and commerce. Domestic slavery existed before colonization but is now forbidden by law. Between 2010-2012 I worked in the Limerick City Archives. ." 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. Each Dogon village may differ in the designs of the masks used in the dama ritual. Houses are built extremely close together, many times sharing walls and floors. 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. Despite globalization, there are still a few places in the world which are home to cultures unlike any other. Marriage. 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. https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/dogon, Beierle, John "Dogon The Awa is a masked dance society that holds ritual and social importance. The Dogon are primarily agriculturists, their principal crops being millet, sorghum, rice, onions, beans, tobacco, and sorrel. 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). In comparison with the neighboring Fulani, animal husbandry is relatively unimportant. Because the word sewa is so commonly repeated throughout a Dogon village, neighboring peoples have dubbed the Dogon the sewa people. 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. Was this German silver mine really defended by two Roman forts and a line of "spike defenses? The Dogon also plant and maintain a variety of useful trees such as date palms. The idea has entered the New Age and ancient astronaut literature as evidence that extraterrestrial aliens visited Mali in the distant past. The newly circumcised youths, now considered young men, walk around naked for a month after the procedure so that their achievement in age can be admired by the tribe. "[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". Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. They were one of the last people in West Africa to lose their independence and come under French rule.[18]. 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]. Monogamy is the major form of marriage, although nonsororal polygyny with a limit of two wives is permitted. The curvilinear design and the accompanying child suggest a female. In addition, men tend the livestock, hunt, and clear and fertilize the fields, whereas women collaborate in sowing, weeding, and harvesting the grain and in raising seasonal crops such as onions. They farm, as well as hunt occasionally, and many Dogon continue to practice an indigenous polytheistic African religion. It has a strict code of etiquette, obligations, interdicts, and a secret language (sigi so). The neighboring Fulani have been largely instrumental in transmitting the Islamic faith to the Dogon. Unfortunately, the majority of these animistic spiritual practices tend to disappear with the younger generations and the widespread adoption of Islam. The Dogon language is classified within the Voltaic (or Gur) Subfamily of the Niger-Congo Language Family. Another minority practices Christianity. & E.I.K. Durieux-Boon (2004). [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. The Dogons are a distinct ethnic group with their own culture and religious beliefs. ETHNONYM: Panjabi 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. In 1912 a school was established for them in Sanga, followed by a Christian mission in the 1930s, and later a medical dispensary. Kado), a Fulbe word meaning "stranger" or "pagan.". Division of Labor. After initiation, he wears a red cap, and a pearl bracelet. Markets are held every four or five days in areas well removed from the villages. Masques dogons. 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 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. 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. Dogon society is organized by a patrilineal kinship system. [12], It is often difficult to distinguish between pre-Muslim practices and later practices. Beierle, John "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. [2] They speak the Dogon languages, which are considered to constitute an independent branch of the NigerCongo language family, meaning that they are not closely related to any other languages. [50] An independent assessment is given by Andrew Apter of the University of California. Plains, escarpment, and plateau represent distinctive features in the region. 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. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Then the Dogon who has entered the contact repeats the ritual, asking the resident how his or her whole family is. 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. Formally, wives join their husband's household only after the birth of their first child. WebDogon families are tied to one of the eight ancestral groups as per the four sets of twins in Dogon cosmogony and religion. [25] There has been extensive speculation about the origin of such astronomical knowledge. After initiation, the Hogon wears a red fez. [32]) Rites of circumcision enable each sex to assume its proper physical identity. "[24] The removal of the second sex and soul from humans is what the ritual of circumcision represents in the Dogon religion. "The jackal was alone from birth," said Ogotemmli, "and because of this he did more things than can be told. Since the late 20th century, the Dogon have developed peaceful trading relationships with other societies and have thereby increased variety in their diets. Universit de Paris, Travaux et Mmoires de l'Institut d'Ethnologie, 33. 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. Hogon live alone and should be celibat In 1995, gravitational studies indeed showed the possible presence of a brown dwarf star orbiting around Sirius (a Sirius-C) with a six-year orbital period. 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). Marriages are endogamous in that the people are limited to marry only persons within their clan and within their caste.[29]. 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. [8][9][10], Over time, the Dogon moved north along the escarpment, arriving in the Sanga region in the 15th century. Dieterlen, G., 1955. Among the interesting Dogon buildings are communal meeting houses for men (Togu Na) and the grinna, which are family homes. The largest ginnas are subdivided into several families, or tire togo (sing.). Blood alliances frequently were contracted between the Dogon and other groups such as the Bozo. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. In traditional Dogon society, land was transmitted within the family group (ginna, or lineage), and was considered inalienable property. The hogon is always a man. [28] Today, a significant minority of the Dogon practice Islam. Location. Each village is composed of one main lineage (occasionally, multiple lineages make up a single village) traced through the male line. Or, were the Romans protecting something even more valuable than silver? Another indication of this is the subjectobjectverb basic word order, which Dogon shares with such early NigerCongo branches as Ijoid and Mande. Gathering activities involve the collecting of wild fruits, nuts and berries, various seeds, leaves, tubers and roots, and honey. 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. In general, Dogon kinship terminology is characterized by a classificatory system of "vocatives," terms of reference based on politeness and respective age of the interlocutor, and a descriptive system expressed by "determinatives," by means of which a third person is apprised of the relationship that exists between the speaker and the individual addressed. [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. Descended from the founding ancestor Dyon, the hogon 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 Iraqi city of Erbil is truly magnificent - and in many ways. [12] See also [ edit] Pangool Mand creation myth Samay (mythology) Zin (water spirits) Traditional African religion portal Mali portal References [ edit] This was to prevent a being like the Jackal from ever being born on Earth again. Every Dogon village or clan has its own totem. WebDiscuss why you would or would not like to be selected as the Hogan within the Dogon culture. 1000-1500 AD, Dogon Sculpture, Mali. Afterwards, the boys stay for a few days in a hut separated from the rest of the village people, until the wounds have healed. Amsterdam: Time-Life Books B.V. It is obvious to any astronomer that some of the brightest objects in the night sky are the planets. Another example is the custom of elaborate greetings whenever one Dogon meets another. One relates to their coming from Mande, located to the southwest of the Bandiagara escarpment near Bamako. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Paris: ditions Domat-Montchrestien, F. Loviton. [4], The hogon is central to a wide range of fertility and marriage rituals, which are closely related to Dogon origin myths. ." Man in Peru Caught Out Drinking With an 800-year-old Mummy! The spread of Islam throughout Africa has brought about some degree of change in the basic religious orientation of the Dogon. Les dogon. "The dual soul is a danger; a man should be male, and a woman female. Grain is stored in granaries. Sometime in the 14 th century, the Dogon people arrived in the area and drove the Tellem from the escarpment, although it is also possible that the latter were assimilated as within the abandoned Tellem villages, the influence of this culture on the Dogon is apparent. These are two story building with separate areas for men and women. Identification. Dogon sculptures are not made to be seen publicly, and are commonly hidden from the public eye within the houses of families, sanctuaries, or kept with the Hogon (Laude, 20). Members of these castes are physically separate from the rest of the village and live either at the village edge or outside of it entirely. In the past the Dogon were considered a warlike people; they often fought with other Dogon districts as well as with their non-Dogon neighbors such as the Fulani. 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. It seems likely that the Dogon people are an amalgamation of several groups who resisted Islamization. But after this generation, human beings were usually born single. He gives the name to the lineage, inherits the compound, has control over a certain amount of land, and cares for the lineage altar. Dogon art consists primarily of sculptures. Such jihads caused the Dogon to abandon their original villages and moved up to the cliffs of Bandiagara for better defense and to escape persecutionoften building their dwellings in little nooks and crannies.[15][17]. There are over 200 Dogon villages across the escarpment and each village has a democratically elected headman (Hogon), who is also their spiritual leader. Updates? 15th19th century. [41] They reported that the Dogon believe that the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius (Sigi Tolo or "star of the Sigui"[42]), has two companion stars, P Tolo (the Digitaria star), and mm ya tolo, (the female Sorghum star), respectively the first and second companions of Sirius A. Boys are circumcised in age groups of three years, counting for example all boys between 9 and 12 years old. They have been linked to the Mande subfamily but also to Gur. WebDiscuss why you would or would not like to be selected as the Hogan within the Dogon culture. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. [15] These jihadic expeditions formed themselves to force the Dogon to abandon their traditional religious beliefs for Islam. Dogon damas include the use of many masks, which they wore by securing them in their teeth, and statuettes. ", "Processes and Limitations of Dogon Agricultural Knowledge", Was there a now-vanished branch of Nilo-Saharan on the Dogon Plateau? Masked Dancers of West Africa: The Dogon. [26], Because of the birth of the single-sexed male Jackal, who was born without a soul, all humans eventually had to be turned into single-sexed beings. Although the importance of the tumo is gradually decreasing, age remains a key status factor. 23 Feb. 2023
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hogon within the dogon culture