Nearby is a cave where music instruments are stored. Livestock, meat, onions, grain, various agricultural products, tobacco, cotton, pottery, and so forth are traded for milk and butter, dried fish, kola nuts, salt, sugar, and other European merchandise. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. [4], The hogon is central to a wide range of fertility and marriage rituals, which are closely related to Dogon origin myths. Heaven on Earth? 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. After initiation, the Hogon wears a red fez. Religious Beliefs. This chief head is the oldest living son of the ancestor of the local branch of the family. Encyclopedia.com. [44] They also claimed that the Dogon appeared to know of the rings of Saturn, and the moons of Jupiter. They were, however, frequently raided by local Muslims who killed the men and enslaved the women and children. "[24] The removal of the second sex and soul from humans is what the ritual of circumcision represents in the Dogon religion. 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 . ); 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. [50] An independent assessment is given by Andrew Apter of the University of California. Once a boy is circumcised, he transitions into young adulthood and moves out of his father's house. 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Demography. After being chosen, a hogon must pass through several months without washing or shaving. [Editor's Note: In this article the established spellings of Kota words have been retained, al, ETHNONYMS: none It is advisable to hire a guide with a car as the area is remote. 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. 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. Industrial Arts. 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). Ritual dance of Dogon County (Gleeson, G / CC BY 2.0 ). It is obvious to any astronomer that some of the brightest objects in the night sky are the planets. Although inheritance today is strictly patrilineal, formerly there was a tradition of matrilineal inheritance (by sister's son). https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/dogon, Beierle, John "Dogon The Dogon are primarily agriculturalists and cultivate millet, sorghum and rice, as well as onions, tobacco, peanuts, and some other vegetables. Although the Dogon recognize the creator god Amma as the Supreme Being and address prayers and sacrifices to him, the core set of beliefs and practices focuses on ancestor worship. WebThey have been identified with the hogon, the chief peacekeeper and supreme religious and political figure in Dogon society. [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. 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. Within Dogon culture, an individuals status is determined by position within a family group according to rules of descent and age. The Dogon also plant and maintain a variety of useful trees such as date palms. [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). 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. Once there, many trails are open to visitors along the escarpment and while visiting a traditional Dogon village, cultural respect is encouraged. 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. 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. Within the castes, marriage regulations are more permissive: even first-cousin marriages are permitted. 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. In the shadowy world of ancient warfare, one weapon stood out as a true marvel: Greek fire. The Chilling Mystery of the Octavius Ghost Ship, What is a Wendigo? Organisation sociale des dogon (Soudan Franais). 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. Dogon religion and Dogon philosophy both expressed a haunting sense of the original loss of twin-ness. 5 (December 1991), pp. Since the late 20th century, the Dogon have developed peaceful trading relationships with other societies and have thereby increased variety in their diets. Encyclopedia of World Cultures. Masked Dancers of West Africa: The Dogon. [20] The religion embraced many aspects of nature which are found in other traditional African religions. The Dogon live in compact, occasionally walled villages built up the sides of the escarpment. 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. Afterwards, the boys stay for a few days in a hut separated from the rest of the village people, until the wounds have healed. . Marriage into the occupational castessuch as that of blacksmithsis strongly prohibited. 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 escarpment is rich in archaeological discoveries both from the Dogon and the earlier Tellem society. This led Mr. Temple to establish the theory that, according to Nommos, extraterrestrial inhabitants of Sirius travelled towards the earth at some point in the distant past, and one crossed to teach the old civilizations (the Egyptians and the Dogons) their In the political aspect, the Hogon does many things such as being the Chief judge in criminal cases such theft and homicide. However, even in polygynous marriages, it is rare for a man to have more than two wives. [15] These jihadic expeditions formed themselves to force the Dogon to abandon their traditional religious beliefs for Islam. 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. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. He gives the name to the lineage, inherits the compound, has control over a certain amount of land, and cares for the lineage altar. Elaborate ceremonial stools of this kind were owned by the hogon, the supreme religious and political leader in each Religious Practitioners. Inheritance. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. "[46], More recently, doubts have been raised about the validity of Griaule and Dieterlen's work. Kinship Terminology. He wears white clothes and nobody is allowed to touch him. Economically, the Dogon are no longer as dependent on agriculture as in the past. 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. WebThe Hogon must live alone in his house. There are two major events at which the Awa perform: the 'sigi' ritual and 'dama' funeral rituals.[35]. Minor regional dialectal differences exist. The first wife, or ya biru, holds a higher position in the family relative to any wives from later marriages. Work activities are clearly differentiated. Socialization. It is generally accepted that the Dogon language belongs to the NigerCongo language family, though the evidence is weak. "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 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. All agree, however, that they learned about the star from Griaule. This custom is repeated over and over, throughout a Dogon village, all day. Les dogon. 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