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. 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. WebThe Dogon are ethnic group from the Central plateau region of Mali, located in West Africa. "[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. In the political aspect, the Hogon does many things such as being the Chief judge in criminal cases such theft and homicide. Divorce is not uncommon; it occurs most often in polygynous households. Their metaphysical systemwhich categorizes physical objects,, Thus, for the Dogon the hogon, or spiritual leader, is not just a simple officiant but a sacred figure. Orientation 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. Dogon lineage is patrilineal, meaning Two of the most specialized craftsleather- and ironworkingare restricted exclusively to members of a craft caste. Industrial Arts. Whether on the high plateau, the cliff-faces, or on the plain, the Dogon have exploited all the elements available to build their villages that reflect their ingenuity and their philosophy of life and death. In certain cultural areas, the Dogon villages comprise numerous granaries, for the most part square with a thatched tapering roof. Although Temple fails to prove its antiquity, the evidence for the recent acquisition of the information is still entirely circumstantial. [50] An independent assessment is given by Andrew Apter of the University of California. 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. [28] Today, a significant minority of the Dogon practice Islam. Dogon has been frequently referred to as a single language. This theme was fundamental to the Dogon religion. The smiths have important ritual powers and are characteristically poor. As Greek mythology goes, the universe was once a big soup of nothingness. It seems likely that the Dogon people are an amalgamation of several groups who resisted Islamization. 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. The great annual Feast of Sowing (bulu ) begins in April or May, prior to the beginning of the rainy season, in all the villages of the region. Current Anthropology, Vol. Griaule, Marcel (1938). Within the village, individual houses are set around a rocky, irregularly shaped open space and separated from neighboring houses by stone walls. The first wife, or ya biru, holds a higher position in the family relative to any wives from later marriages. These events are held annually to honor the elders who have died since the last Dama. ." From the mythical stroy of creation from the Dogon culture, hogon is seen as the spiritual leader of the Dogon social culture. 1000-1500 AD, Dogon Sculpture, Mali. The Dogon are primarily agriculturalists and cultivate millet, sorghum and rice, as well as onions, tobacco, peanuts, and some other vegetables. [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. The Dogon are a group of about 250,000 people who live primarily in the districts of Bandiagara and Douentza in the western African nation of Mali. 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"). https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/dogon, Beierle, John "Dogon Amsterdam: Time-Life Books B.V. "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. 5 (December 1991), pp. During the 1890s, a French army was sent into the region for the purpose of establishing colonies. Elaborate ceremonial stools of this kind were owned by the hogon, the supreme religious and political leader in each 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]. It has a strict code of etiquette, obligations, interdicts, and a secret language (sigi so). "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. 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. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. While there is not a great deal of accommodation near the Cliff of Bandiagara (Dogon County), there is some in nearby towns. Craft specialization is determined by gender and caste. ); 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. Domestic Unit. 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. A new 'sigi' is started every 60 years. Houses are built extremely close together, many times sharing walls and floors. Within Dogon culture, an individuals status is determined by position within a family group according to rules of descent and age. The Dogon are Ogotemmli classified the Nummo as hermaphrodites. All agree, however, that they learned about the star from Griaule. 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 ). [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. 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. Boys are circumcised in age groups of three years, counting for example all boys between 9 and 12 years old. The Hogon has to live alone in his house. (2008). Translation of 5,500-Year-Old Babel Text from China Reveals Oldest Known Map of Inner Solar System, The Gristhorpe Man: A Bronze Age Skeleton with a Story to Tell, 3: The Perfect Number - Trinity Symbolism in World Religious Traditions, Evidence that Noahs Ark Landed on a Mountain 17 Miles South of Ararat, The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts, The Truth Behind the Christ Myth: Ancient Origins of the Often Used Legend Part I, Library in Stone: The Ica Stones of Professor Cabrera Part I, Two Sides to Every Story: The North American Martyrs Shrines and Indigenous/ Roman Catholic Relations, The Origins of the Faeries: Encoded in our Cultures Part I, Curse of the Buried Pearl: The Hunt for Ancient Treasures Part I, The Enigma of the Shugborough Inscription, The Dogons Extraordinary Knowledge of the Cosmos and the Cult of Nommo, Those Who Once Reigned: Experts Name Famous and Forgotten Ancient Gods, The Legend of How Mansa Abu Bakr II of Mali Gave up the Throne to Explore the Atlantic Ocean, https://www.africabib.org/rec.php?RID=084681896, https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/africa/article/dogon-cultureprofane-and-arcane/47CD44EC412C57D64B141529BD52F19B, https://journals.openedition.org/articulo/417, Petra Historic World Heritage Site Blasted By Flash Floods, The Classical Gardens of Suzhou: A Sight to Behold, Denizens of South Africas Cradle of Humankind: The First Walking Apes, The Unfinished Timurid Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, The Magnificent Citadel of Erbil - A True Archaeological Sandwich, Kunta Kinteh - The African Island at the Heart of the Slave Trade. One relates to their coming from Mande, located to the southwest of the Bandiagara escarpment near Bamako. 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. At present I am a Read More. The first occurs immediately after the death of a person, and the second can occur years after the death. Political Organization. Each Dogon village, or enlarged family, is headed by one male elder. Land Tenure. Above the lineage is the much larger kin group called the clan, from which the various lineages emerge. [citation needed][why?] Their bodies are treated [citation needed] The selection of a wife is carried out by the man's parents. The Dogon are best identified for their religious traditions, the mask dances, wooden The orbit cycle takes 50 years. 150,000-Year-Old Pipes Baffle Scientists in China: Out of Place in Time? However, the date of retrieval is often important. Within Dogon culture, an individuals status is determined by position within a family group according to rules of descent and age. Dogon society is organized by a patrilineal kinship system. Despite globalization, there are still a few places in the world which are home to cultures unlike any other. A younger brother is first in line to inherit all collective property, followed by the eldest son. Linguistic Affiliation. Are the Misty Peaks of the Azores Remnants of the Legendary Atlantis? 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]. 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. Circumcision and excision are once again the remedy."[27]. After his election, he has to follow a six-month initiation period, during which he is not allowed to shave or wash. Dogon insecurity in the face of these historical pressures caused them to locate their villages in defensible positions along the walls of the escarpment. Descended from the founding ancestor Dyon, the hogon The Dogon live in compact, occasionally walled villages built up the sides of the escarpment. [20] The religion embraced many aspects of nature which are found in other traditional African religions. In addition to agriculture, the women gather wild fruits, tubers, nuts, and honey in the bush outside of village borders. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. Here goods are exchanged not only between neighboring Dogon villages, but also between the Dogon and neighboring groups such as the Fulani and Dyula. Another indication of this is the subjectobjectverb basic word order, which Dogon shares with such early NigerCongo branches as Ijoid and Mande. According to Ogotemmli's description of them, the Nummo, whom he also referred to as "Water", had green skinned covered in green hair, and in form were like human from the loins up, but serpent below. In a recent overview of the NigerCongo family, Dogon is treated as an independent branch.[3]. 575577, Index of African mythology and creation narratives, List of African deities and mythical figures, Traditional African religion and other religions, "Population dynamics and Paleoclimate over the past 3000 years in the Dogon Country, Mali", "Did the Dogon of Mali know about Sirius B? Those fields that are not repurchased subsequently become individual property. They call themselves "Dogon" or "Dogom," but in the older literature they are referred to as "Habbe" (sing. 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 . [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. Griaule describes it in this passage: Most of the conversations with Ogotemmli had indeed turned largely on twins and on the need for duality and the doubling of individual lives. They speak the Dogon languages, which are considered to constitute an independent branch of the Location. Unlike norms for the rest of society, parallel-cousin marriage is allowed within castes. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. 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 In traditional Dogon society, land was transmitted within the family group (ginna, or lineage), and was considered inalienable property. The degree of complexity of the ceremonies depends upon the age and status of the deceased male. However, the gender is deliberately ambiguous, and it may be intended to represent a nommo a mythological hermaphroditic ancestor. Inheritance. 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. We seek to retell the story of our beginnings. His saliva is the source of the life-giving humidity, and his foot must not touch the earth directly or the ground will dry up. After being chosen, a hogon must pass through several months without washing or shaving. Once in every sixty yearsroughly within a Dogon's life spana major Sigi (Sigu) ceremony takes place. How the Dogon Preserved Their Unique Culture Along The Cliff [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. The rest of society, parallel-cousin marriage is allowed within castes the southwest of Legendary... 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