hogon within the dogon culture

The Dogon are best identified for their religious traditions, the mask dances, wooden Given the centrality of ancestor worship in Dogon society, practices associated with deathnamely, the initial funerary rites and the dama, or final lifting of mourningachieve great importance in ceremonial life. Each Dogon village, or enlarged family, is headed by one male elder. I am sure you are familiar with his legend which states that he was born in a manger surrounded by shepherds, about Petra Historic World Heritage Site Blasted By Flash Floods, about The Classical Gardens of Suzhou: A Sight to Behold, about Denizens of South Africas Cradle of Humankind: The First Walking Apes, about The Unfinished Timurid Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, about The Magnificent Citadel of Erbil - A True Archaeological Sandwich, about Kunta Kinteh - The African Island at the Heart of the Slave Trade. This page was last edited on 16 February 2023, at 14:24. 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The Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi is a monument in Turkestan, a city in southern Kazakhstan. Ciarcia, Gaetano "Dogons et Dogon. [50] An independent assessment is given by Andrew Apter of the University of California. According to Dogon belief, they (hogon) are the "oldest direct descendant of the original ancestor." van Beek (text) (2001). Another indication of this is the subjectobjectverb basic word order, which Dogon shares with such early NigerCongo branches as Ijoid and Mande. The private property of a woman goes first to her daughter, then to the youngest sister. There are three principal This enigmatic figure is an ancestor figure from the Dogon people of Mali. Each caste is endogamous, and members do not take part in any of the common religious cults. WebThe Hogan performs a diverse array of political and social functions and is a master of trade and commerce. Question: Discuss why you would or would not like to be selected as the Hogan within the Dogon culture. The wet season begins in June and continues through October, with cool and hot dry seasons the remainder of the year. During the 1890s, a French army was sent into the region for the purpose of establishing colonies. Dogon damas include the use of many masks, which they wore by securing them in their teeth, and statuettes. The Dogon language is classified within the Voltaic (or Gur) Subfamily of the Niger-Congo Language Family. Damas that are still performed today are not usually performed for their original intent, but instead are performed for tourists interested in the Dogon way of life. WebDogon Female Ancestor Sculpture. Kin Groups and Descent. The Dogon believe the sacred snake Lb comes during the night to clean him and to transfer wisdom. Wood and metal and more. . The increase in the number of visitors to the area in recent years has done wonders for tourism, but has sadly damaged the environment and this special cultural landscape. A hogon is a spiritual leader in a Dogon village who plays an important role in Dogon religion. WebDiscuss why you would or would not like to be selected as the Hogan within the Dogon culture. Dogon lineage is patrilineal, meaning 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. The blacksmith performs the circumcision. Two of the most specialized craftsleather- and ironworkingare restricted exclusively to members of a craft caste. Another 10% practices Christianity. 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 Some young men will hunt for small game, but wild animals are relatively scarce near villages. 150,000-Year-Old Pipes Baffle Scientists in China: Out of Place in Time? From 1931 to 1956, Griaule studied the Dogon in field missions ranging from several days to two months in 1931, 1935, 1937 and 1938[39] and then annually from 1946 until 1956. Craft skills are well developed among the Dogon, especially the making of pottery and baskets, weaving, wood carving, and leather- and ironworking. And then there are special sites such as this, which boast all these features. 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. 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. According to this oral tradition, the first Dogon settlement was established in the extreme southwest of the escarpment at Kani-Na. The first wife, or ya biru, holds a higher position in the family relative to any wives from later marriages. 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 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 Dogon primarily sell agricultural commodities: onions, grain, cotton, and tobacco. Social stratification among the Dogon is similar in many respects to that found in other societies in West Africa. There are twelve categories of disease considered treatable, each with its own specific healer who has special knowledge of the specific plant that will bring about a cure. [28] Today, a significant minority of the Dogon practice Islam. Conflict. [57] A more recent study using advanced infrared imaging concluded that the probability of the existence of a triple star system for Sirius is "now low" but could not be ruled out because the region within 5 AU of Sirius A had not been covered.[58]. Ancient Chinese Earthquake Detector Invented 2,000 Years Ago Really Worked! Each large district has a hogon, or spiritual leader, and there is a supreme hogon for the whole country. Other crops include sesame, maize, 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. 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. . [11] Other oral histories place the origin of the Dogon to the west beyond the river Niger, or tell of the Dogon coming from the east. Social Organization. Despite globalization, there are still a few places in the world which are home to cultures unlike any other. Davis, Shawn R. Dogon Funerals in African Art; Summer 2002, Vol. Photographs of masked dancers, first taken in 1907, as well as examples of native art work, soon made their way into Europe and the United States, catching the interest and curiosity of the Western world. [citation needed][why?] Linguistic Affiliation. A secret language known as sigi so is used by members of the men's society (awa ) in connection with religious rites. [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. [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. 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. 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]. One relates to their coming from Mande, located to the southwest of the Bandiagara escarpment near Bamako. Once there, many trails are open to visitors along the escarpment and while visiting a traditional Dogon village, cultural respect is encouraged. Biographies - Hogon | African Religious Leader | Britannica After initiation, he wears a red cap, and a pearl bracelet. [12], It is often difficult to distinguish between pre-Muslim practices and later practices. The Dogon are primarily agriculturalists and cultivate millet, sorghum and rice, as well as onions, tobacco, peanuts, and some other vegetables. He wears white clothes and nobody is allowed to touch him. Because of his solitary state, the first son of God acted as he did. In Dogon thought, males and females are born with both sexual components. Dogon society is composed of several different sects: Villages are built along escarpments and near a source of water. Due to the expense, the second traditional funeral rituals, or "damas", are becoming very rare. Another minority practices Christianity. "The dual soul is a danger; a man should be male, and a woman female. The Cliff of Bandiagara (or Land of the Dogons) in Mali is an outstanding landscape and has earthen architecture that seems to defy the laws of nature and the passing of time. Articulo-Journal of Urban Research, (4), Available at: https://journals.openedition.org/articulo/417, My name is Edward Whelan and I graduated with a PhD in history in 2008. Those who follow this spiritual path believe in one Supreme Creator, Amma (or Ama [9] ), [10] the omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent Creator. Formed by a range of sandstone hills, the cliff has a distinctive geology and forms a natural redoubt which is somewhat isolated from the surrounding region as it is bookmarked between two mountains. This marks the end of their youth, and they are initiated. Explanation. 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. This custom is repeated over and over, throughout a Dogon village, all day. A men's society, frequently referred to as the "awa," or masked-dance society, is characterized by a strict code of etiquette, obligations, interdicts, and a secret language (sigi so). Of the many fascinating fossil sites in Africa, an important one is the Cradle of Humankind outside of Johannesburg, South Africa. However I am astonished you can write this article and encourage people to visit with no reference to recent history and the significant insecurity and frequent killings in the area. [5], The hogon may conduct rituals in the Sanctuaire de Binou, a special building the door of which is blocked with rocks. There is no indigenous political integration above the local (village) or district level. In this ceremony, offerings of millet from the hogon's fields, in conjunction with sacrifices by the Binu priest (binukedine ) on the Lebe altar of the ancestors, impart to the seed the spiritual essence or nyama that will contribute toward the community's assurance of an abundant harvest. The 'Awa' is characterized by the intricate masks worn by members during rituals. When a woman leaves her husband, she takes with her only the youngest childthe remaining children stay with the husband's family. During this time, new masks are carved and dedicated to their ancestors. Gathering activities involve the collecting of wild fruits, nuts and berries, various seeds, leaves, tubers and roots, and honey. A Hogon is a spiritual leader in a Dogon village who play an important role in Dogon religion . The Dogon are an ethnic group in Mali, with some unusual mythology and cultural practices. [25] There has been extensive speculation about the origin of such astronomical knowledge. Work activities are clearly differentiated. 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. [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. Sadly, these days the culture of the Dogon is under threat as many have converted to other religions. They purchase sugar, salt, European merchandise, and many animal products, such as milk, butter, and dried fish. Paris: Institut d'Ethnologie. Dogon art revolves around religious values, ideals, and freedoms (Laude, 19). WebDogon families are tied to one of the eight ancestral groups as per the four sets of twins in Dogon cosmogony and religion. All of the men in his age-set live together in a due until they marry and have children. Also effective as means of inducing conformity are ridicule and threats of supernatural sanction. Their eyes were red, their tongues forked, and their arms flexible and unjointed.[21]. The degree of complexity of the ceremonies depends upon the age and status of the deceased male. I have lived nearby and visited Dogon country. ." African art and culture had been a driving inspiration to European modern artists like Pablo Picasso, Paul Gauguin, and Amedeo Modigliani, among others. [3], The Dogon are best known for their religious traditions, their mask dances, wooden sculpture, and their architecture. 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. This chief head is the oldest living son of the ancestor of the local branch of the family. Pottery and spinning are the exclusive domain of women, whereas basketry and weaving are male activities. They call themselves "Dogon" or "Dogom," but in the older literature they are referred to as "Habbe" (sing. Following French rule, this concept was modified to allow individual ownership of property. Circumcision is believed to eliminate the superfluous one. Monogamy is the major form of marriage, although nonsororal polygyny with a limit of two wives is permitted. Pern, Stephen (1982). Dogon insecurity in the face of these historical pressures caused them to locate their villages in defensible positions along the walls of the escarpment. Palau Marti, Montserrat (1957). Universit de Paris, Travaux et Mmoires de l'Institut d'Ethnologie, 33. He is elected from among the oldest men of the dominant lineage of the village. Expert Answer Introduction. Heaven on Earth? Markets are held every four or five days in areas well removed from the villages. The leather-workers engage in significant trade with other ethnic groups and accumulate wealth. 'We have in the Dogon information a predictive mechanism which it is our duty to test, regardless of our preconceptions.' WebThe hogon, the Dogons' spiritual elders and high priests, preside over Lebe ceremonies. Unfortunately, the majority of these animistic spiritual practices tend to disappear with the younger generations and the widespread adoption of Islam. Griaule, Marcel (1938). Houses are built extremely close together, many times sharing walls and floors. [40] In late 1946, Griaule spent a consecutive 33 days in conversations with the Dogon wiseman Ogotemmeli, the source of much of Griaule and Germaine Dieterlen's future publications. Paulme, Denise (1940). Beierle, John "Dogon WebThe Dogon are ethnic group from the Central plateau region of Mali, located in West Africa. Afterwards, the boys stay for a few days in a hut separated from the rest of the village people, until the wounds have healed. Morton, Robert (ed.) Since the twentieth century, there have been significant changes in the social organisation, material culture and beliefs of the Dogon, in part because Dogon country is one of Mali's major tourist attractions. The Hogon is the spiritual and political leader of the village. Often the buildings are so close to one another that the floors of some houses begin where the roofs of adjacent ones end. 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. As Greek mythology goes, the universe was once a big soup of nothingness. Themes found throughout Dogon sculpture consist of figures with raised arms, superimposed bearded figures, horsemen, stools with caryatids, women with children, figures covering their faces, women grinding pearl millet, women bearing vessels on their heads, donkeys bearing cups, musicians, dogs, quadruped-shaped troughs or benches, figures bending from the waist, mirror-images, aproned figures, and standing figures (Laude, 4652). Descended from the founding ancestor Dyon, the hogon [44] They also claimed that the Dogon appeared to know of the rings of Saturn, and the moons of Jupiter. The circumcision is celebrated and the initiated boys go around and receive presents. All initiated Dogon men participate in Awa, with the exception of some caste members. The appealing factor lies in many raw, visual, fetishized pursuits and compelling cultural narratives. The Dogon attribute illness to a variety of causes, such as the weakening of the vital life force (nyama), the creation of a state of impurity in the individual through the influences of evil spirits, violation of a taboo or prohibition, and sorcery. The term "Punjabi" signifies both an inhabitant of the Punjab and a speaker of the predominant Language, Wolof Ogotemmeli taught Griaule the religious stories in the same way that Ogotemmeli had learned them from his father and grandfather; oral instruction which he had learned over the course of more than twenty years. In the shadowy world of ancient warfare, one weapon stood out as a true marvel: Greek fire. Kado), a Fulbe word meaning "stranger" or "pagan.". 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. According to Shawn R. Davis, this particular ritual incorporates the elements of the yingim and the danyim. Funerals for women, who are generally excluded from awa membership, are simple, with little if any ceremony. 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"). WebStudy with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like Sculpture Tellem, Mali. The key spiritual figures in the religion were the Nummo/Nommo twins.

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