hogon within the dogon culturehogon within the dogon culture

Explanation. Pern, Stephen (1982). Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. Hogon live alone and should be celibat Starting in the northeastern part of Dogon territory, each village takes turns celebrating and hosting elaborate feasts, ceremonies, and festivities. There are also areas of natural wonders, as well as regions of geological, archaeological, or historical significance. [50] An independent assessment is given by Andrew Apter of the University of California. What is the origin of the legend of the Christed Son who was born of a virgin on December 25th? [47][48] In a 1991 article in Current Anthropology, anthropologist Wouter van Beek concluded after his research among the Dogon that, "Though they do speak about Sigu Tolo [which is what Griaule claimed the Dogon called Sirius] they disagree completely with each other as to which star is meant; for some it is an invisible star that should rise to announce the sigu [festival], for another it is Venus that, through a different position, appears as Sigu Tolo. The development of tourism in the Dogon Country and the Hombori Mountains (Mali) . These are two story building with separate areas for men and women. The circumcision is celebrated and the initiated boys go around and receive presents. 23 Feb. 2023 . [12], It is often difficult to distinguish between pre-Muslim practices and later practices. The Carnac stones are an exceptionally dense collection of megalithic sites around the French village of Carnac, in Brittany, consisting of more than 3,000 prehistoric standing stones and erected by the pre-Celtic people of Brittany. Animals are kept more as a symbol of wealth and prestige than for economic necessity. ); Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City). AtAncient Origins, we believe that one of the most important fields of knowledge we can pursue as human beings is our beginnings. Were theonlyPop Archaeology site combining scientific research with out-of-the-box perspectives. This practice has been passed down for generations and is always followed, even during winter. A virgin who has not yet had her period takes care of him, cleans his house, and prepares his meals. In a recent overview of the NigerCongo family, Dogon is treated as an independent branch.[3]. The Hogon is the spiritual and political leader of the village. 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. [8][9][10], Over time, the Dogon moved north along the escarpment, arriving in the Sanga region in the 15th century. The hogon is always a man. The leather-workers engage in significant trade with other ethnic groups and accumulate wealth. Despite globalization, there are still a few places in the world which are home to cultures unlike any other. This marks the end of their youth, and they are initiated. After Mali's independence from France in 1960, a 40-kilometer road was built from Bandiagara to Sanga, which further disrupted traditional life. [20] The religion embraced many aspects of nature which are found in other traditional African religions. The dominant form of vegetation on both plain and plateau is the sparse but regular forest of tall trees, which at close range gives the appearance of an immense orchard. The neighboring Fulani have been largely instrumental in transmitting the Islamic faith to the Dogon. Domestic Unit. There are two endogamous castes in Dogon society: the smiths and the leather-workers. ); from Mali, Figure of a kneeling woman; circa 1500; wood; height: 35.2cm (1378 in. The hogon is always a man. 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. Man in Peru Caught Out Drinking With an 800-year-old Mummy! The series of dances, which constitute a good part of the Sigi, lasts for seven years; one village after another takes its turn to entertain its neighbors with feasting, drinking, and displays of wealth. The vast majority of marriages are monogamous, but nonsororal polygynous marriages are allowed in the Dogon culture. Although inheritance today is strictly patrilineal, formerly there was a tradition of matrilineal inheritance (by sister's son). During this time, new masks are carved and dedicated to their ancestors. Unlike norms for the rest of society, parallel-cousin marriage is allowed within castes. [37] Women have no right to learn Sigui So. The horse, symbolizing power and wealth, is Corrections? Marriage. Encyclopedia of World Cultures. Land Tenure. Linguistic Affiliation. In 1912 a school was established for them in Sanga, followed by a Christian mission in the 1930s, and later a medical dispensary. Another indication of this is the subjectobjectverb basic word order, which Dogon shares with such early NigerCongo branches as Ijoid and Mande. 5 (December 1991), pp. [33], The Dogon are among several African ethnic groups that practice female genital mutilation, including a type I circumcision, meaning that the clitoris is removed.[34]. Omissions? The district headman is also head of his lineage and occupies the "great house" (ginna) of that kin group. Death and Afterlife. Once a boy is circumcised, he transitions into young adulthood and moves out of his father's house. The principal ceremonies center around agriculture and death. The appealing factor lies in many raw, visual, fetishized pursuits and compelling cultural narratives. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. 1000-1500 AD, Dogon Sculpture, Mali. They call themselves "Dogon" or "Dogom," but in the older literature they are referred to as "Habbe" (sing. Each Dogon village, or enlarged family, is headed by one male elder. Dogon village along the Bandiagara escarpment. Divorce is not uncommon; it occurs most often in polygynous households. Beierle, John "Dogon Another minority practices Christianity. 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. As Greek mythology goes, the universe was once a big soup of nothingness. Nearby is a cave where music instruments are stored. 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. Encyclopedia of World Cultures. Each large district has a hogon, or spiritual leader, and there is a supreme hogon for the whole country. Conflict. Among the Dogon, several oral traditions have been recorded as to their origin. Women may leave their husbands early in their marriage, before the birth of their first child. Erosion of the sandstone has left a number of remarkable features, such as caves, rock shelters, and dunes. [citation needed][why?] . Although some Dogon accepted the new regime, many strongly opposed and resisted it for many years. After being chosen, a hogon must pass through several months without washing or shaving. It is likely that the Dogon of today are descendants of several groups of diverse origin who migrated to escape Islamization. Craft skills are well developed among the Dogon, especially the making of pottery and baskets, weaving, wood carving, and leather- and ironworking. Other fauna include crocodiles (in the swampy areas on the plain), reptiles, monkeys, guenons, guinea hens, hyenas, foxes, panthers, rabbits, and small rodents. Each district had its own recognized war leaders. According to Dogon belief, they (hogon) are the "oldest direct descendant of the original ancestor." [24] (Originally, for the Dogon, man was endowed with a dual soul. [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. Between 2010-2012 I worked in the Limerick City Archives. 16-19th century. 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. 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. [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 early 1960s the Dogon population was 250,000more than a threefold increase over roughly a forty-year period from the census of 1921, which listed a population of 81,862. 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. A. 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." Then the Dogon who has entered the contact repeats the ritual, asking the resident how his or her whole family is. 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. ." 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. Inheritance. Each Dogon village, or enlarged family, is headed by one male elder. During the yincomoli ceremony, a gourd is smashed over the deceased's wooden bowl, hoe, and bundukamba (burial blanket). Dogon CultureProfane and Arcane . He wears white clothes and nobody is allowed to touch him. Descended from the founding ancestor Dyon, the hogon Marriage is proscribed between members of the same clan or with first or second cousins of different clans. 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. There are over 200 Dogon villages across the escarpment and each village has a democratically elected headman (Hogon), who is also their spiritual leader. The Dogon are best identified for their religious traditions, the mask dances, wooden 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. Such persons must submit to a number. The Dogon people with whom French anthropologists Griaule and Germaine Dieterlen worked during the 1930s and 1940s had a system of signs which ran into the thousands, including "their own systems of astronomy and calendrical measurements, methods of calculation and extensive anatomical and physiological knowledge, as well as a systematic pharmacopoeia". ETHNONYMS: Cohatur, Kohatur, Kotar, Koter, Kothur The principal domestic animals are sheep, goats, donkeys, dogs, chickens, guinea fowls, ducks, some cattle, a few horses, and cats. At this time, new masks are carved and dedicated to the ancestors. [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? The Iliad can provide new insights on the role of motherhood among the ancient Greek gods, and by extension, amongst ancient mortal Greek women themselves. About 10 percent of the Dogon are Christians. [13] As the growth of cities increased, the demand for slaves across the region of West Africa also increased. "The dual soul is a danger; a man should be male, and a woman female. 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. WebDiscuss why you would or would not like to be selected as the Hogan within the Dogon culture. [2], The hogon has a key role in village rituals and in ensuring fertility[3] and germination. Each isolated village or district (canton) in the region has a headman or chief (hogon) who has both religious and judicial responsibilities. The colour white was a symbol of males. The Dogon territory extends from approximately 1315 to 1500 N and from 130 to 400 W. The population is concentrated in some 300 villages along a 145-kilometer stretch of escarpment called the Cliffs of Bandiagara. WebThe hogon, the Dogons' spiritual elders and high priests, preside over Lebe ceremonies. WebDogon Female Ancestor Sculpture. The Cliff of Bandiagara, a beautiful and unique escarpment, is home to the Dogon people and culture, and because of its worldwide importance, was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1989. Similarly each village may have their own way of performing the dama rituals. 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