THE DOGON PEOPLE OF MALI (ANCIENT COSMOLOGIST AND THEIR TRADITION)
Living in the rocky cliffs and barren land of the Dogon country, Mali, the Dogon are one of Africa’s most mysterious and culturally rich tribes.
The Dogon people are world famous for their complicated cosmological beliefs, highly elaborate burial ceremonies, and small wooden masks.
These traditions are rooted through years, perhaps generations, and touch on topics such as nature, spirits of the ancestors, the cosmos.
The people’s traditions and beliefs still remain preserved and this gives a viewer an insight of one of the most fascinating societies of human civilization, The Dogon people.
Geography and History of Dogon Alias ‘Yabangi’ of West Africa.
Dogon live in the Bandiagara landscape which is a world heritage site of cliff and valley in central Mali. It is a physically blessed area, and has indeed been home to the Dogon people for more than a millennium.
It goes down into folklores that the Dogon moved to the region around the 14th century in a bid to flee persecution by Islamic empires that were bounding West Africa at that time.
These cliffs were of great benefits to the Dogon community in that they afforded them natural defense against invaders and enabled them to keep the essence of their culture and religion relative.
With their dwellings constructed of mud-brick, often located on vertical cliffs with the inhabitants’ combs built of stones and rocks, these ANTH are architectural enigmas and victory landmarks.
The Complicated Structure of Dogon World View
Dogon people are perhaps one of the most interesting societies in the whole world as far as their cosmology is concerned.
At the core of their beliefs system is the worship of Amma, a divine being whom they believe created the world and Nommo, the aquatic, dual birthed, star beings whom the Songhay regard as the first creators of humanity and as mediators between the creator deity and the people.
The Dogon have substantial knowledge of astronomy particularly details about Sirius, a star system that is 8.6 light years from earth.
According to Dogon folklore, Sirius is said to be composed of two stars rotated around each other; this cosmological fact effectively fits the current science due to the fact that the Dogon did not have any telescopes or any type of instrumentation.
Based on such wisdom and truths, people started asking how the Dogon people had come across such prestigious knowledge in astronomy. Some researchers say this information was handed down by word of mouth, while other sources say that there may be much more plausible theories like for example based on extraterrestrial contact.
In any case, what is impressive about the Dogon is their cosmogony and proves they are interested in the world and trying to explain natural phenomena in the spiritual realm.
The masked dances and funeral ceremonies of their culture.
The Dogon people are well known with the dramatic mask dances since the performances represent the major function of the Dogon culture as a whole and their belief system.
These dances are pivotal to their dama, which is a funeral to people’s dead comrades and being passed on to guide them to the underworld.
Both of the ceremonies contain the main aspects of display of masked dancers, music and inclusive involvement among the people.
The ones commonly associated with the people performing these rituals are the kanaga, sirige and satimbe masks, to mention only a few.
Ideationally each of the masks depict unique animals, spirits of ancestors or cosmic powers and the whole layout is a reflection of Dogon cosmological postulations. For example, the Kanaga Mask in Gola, with symmetrical cross-like visualization dually represents the terrestrial plane and other world.
The funeral dances with the beats from the drums and chanting are fascinating and assure stability of Dogon tradition among its people.
The Cliff-Side Villages, Architecture and Lifestyle
Dogon cliff-side dwelling constructed are some of the finest structures that have been built to serve both a practical and ritualistic purpose. Houses and stables are made of mud bricks wood and straw together with some other materials are built according to the terrains of the region.
The conical, thatched grain stores forming part of each Dogon community are granaries in which millet and other crops are stored for the resident population of subsistence farmers.
but also are religious shrines. In many cases the caves or rock shelters they use are graves, which contain elaborate carvings and paintings dedicated to the deceased to keep the memory of the Dogon people alive.
The cliffs feature also enclose secret ceremonies, specific to the cult, which members of the general population do not have access to.
Custodians of the Tradition in the Age of Development
The change that has befallen the Dogon people of Mali in the past few decades include; effects of climate change, political insecurity and globalisation.
Water scarce environment, mainly through droughts and land degradation is another factor as their traditional farming practice has been interfered by conflicts in Mali.
In the similarly, social tourism as one of the main sources of the community revenue base has been a susceptible sector because of the security threats issues; moreover affects the social economic capacity of the community.
Nevertheless the Dogon still hold on to their cultural values proven by previous researches that express they see themselves as enemies of other ethnic groups.
Measures to record and popularize their customs, national and globally, have been taken, so the next generations and members of the community can move forward and develop.
The San people and their partners – archaeologists, anthropologists, and conservationists – strive to preserve the Bandiagara Escarpment and its cultural artifacts.
The Dogon’s Enduring Legacy
The Dogon people embody prehistoric lineage, sophisticated culture, and reverence for spirituality as well as a sustainable lifestyle. Beauty of their cosmology, aesthetic forms and their spirited life has a lots to say about the cultural and spiritual profile of human beings.
The dogon people are therefore memorable as protectors of this world that interconnects the worldly with the divine.
They remain living symbols of true heroism global oneness, and substantiate the need to retain their uniqueness in their tradition amidst the escalating pace of globalization.
Therefore Malian Dogon constitute one of the most remarkable example of people with rich culture and spiritual knowledge.
As much as how they build their homes, in terms of cosmology and architectural brilliance, the Dogon are revealing a very rich doctrine of how the human being could live fully and in harmony with nature and at the same time be spiritually and socially connected.
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