hogon within the dogon culture

This theme was fundamental to the Dogon religion. Similarly each village may have their own way of performing the dama rituals. The Hogon is the spiritual and political leader of the village. Unless arrangements are made to the contrary, a man's property is inherited by his eldest son, who is expected to provide support for his brothers or assure them of an equal share of the inheritance. [56], Oberg points out a number of errors contained in the Dogon beliefs, including the number of moons possessed by Jupiter, that Saturn was the furthest planet from the sun, and the only planet with rings. 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. [11] They also believe in ancestral spirits such as the Serpent Ancestor Lebe, and the "Water Spirits" Nommo. 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. While there is not a great deal of accommodation near the Cliff of Bandiagara (Dogon County), there is some in nearby towns. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Biographies - Hogon | African Religious Leader | Britannica He is in effect a priest (hogon ), who exercises ceremonial functions on behalf of the lineage, and, in conjunction with a council of elders, judicial functions as well. Paulme, Denise (1940). The Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi is a monument in Turkestan, a city in southern Kazakhstan. 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. Each Dogon village, or enlarged family, is headed by one male elder. Identification. . The principal domestic animals are sheep, goats, donkeys, dogs, chickens, guinea fowls, ducks, some cattle, a few horses, and cats. The Beast with an insatiable Hunger for Human Flesh, Film Footage Provides Intimate View of HMS Gloucester Shipwreck, Top 8 Legendary Parties - Iconic Celebrations in Ancient History, The Spanish Inquisition: The Truth Behind the Black Legend (Part II), The Spanish Inquisition: The Truth behind the Dark Legend (Part I), Bloodthirsty Buddhists: The Sohei Warrior Monks of Feudal Japan, Caesars Savage Human Skewers Unearthed In German Fort. Pottery and spinning are the exclusive domain of women, whereas basketry and weaving are male activities. In referring to relatives, linguistic usage distinguishes between the forms of address and the specific relationship. The fundamental unit of Dogon social organization is the patrilineage, or ginna. Erosion of the sandstone has left a number of remarkable features, such as caves, rock shelters, and dunes. 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Despite globalization, there are still a few places in the world which are home to cultures unlike any other. While the castes are correlated to profession, membership is determined by birth. Organisation sociale des dogon (Soudan Franais). Monogamy is the major form of marriage, although nonsororal polygyny with a limit of two wives is permitted. [Editor's Note: In this article the established spellings of Kota words have been retained, al, ETHNONYMS: none Although Temple fails to prove its antiquity, the evidence for the recent acquisition of the information is still entirely circumstantial. When a woman leaves her husband, she takes with her only the youngest childthe remaining children stay with the husband's family. In the 7th century AD, the Byzantine Empire harnessed the power of fire with the creation of Greek fire, a weapon of destruction unlike any before its time. In addition to agriculture, the women gather wild fruits, tubers, nuts, and honey in the bush outside of village borders. 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 . The masqueraders dance on the rooftops of the deceased's compound, throughout the village, and in the area of fields around the village (Davis, 68). In 1912 a school was established for them in Sanga, followed by a Christian mission in the 1930s, and later a medical dispensary. Kinship Terminology. These caste groups live apart from the general population. Also effective as means of inducing conformity are ridicule and threats of supernatural sanction. Every Dogon village or clan has its own totem. Dogon society is organized by a patrilineal kinship system. 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. 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? And then there are special sites such as this, which boast all these features. Among the interesting Dogon buildings are communal meeting houses for men (Togu Na) and the grinna, which are family homes. 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. All initiated Dogon men participate in Awa, with the exception of some caste members. 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. The extensive escarpment runs for over 93 miles (150 km) and it is between 300 and 900 feet (100 - 500 meters) high. The answer is sewa, which means that everything is fine. There are two endogamous castes in Dogon society: the smiths and the leather-workers. 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. The blind Dogon elder Ogotemmeli taught the main symbols of the Dogon religion to French anthropologist Marcel Griaule in October 1946. Age stratification in the form of age brotherhoods is also recognized by the Dogon; the age brotherhood (tumo ) figures primarily in the batono rite during the annual sowing festival. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). Boys are circumcised in age groups of three years, counting for example all boys between 9 and 12 years old. 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. The Iraqi city of Erbil is truly magnificent - and in many ways. Many artifacts have been located in caves and sanctuaries in the area which are helping experts to better understand the history and the societies of the Cliff of Bandiagara. 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. [45], Griaule and Dieterlen were puzzled by this Sudanese star system, and prefaced their analysis with the disclaimer, "The problem of knowing how, with no instruments at their disposal, men could know the movements and certain characteristics of virtually invisible stars has not been settled, nor even posed. Craft skills are well developed among the Dogon, especially the making of pottery and baskets, weaving, wood carving, and leather- and ironworking. 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. 32, No. WebThe hogon, the Dogons' spiritual elders and high priests, preside over Lebe ceremonies. The Dogon are a wonderful and unique culture. There are three principal Social stratification among the Dogon is similar in many respects to that found in other societies in West Africa. 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. Kin Groups and Descent. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. "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. There also exists a supreme hogon for the entire region who resides at Arou (Aru) and is elected by members of the Arou tribe. Updates? 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. African religions: Ritual and religious specialists. Pern, Stephen (1982). The first wife, or ya biru, holds a higher position in the family relative to any wives from later marriages. First marriages are generally arranged by parents; within certain limitations, those marrying for the second or third time are more free to choose their partners. In traditional Dogon society, land was transmitted within the family group (ginna, or lineage), and was considered inalienable property. It contained only about a quarter of the full vocabulary of "Dogo so", the Dogon language. Circumcision and excision are once again the remedy."[27]. Other specialists are the healers or herbalists (dyodyonune ), who treat the sick, and sorcerers (dyonune ), who cast spells. The Hogon The Hogon is an elderly male, spiritual leader of the Dogon village who lives alone in a hut constructed, furnished, and decorated to symbolize the universe. Holds a higher position in the world which are family homes the patrilineage, or ginna webthe Hogon, Dogon! 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