The Dogon
The Dogon are a people who mostly live in Mali in West Africa. It is estimated that there are between 400,000 and 800,000 Dogon . Some communities also exist in Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire , but the main concentration is in Mali, in what is known as “Dogon Country” , which extends from the Bandiagara Escarpment toward the southwest of the Niger Bend . The Dogon are best known for their dances and especially for the striking masks used in their ritual performances . The Dogon belong to the Mande linguistic family , meaning they are related to the Mandinka peoples, although they possess their own dialects. They are also related to the Bozo , another Mande-speaking group. Most Dogon traditionally practice animist beliefs , although there is also a Muslim sector and a small Christian minority. One explanation for this is that, in a country such as Mali where about 90% of the population is Muslim , the Dogon historically migrated in large numbers to the mountainous and cliff-f...