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-filled region of Bandiagara. From there they were able to resist different threats, both from external forces and neighboring groups, and avoid being assimilated by larger and more powerful societies.

This movement has sometimes been interpreted as a response to the expansion of powerful Peul (Fulani) groups. However, another major factor behind Dogon displacement was the pressure from the Mossi, a people known for carrying out raiding expeditions, during which they captured enemies and enslaved them while seizing their possessions through cavalry raids.

Traditional Dogon religion includes ancestor worship and belief in the creator god Amma.





The Dogon Country is today recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, due to the large number of historical remains and the fact that the Dogon people continue to preserve many traditional ways of life while gradually incorporating modern influences.

Dogon society traces descent through a patrilineal system. Their traditional subsistence economy is primarily based on agriculture, especially the cultivation of millet, sorghum, and rice, as well as onions and other crops that require relatively little water.

Onions are an important product for the Dogon and are often exported to neighboring communities. They also function as a form of barter, for example when the Dogon exchange vegetables with the Bozo, who provide fish in return.

In addition to farming, the Dogon raise livestock such as cattle, sheep, and chickens. However, cattle are often entrusted to members of the Fulani, who are widely known in the region for their expertise in pastoralism. The Dogon also practice beekeeping, which forms another part of their traditional rural economy.




Originally published in Spanish on the blog Bilad al-Sudan. English adaptation by Oumar Adria.

A traves de Africa: Los Dogons


Bibliography


Marcel Griaule

  • Griaule, Marcel. Conversations with Ogotemmêli: An Introduction to Dogon Religious Ideas. Oxford University Press, 1965.

Walter E. A. van Beek

  • van Beek, Walter E. A. Dogon: Africa's People of the Cliffs. Harry N. Abrams, 2001.

UNESCO

  • UNESCO. Cliff of Bandiagara (Land of the Dogons). World Heritage Centre.

James Olson

  • Olson, James S. The Peoples of Africa: An Ethnohistorical Dictionary. Greenwood Press, 1996.

Encyclopaedia Britannica

  • Dogon. Encyclopaedia Britannica.





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