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Dogon country

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The Bandiagara cliff and its view of the plain.

Dogon country (French: Pays Dogon) is a region of eastern Mali and northwestern Burkina Faso populated mainly by the Dogon people, a diverse ethnic group in West Africa with diverse languages. Like the term Serer country occupied by the Serer ethnic group, Dogon country is vast, and lies southwest of the Niger River belt. The region is composed of three zones: the plateau, the escarpment and the Seno-Gondo plain.[1][2][3]

In Mali, this historic region belongs to the Mopti Region and extends on either side of the Bandiagara Escarpment. Dogon country in Mali is the most visited tourist area of the country, due to the Dogon people's rich cultural heritage.[2][3] Sangha, Mali is the heart of Dogon country with its rich history of Dogon religion, shrines and temples.[4][5]

Landscapes

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Starting from the Niger River in a south-eastern direction, towards Burkina Faso, we successively meet three types of landscapes in Dogon country: plateau, cliff and plain.

Plateau

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Main article: Bandiagara

The region is a vast sandstone plateau rising gradually from the river to the cliff. It is on this plateau that Bandiagara, the “capital” of Dogon country is established.

Cliff

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Main article: Bandiagara Escarpment

Its often almost vertical wall faces Burkina Faso. With a height varying from 100 to around 400 m, it overlooks the Seno plain, which is between 250 and 300 m above sea level.

It is about 200 km long and oriented from southwest to northeast starting from Ségué in the south, and ending in Douentza in the north. The altitude increases from south to north until it reaches 791 m near Bamba, Koro.

It is the emblematic place of the country and its main center of tourist attraction.

Plain

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Located at the foot of the cliff, the Séno-Gondo plain stretches to the Burkinabé border.

Archeology

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Part of a series on
Traditional African religions
A traditional Kanaga mask
Religions
Doctrines
Deities
Sacred places
Education
Priesthood
Relation with other religions
Main articles: Toloy and Tellem

The Dogon country has many vestiges of ancient habitat from successive periods of occupation. From the ancient Toloy and Tellem, to the Dogon.[6]

There is the rocky channel located near Sangha where the remains of the Toloy were found, such as granaries, skeletons, pottery and plants, with a carbon-14 dating of 3rd and 2nd centuries BC.[6][7][8]

Religion and festivals

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Main articles: Dogon religion, Nommo, Lebe (Dogon), and Awa Society

The Dogon religion is the traditional African beliefs of the Dogon of Mali. Those who follow this spiritual path believe in one Supreme Creator, Amma (or Ama[9]),[10] the omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent Creator.[11]

They also believe in ancestral spirits such as the Serpent Ancestor Lebe, and the "Water Spirits" Nommo.[12] Veneration of the ancestors forms an important aspect of Dogon religion. They hold ritual mask dances immediately after the death of a person and sometimes long after they have passed on to the next life.[13] Twins, "the need for duality and the doubling of individual lives" (masculine and feminine principles) is a fundamental element in their belief system. Like other traditional African religions, balance, and reverence for nature are also key elements.[14]

Many Dogons have also converted to Islam recently despite centuries of fleeing persecution and Islamization from other dominant communities.

Villages

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Most Dogon villages are located within Mopti Region, Mali. The tables below list the number of villages by Dogon language group as of 2004. All of the villages and cercles listed below are located within Mopti Region, with the exception of Tominian Cercle in Ségou Region.[15] However, due to the presently ongoing Mali War that had begun in the early 2010s, some of the villages in the region may have already been abandoned.[citation needed]

Distribution of Dogon villages in Bandiagara Cercle
Commune Number of villages by Dogon subgroup (2004)
Bandiagara 34 Donno-sɔ, 9 Mombo, 1 Tɔmmɔ-sɔ, 1 Tomo-kan
Kendié 29 Bondum, 14 Dogulu, 13 Tɔmmɔ-sɔ, 5 Tiranige-diga
Ningari 47 Tɔmmɔ-sɔ, 5 Bondum, 3 Nanga
Kani-Gogouna 30 Tɔmmɔ-sɔ, 14 Dogulu, 12 Donno-sɔ, 1 Tɔrɔ-sɔɔ
Goundaka 15 Mombo, 3 Bangime, 2 Korandabo, 1 Tɔmmɔ-sɔ, 8 Tiranige-diga
Sangha 74 Tɔrɔ-sɔɔ, 7 Donno-sɔ, 1 Jamsay
Dourou 12 Donno-sɔ, 4 Tɔrɔ-sɔɔ
Ouo 57 Tomo-kan, 12 Ampari
Distribution of Dogon villages in Koro Cercle
Commune Number of villages by Dogon subgroup (2004)
Koro 24 Jamsay, 19 Togo-kan, 14 Tɔrɔ-sɔ, 4 Teŋu-kan, 2 Tomo-kan
Diankabou 24 Jamsay, 15 Tɔmmɔ-sɔ, 6 Yanda, 3 Oru Yille, 3 Tɔrɔ-sɔ, 1 Nanga
Dinangourou 19 Jamsay
Dioungani 32 Jamsay, 8 Tɔrɔ-sɔɔ, 1 Togo-kan
Madougou 48 Tɔrɔ-sɔɔ, 28 Jamsay, 1 Tɔmmɔ-sɔ, 1 Togo-kan
Koporokénié-Na 32 Togo-kan, 1 Jamsay, 1 Tɔrɔ-sɔɔ, 1 Teŋu-kan
Toroli 30 Togo-kan, 3 Teŋu-kan, 1 Jamsay
Distribution of Dogon villages in Bankass Cercle
Commune Number of villages by Dogon subgroup (2004)
Bankass 12 Teŋu-kan, 10 Tomo-kan
Kani-Bonzon 24 Tomo-kan
Diallassagou 57 Tomo-kan
Ségué 45 Tomo-kan
Baye 2 Tomo-kan
Sokoura 15 Tomo-kan
Ouenkoro 4 Tomo-kan
Distribution of Dogon villages in Douentza Cercle
Commune Number of villages by Dogon subgroup (2004)
Douentza 26 Bondum, 28 Tɔmmɔ-sɔ, 10 Jamsay
Mondoro 15 Jamsay
Boré 28 Bondum
Boni 12 Tɔrɔ-tegu
Distribution of Dogon villages in Tominian Cercle, Ségou Region
Commune Villages by Dogon subgroup (2004)
Timissa 10 Tomo-kan
Koula 4 Tomo-kan, 1 Ampari

In addition, there is one Tomo-kan village in Djenné Cercle.[15]

Biodiversity

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Further information: Wildlife of Mali

The irregularities of the rocky plateau generate very high concentrations of water, which means that, beyond a typical Sahelian vegetation, extremely arid zones can rub shoulders with all kinds of lush green oases, pockets of extraordinary biodiversity.

Each microclimate in the region offers a unique assortment of medicinal plants and tree species with significant value for the population, such as shea, the locust bean, Faidherbia albida, the tamarind, African palmyra palm, and the baobab.[16]

The Dogon country also has many bird species.[17][18]

Insects

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Dogon ethnoentomology has been thoroughly documented by Jeffrey Heath. The following are various types of insects that are well known to the Northern Dogon people.[19]

Beetles
Diptera (flies)
True bugs
Bees and wasps
Ants
Grasshoppers
Neuroptera (antlions, etc.)


Mantises (such as Eremiaphila reticulata), earwigs (such as Forficula senegalensis), termites (such as Macrotermes subhyalinus), and many other types of insects are also found in Dogon Country. Lepidopteran species are diverse, including Agrius convolvuli and many pearl millet and sorghum pest species.[20]

Among non-insect arthropods, the scorpions Androctonus amoreuxi (a common house scorpion) and Pandinus imperator (black emperor scorpion, locally called the "horse scorpion"), which are non-insect arthropods, are also common in the region.[19] Spiders include Galeodes olivieri. Ticks include Hyalomma impeltatum and Rhipicephalus turanicus. Millipedes include Archispirostreptus sp., and centipedes include Scolopendra sp.[20]

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  • Plateau village
    Plateau village
  • The plain seen from the foot of the cliff
    The plain seen from the foot of the cliff
  • Market in a village at the foot of the cliff
    Market in a village at the foot of the cliff
  • The mask festival
    The mask festival
  • Weaving in Dogon Country
    Weaving in Dogon Country
  • Mask dance
    Mask dance

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Dogon, Huib Blom (2010), pp.11, 18, [1] (retrieved March 25, 2020) ISBN 9782839907255
  2. ^ a b Velton, Ross, Mali: The Bradt Safari Guide, Bradt Travel Guides (2009), pp. 159, 187, ISBN 9781841622187 (retrieved March 25, 2020) [2]
  3. ^ a b Silverman, Raymond, Museum as Process: Translating Local and Global Knowledges, Routledge (2014), p. 189, ISBN 9781317661931 (retrieved March 25, 2020) [3]
  4. ^ United States. Department of State, Niger, Post Report, U.S. Department of State (1985), p. 13, [4]
  5. ^ St gelais, Remi; Landry, Denise; Mali : Culture mythique en pays Dogon à Youga Nah Falaise, Ulysse (2012), p. 6 ISBN 9782765805458 (retrieved March 25, 2020) [5]
  6. ^ a b Bedaux, Rogier Michiel Alphons, « Tellem, reconnaissance archéologique d'une culture de l'Ouest africain au Moyen Âge : recherches architectoniques », Journal de la Société des Africanistes (1974), nº 42, p. 103–185 [in] Persée [6] (retrieved March 15, 2020)
  7. ^ photos & texte : Huib Blom, esquisses : Arian & Anneke Blom, p.2 (PDF) dogon-lobi.ch (retrieved March 15, 2020)
  8. ^ Haour, Anne; Manning, K.; Arazi, N.; Gosselain, O.; African Pottery Roulettes Past and Present: Techniques, Identification and Distribution, Oxbow Books (2010), p. 3, ISBN 9781842178737 (retrieved March 25, 2020) [7]
  9. ^ Insoll, Timothy, Archaeology, Ritual, Religion, Routledge (2004), p. 123–125, ISBN 9781134526444 (retrieved March 3, 2020) [8]
  10. ^ Masolo (1994), pp. 70-71
  11. ^ Hackett, Rosalind, Art and Religion in Africa, A&C Black 1(998), pp. 35-36, ISBN 9780826436559 (retrieved March 3, 2020) [9]
  12. ^ *Griaule, Marcel (1970, (original 1965)), Conversations With Ogotemmêli: an Introduction To Dogon Religious Ideas , p. 97, ISBN 978-0-19-519821-8
  13. ^ Davis, Shawn R., Dogon Funerals [in] African Art, vol. 35, Issue 2, JSTOR (Organization), University of California, Los Angeles. African Studies Center, African Studies Center, University of California, Los Angeles (2002), p. 68
  14. ^ Griaule, Marcel (1970, (original 1965)), Conversations With Ogotemmêli: an Introduction To Dogon Religious Ideas , p. 198, ISBN 978-0-19-519821-8
  15. ^ a b Hochstetler, J. Lee; Durieux, J. A.; Durieux-Boon, E. I. K., eds. (2004). "Sociolinguistic Survey of the Dogon Language Area" (PDF). SIL International. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
  16. ^ Heath, Jeffrey. "Practical identification guide to plants of northern and east-central Mali".
  17. ^ Heath, Jeffrey. "Guide to birds of Dogon country and northern Mali".
  18. ^ "Pays Dogon", « La nature et biodiversité » [10] [in] Dogoncountry.com (retrieved 25-03-2020
  19. ^ a b Heath, Jeffrey. "Guide to insects, arthropods, and molluscs of northern Dogon country".
  20. ^ a b c d e Christfried Naumann & Tom Güldemann & Steven Moran & Guillaume Segerer & Anne-Maria Fehn & Robert Forkel (eds.) 2020. Tsammalex: A lexical database on plants and animals. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

Further reading

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