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Virtual Guide | West African Kingdoms | Dogon Culture

Africa | West African Kingdoms | Religions | Dogon Culture
Benin Bronze | Catalogue

Burials

Burial places are an important source of information for archeologists. These places not only produce data about the people, their funeral practices and grave art, but also about their world philosophy and daily life. The objects found in graves are often of an exceptional quality and well preserved, because they were very carefully buried.

In the Niger area, as virtually everywhere else in the world, a lot of attention is paid to burial of deceased. Sometimes, the dead were laid to rest in two horizontally placed jars which were put together with the opening towards each other (Burkina Faso), sometimes in vertically placed jars, as done in the Inner Delta from the 11th till the 18th century. Sometimes the dead were entombed in underground tomb-houses covered with a tumulus, as done at Dogo in Mali.

These graves are sometimes marked by jars or by scaffolding made of stone (Burkina Faso). Scaffoldings for graves of Muslims often have Arab text. (Gao). The burial caves in the Falaise of Bandiagara in Mali were used by the Tellem and nowadays by the Dogon.

Graves are situated outside a village or city (Gao), in the middle of a village or city or even at courtyards of houses (inner Delta).

Often the dead are given presents to take with them in their graves. In the dry burial caves of the Tellem for instance, there are many grave gifts and even the ones made of transitorial material were well preserved.

The Tellem and the Dogon.

Burial places are an important source of information for archeolo-gists. These places not only produce data about the people, their funeral practices and grave arts, but also about their philosophy and daily life. The objects found in graves are often of an exeptional quality and wel preserved, because they were very carefully buried.
In the Niger area a lot of attention was and is paid to the burial of the deceased. Sometimes the dead were laid to rest in two horizontally placed jars which were put together with the opening towards each other (Burkina Faso), sometimes in vertically placed jars, as done in the Inner Delta from the 4th till the 18th century. Sometimes the dead were placed in underground tombhouses covered with a tumulus, as done by the Dogon in Mali.
These graves are sometimes marked by jars or by scaffolding made of stone (Burkina Faso). Scaffoldings for graves of muslims often have Arab texts engraved (Gao). The burial caves in the Falaise of Bandiagara in Mali were used by the Tellem, followed by the Dogon who still live in this area.
Graves are situated outside a village or city (Gao), in the middle of a village or city or even at courtyards of houses (Inner Delta).
Often the dead are given presents to take with them in their graves. In the dry burial caves of the Tellem for instance, there are many grave gifts and even the ones made of transitoral material were well preserved.
Thanks to these objects archeologists have been able to gather a lot of information about this lost nation.

In the centre of Mali, about 60 miles south of the Niger river, there is aprecipitous rock face known as the Cliff of Bandiagara. This cliff, which is 135 miles long and in some places rises a thousand feet above the Plain of Gondo, forms the boundary of a sandstone plateau, cut through by canyons. In these canyon walls are countless shallow caves.
The Dogons choose to settle on these cliffs because of their isolation and inaccessability. The cliffs made access to Dogon villages very difficult. They provided them with a place of refuge from attacks by neighboring etnic groups, which over the past five hundred years have included the Mossi, Songhay and Fulani.
According to oral tradition the Dogon originally came from an area called Mande, southwest of Bamako. During the thirteenth century (during the military campaigns of Sundiata Kita, founder of the Mali empire) they started to move to the East. Somewhere during the fourteenth of fiftheenth century they reached their present habitat; the Cliff of Bandiaraga. Here they encountered the Tellem, who in their turn were driven away by the Dogon. Those who stayed behind were in all probability accepted into the Dogon tribes. Dogon and Tellem art show a great many similarities to such an extent, that in many cases it is very hard to determine its origin; Tellem or Dogon.
The Tellem were the first to use the caves in the cliffs for the burial of their dead. The cool, dry caves were also excellent sites to store food.

The dead were laid to rest with their personal possessions, like head-rest, clothing, sandals, wapons and tools, food and pottery. Later the caves were closed with clay bricks and mortar.
The Tellem made bricks of sun-dried mud. They used mud coils, mud bricks or stones to build granaries. The openings had a lintel contruction with a swivelling wooden door with a wooden lock.
Millet was the most important food for both Tellem and Dogon. Both groups were agricultural farmers with a few cattle and goats. They also hunted sable antelope, gazelle and dwarf buffalo, using bow and arrows.

The Tellem slept on woven or plaited mats. They also used head-rests; a richly ornamented small wooden bench. Other household goods twenty century archeologists found in the caves, were wooden and clay pottery, baskets, wooden spoons, grindstones and leather waterbags. Also jewelry, like iron hairpins, rings and bracelets.
Statues and many other ornaments found in the burial caves, are ritual objects. Special bowls and pottery were used in funeral rites for the dead buried in a cave above. It was custom with the Tellem to disable household objects, tools and weapons before leaving them in the burial cave. Archeologists found deliberately broken bows, mor-tar and pestle, and tools.
The Dogon probably learned much of the Tellem as to the art of survival on the cliffs of Bandiagara. Permanent sources of water are rare on the cliffs, and rainfall is minimal - only 500 till 700 mm per year. The soil on the rocky cliffs and sandy plains is also very poor, and it must constantly be built up and enriched.
The poor conditions forced the Dogon to develop excellent farming techniques that are well suited to the difficult environment. The Dogon are experienced farmers; still they seek spiritual help to ensure their livelyhood; prayers for rain and healthy crops of the staple grains dominate Dogon rituals. It is in the context of these rituals that Dogon art can be found.

Nowadays the Dogon number about 250,000 people, spread over about 700 villages. Most villages with fewer than 500 inhabitants. They still live under the same conditions as their ancesters of 500 years ago; in rectangular houses with flat rooftops, built with sun-dried mud bricks which later are plastered with mud. The granaries are square and tatched-roofed.
The villages are located at the foot of the cliff. Not on a flat piece of land, but at the sloping foot. The houses are built within sort distance of each other and have small courtyards.
The Dogon have a strange but fascinating culture. A fast body of myths tells about the creation of the universe, the struggle between order and disorder and the place of mankind within it. This mythic structure was seen as underpinning all aspects of Dogon live, inclu-ding marriage, the layout of the village or a house, and the cycle of ritual activities. For example a mask used for the Sigui-ceremony was made once every sixty years.
Religious live of the Dogon centred around the ancestrial spirits as go-betweens to the earthlings and the forces of the universe. Death-masks, altars and statues play a significant part in this.

According to oral tradition Amma is the creator of the universe and all life within. The God Amma took a lump of clay, squeezed it in his hand and flung it from him, as he had done with the stars. The clay spread and fell on the north, which is the top, and from there stretched out to the south, which is the bottom of the world. The earth lies flat. It ex-tends east and west like separate members like a fetus in a womb. This body, lying flat, face upwards, in a line from north to south, is feminine. Its sexual organ is an anthill, and its clitoris a termite hill. Amma, being lonely and desirous of intercourse with this creature, approached it. That was the occasion of the first breach of the uni-verse. At the god's approach, the termite hill rose up, barring passage and displaying its masculinity. It was as powerful and potent as the organ of the stranger, and there was no possibility of intercourse. But Amma was all powerfull. He cut down the termite hill and had intercourse with the excised earth.
The twins Amma had expected from the union did not come forth; instead came a jackal.
Only after water was introduced in the following unions did the twin arrive. These spirits were called Nommo and were of divine essence like Amma.
Later, after Nommo came down to earth and entered the anthill to protect their mother against the incestuous advance of the jackal, the male aspect of Nommo took place of the masculine element, while the female Nommo took the place of the female element, and the womb became part of the earth.