The Religion of the Dogon

The Dogon people of southern Mali are a poor agricultural people, still dwelling chiefly in caves. They believe that they were visited and taught by extraterrestrials from another star system. An integral part of their religious beliefs is a detailed knowledge of a star that is so difficult to observe that no photo of it was obtained until 1970. The Dogon shared this knowledge with French anthropologists in the 1930's. We know the star as Sirius B, but they call it Po Tolo. It was first suspected to exist in 1844, when observers of Sirius, the "Dog Star," noticed its abnormal movements. After much further observation, a companion star was discovered in 1862. This companion is a White Dwarf, which is a tiny star of immense mass and density.

The Dogon name for Sirius B consists of the word for star, tolo, and po, the name of the smallest plant seed they know of. They say that it is "the smallest thing there is" and that it is "the heaviest star" since all earth on it has been replaced with an immensely heavy metal called sagala, and the star is white in color. They also claim that the star’s orbit is elliptical, with Sirius A as the focus of the ellipse. Scientific research proves that th is indeed the case. Furthermore, they claim that the period of the orbit is fifty years, which is amazingly close to the figure scientists derived: 50.04 +/- .09 years. In addition, they believe that the star rotates on its axis, and indeed it does. The Dogon also believe that there is a third star in this system, Emma Ya, which means "sorghum female," and is said to be orbited by a single planet. However, this star has not yet been discovered by astronomers.

Dogon knowledge of the universe does not stop there though, as they are also aware of the facts that Saturn has rings and that Jupiter has four major moons. The Dogon use four calenders, derived from the sun, moon, Sirius, and Venus, and have long believed in a heliocentric universe, in which the planets revolve around the sun.

The Dogon believe that this knowledge comes from the Nommos, amphibious beings sent to earth from the Sirius star system. The name comes from the Dogon word meaning "to drink," and they also called "the Masters of Water," "the Monitors," and "the Instructors." The Dogon people describe these creatures as "fish-like," and they are of major importance in their religion.

A major part of Dogon religious worship is the cult of the masks, called Awa. All young men are instructed in the cult of the masks, but women are strictly excluded. This men’s society is characterized by a secret language, a strict etiquette, obligations, and interdicts. In addition, selected young men, called the olubaru, are given additional instruction, and will have the life-long duty of preserving the traditions of the masks.

The olubaru are initiated in a Sigi ceremony, which is celebrated only once every sixty years. The masks perform every year during the four weeks which precede the sowing festival, at the Sigi ceremony, and during the preparation for a dama festival, the ceremony ending the mourning period.

There are three other principle cults among the Dogon. In the public plaza of every village there is an altar of Lebe. The Lebe cult is associated with the agricultural cycle, and its chief priest is the hogon. The hogon is the oldest direct descendant of the founder of the Dogon, and rules over the affairs of the region. He has many regulatory functions as well as many priestly duties.

The cult of Binu, is usually referred to as being totemic; having exogamous totemic clans, the members of the clan having the same name and respecting the same animal or vegetable prohibition. These prohibitions are passed down through the paternal line, and are in keeping with exogamy. The cult of Binu is also associated with the agricultural cycle, and sacrifices are offered at cult altars during this season.

The cult of the ancestors is associated with the gina, the family households of the Dogon. The purpose of the many religious rituals this cult performs is to maintain good relations between the living and the dead. The gina bana is in charge of the ancestor cult. As in most African religions, ancestor worship is very important to the Dogon. The Dogon society is gerontocratic; elders are the intermediaries in the cult of the ancestors, since they are the future ancestors themselves. The Dogon carve many different kinds of statues as a form of worship to the ancestors. Although statues are the concrete expression of ancestor worship, they are carefully hidden away, viewed and handled only by those in the cult of the ancestors.

There are three statues that are of particular importance to the Dogon. The first is the fox, which, according to myth, was punished for "trying to appropriate Nommo’s souls at the time of his sacrifice." The second is the silure fish, which represents the human fetus. This silure was fish improperly by the ancestor, Dyongou Serou, who wished to place it on the altar he made for his own benefit without the authorization of the revived Nommo, the mythic creator of ma nkind. The last statue is that of Dyongou Serou himself, who was summarily sacrificed to pay for his rash action. This sacrifice made mankind’s development on earth possible. This statue takes the form of an immense serpent called the "Great Mask." These statues, called bullroarers, are said to speak the words, "I swallow, I swallow, I swallow men, women, children, I swallow all." They are the evidence of the appearance of death on earth. These statues play invaluable roles in the funeral rites of the Dogon.