The Bandiagara Escarpment with its rocky ridge is one of the most impressive geological formations in Western Africa. The escarpment is located in Mali, south of the Sahara and the ancient city of Timbuktu, and adjacent to the ridge that runs parallel to the Niger River are the fortified settlements of the Dogon people. According to legend, this small agrarian tribe came here in the 15th and 16th centuries from the land of Manda. It consists of four clans: Aru, Dion, Ono, and Domno. In addition to subsistence farming, they also engage in livestock rearing, weaving, and pottery. They live in small rural communities that are divided into inneomo (community of the living) and innepuru (community of deceased ancestors), and they are intimately linked to one another.
The Dogon people do not have a written language in the classical sense, but they have a whole range of symbols (266 basic ones!) with which they illustrate the mythological history of the world and the human race. Using this unique system, the Dogon supposedly can depict not only the external appearance of things but also the dynamics of their development. In terms of religion, they play a central role.
the cult of ancestors, especially the cult of the Great Ancestor Lebea, the forefather of all four Dogon tribes. Ancestors are honored with the Sigi ceremony, which is celebrated every sixty years. During the ceremony, the members of the secret society play a leading role, dancing and singing under masks. The Dogon people use a large number of masks, some of which are kept in sanctuaries, while new ones are made for special occasions.
For a long time, the Dogon people were considered an example of a primitive tribe mainly because they resisted outside influences due to the inaccessible area they inhabited. However, the research conducted by a group of French researchers led by Professor Marcel Griaule in the 1930s revealed a completely different picture.
The Pale Fox
Professor Griaule dedicated most of his life to studying Dogon tradition. His dedication and perseverance were rewarded after fifteen years of research when, in 1946, tribal elders recognized him as a true seeker and decided to reveal they presented the esoteric aspects of their religion. For the transmitter of their secret teachings, they chose the blind old man Ogotemmeli. This sage presented to Griaule’s research team the Dogon traditions related to the creation of the universe and the history of the human race in thirty-three days, thus causing a revolution in the widely accepted attitude towards the inferior culture of Africans and primitive peoples in general. Griaule recorded the narration of the Dogon sage in his book Pale Fox, which, despite the subsequent research, remains the main source of knowledge about the Dogon to this day.
What did French anthropologists learn in Ogotemmeli’s hut? What drew the attention of the entire scientific community to this small people?
The Gateway to the World of the Dogon
Griaule and his colleagues were presented with a comprehensive Dogon cosmogonic picture of the world that contains a surprising level of astronomical knowledge, especially considering the complete absence of any measuring instruments. They possess three types of calendars. dara: solar, lunar, and the one based on the movement of Sirius’ satellite. Numerous studies among the Dogon people have also revealed extensive knowledge of anatomy and physiology, as well as the existence of a systematic pharmacopoeia.
Dogon cosmogony
Amma, the supreme being, existed when there was no universe, no space, no time… The word “amma” in the Dogon language means “to hold something in one place, gripping tightly.” According to the Dogon, Amma was “something like a spiral movement within an egg.” Under the influence of this spiral movement, at least one tiny grain of matter was formed. It was located in the center, “rotating and emitting particles of matter with sound and light effects, but it remained invisible and inaudible itself.” Po, most often compared to a grain of millet, an important crop for the Dogon people, was taken symbolically only to depict the formation of matter and the god Amma himself, who is identified with the tiniest particle of matter.
In the seed or grain of po, Amma built the entire universe in the shape of a shell. la1. Then there was the opening of the “Eye of Amma” and the blurry outline of things that began to turn into tones. Retaining its spiral movement, these shapes preceded the emergence of “spiral star worlds” or “world boundaries” – jalu ulo. The term jalu ulo refers to the Milky Way. There are seven such “world boundaries”. In the Dogon culture, which has a highly developed symbolism of numbers, the number 7 expresses multitude.
In this stage of the creation of the “egg of the world”, it was still closed. To let the world “out”, Amma began to rotate around its axis. Spinning and dancing, Amma created all the spiral star worlds that fill the universe.
After the star worlds, everything else was created, especially the seeds of various plants. The Dogon consider stars and seeds as “twins”, so many celestial bodies are named after plants.
Then Amma created the first living being – Nommo anagonnoa. It is described in various ways: as half-human, half-serpent or as a fish. Nommo reproduces And so the four Nommoa were born – Nommo di, Nommo titijan, O Nommo, and Ogo, Beings of restless temperament. Impatient Ogo could not wait for the completion of the creation of the cosmos, so he built a “coffin” and “descended into space” with it, then returned to his twins, only to finally descend to Earth. This caused disorder in the world and disrupted Amma’s plans, and Amma, angered by Ogo’s independence, gathered everything he had created and placed it in grains of dust.
In order to “cleanse” the universe, it was necessary to sacrifice one of the Nommoa. That Nommo was O Nommo. Through his sacrifice and resurrection, the world acquired spatial-temporal characteristics, and celestial bodies began to move. Then the grain of dust expelled the “hidden” things within it, thus allowing the birth of the world, just as it was in the first attempt of creating the world. Therefore, the Dogons speak of two stages of the creation of the universe: the first stage by the action of Amma, and the second stage by the action of the grain of dust.
A part of the contents of this grain of dust ended up in the coffin that was built. part of the resurrected Nommo. By lowering the coffin to Earth, the creation of the world was completed, after which Amma “withdrew”, assuming its original form.
Secret societies and traditions
The Dogon carefully cultivate their old traditions, with the greatest credit for this belonging to the institution of secret societies that is characteristic of the entire tropical Africa. In the case of the Dogon, this role is performed by Ava – the Society of Masks, and each member of the society has a special mask and actively participates in religious rituals, especially in the ritual called Sigi. During this ceremony, the high-ranking officials of the Society of Masks, known as olubaru, are chosen, who undergo special training in the secret language of Sigi so and then become bearers of esoteric tradition.
Astronomy without a telescope?!
What currently causes the most controversy regarding the Dogon traditions is their knowledge of astronomy. Precise knowledge about the star Sirius, Sigi tolo (known in astronomy as Sirius A) and its satellites Po tolo or Sirius B and Emme ja tolo still provoke disbelief and questioning. According to their tradition, Sirius and related stars are the “foundation pillars of the world” and represent the “inner star system” that directly participates in the life and development of humans on Earth. The “outer star system” consists of distant stars “that have less influence on human life”. The Milky Way, including Earth, is part of this “inner star system”. The axis around which this “spiral star world” revolves passes through the Polar Star, the “Eye of the World,” and the constellation of the Southern Cross, the “Second Eye of the World.”
However, their astronomical knowledge is not limited to Sirius. They mention Jupiter’s satellites and Saturn’s rings, although they were not familiar with the outer planets Neptune, Pluto, Uranus, and Mercury. Interestingly, they have a special name for each position of Venus in the sky. They also mention its satellite, which modern science has not confirmed. They are aware that the Sun rotates on its axis, that the Earth “rotates around itself and around the Sun,” while the Moon is “dry and dead” and revolves. it revolves around the Earth.
However, the Dogon people never cease to amaze: they can distinguish the apparent position of stars from their actual position in space. “The stars on the altar are arranged as they are in the sky, while on the altar of ka donnolo – they are arranged as seen from Earth.”
Star Po
What truly astonishes is the fact that Sirius’ satellite, Po tolo, occupies a central place in Dogon mythology and symbolizes the entire creation, even though it can only be seen with powerful telescopes and was first photographed in 1970.
The name of the star is not coincidental; it is believed to have originated from a grain of “po”: “Po dissolved and spread throughout the world. What remained afterward became the star Po.” Dogon traditions state that after the appearance of humans on Earth, Sirius’ satellite, the star Po, unexpectedly shimmered and gradually started to fade, becoming completely invisible after 240 years. Furthermore, they claim that The small star of high density and immense weight, “it is the smallest and heaviest of all stars.” It is entirely made of a shiny metal called sagala, which is “brighter than iron and so heavy that even if all the beings on Earth were to join forces, they couldn’t lift a fraction of it.” They also knew that the period of orbit around Sigi for Po tolo is fifty years.
It is astonishing that all of these characteristics of Sirius’ satellite are confirmed in modern science. Sirius B has a rotation period of 49.9 years and is classified as a white dwarf. White dwarfs are stars characterized by exceptional density and weight, and according to current data, its density is about 150 kg/cm3 (for comparison, water has a density of 1g/cm3).
For the Dogon people, Po tolo represents the “most important star” and the “center of the cosmic world.” The word itself comes from “polo,” meaning “beginning,” and “tolo,” meaning “deep.” Thus, the name Po tolo is interpreted as “deep beginning.” This star is not a static center of the stellar world, but rather a “center” “Po Tolo moves”. According to legend, it “supports” other stars and forces them to maintain their paths, particularly influencing Sirius, “the only star with an irregular orbit…”. Interestingly, it was based on the discovered irregularities in Sirius’ orbit that German astronomer Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel speculated in 1844 that an invisible satellite orbits around it, invisible to the naked eye.
According to the Dogon belief, Po Tolo releases its contents in the form of “infinitely small” particles that can be compared to grains of millet: “The star that is as white as a millet grain continues to shine with the seeds of life.” That’s why in Dogon sanctuaries, Po Tolo symbolizes a special type of white stone.
Po Tolo can only be observed under extraordinary conditions, such as during its explosion. When French researchers tried to find out how Po Tolo could be seen, the Dogon mentioned a “cave” from which it could supposedly be seen. However, they did not show it to them, adding that there were also other “reliable” pieces of evidence there… Emme and Tolo
While Tolo has evidence in today’s science, Emme and Tolo still remain a great mystery. The Dogon people claim that Emme is slightly larger and four times lighter than Tolo. They call it the “Little Sun Woman” – Jau nai dagi – and they also claim that Emme has two satellites of its own. Furthermore, they say that Emme serves as a “mediator” between Sirius B and Sirius A, and that it transmits “commands” from Sirius B to Sirius A…
The Secret Source
The scientific world is puzzled about the source of all this knowledge. How did they acquire knowledge about Sirius’s satellite, its color, the period of its orbit, and the density of its matter without astronomical instruments, is inexplicable to us. Undoubtedly, the Dogon people have been influenced by various things throughout their history. The influence of ancient Egyptian culture is not entirely ruled out. There are various assumptions about borrowings and external influences, less likely speculations about clever reinterpretations of teachings brought by missionaries from Europe, and even encounters of the “third kind”.
Perhaps the answer lies in the mysteries of the stars… It is still necessary to search in Dogon mythology, which skillfully incorporated astronomical knowledge into its cosmogony. Namely, their mythology mentions the fourth Nommo, called Ogo, who caused headaches to Amma during the creation of the world and took trips into space until he ended up on Earth, where he was named “Pale Fox” – Juruga. Interestingly, there are several myths about the fox, and one drawing depicts how the “Fox descended from the star Po”. There is another drawing that shows the Sun and Sirius connected by a curve that again surrounds each of these two stars.
In addition to the descent of the Fox, the Nommo’s ark is mentioned, in which the Dogon ancestors descended to Earth. According to legend, the ark landed on the night by “raising a great whirlwind of dust.” The celestial space of the “four corners” turned into an earthly opening with “four sides”. Nommo was the first to emerge from the ark, followed by all other beings. Amma pulled the chain that held the ark back to the sky and “closed” the heavens.
As a place of prize The legend of the Dogoni tribe mentions Lake Debo, which forms during the rainy season along the Niger River. On one of the lake’s islets, there is a depiction of a coffin among the stars, carved in stone. The descent of the coffin is symbolically depicted on the facade of the Dogon temple.
The knowledge embedded in Dogon mythology was only discovered by modern science in the 1970s.
It seems that we, the people of the 21st century, will have to reconsider and change our attitude towards ancient cultures. Living almost isolated from the rest of the world in a remote part of Africa, the Dogoni have preserved many beliefs and knowledge that have become ingrained in their way of life and customs. They have determined the layout of their villages, the construction of granaries that embody the idea of a “coffin,” influenced crafts, and even left traces on everyday objects. Thus, their lives are based on a complex and organized foundation where nothing is accidental.
Although the sources of their knowledge remain an unresolved mystery, they appear to be ancient and profound.
1 Jala is for.
Bullet, “beginning” of an object or thing, its vague likeness, outline.
2. Tone represents the shape, “outline” of the object or phenomenon to be depicted.