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Dogon have an animist religion, which means that they believe
that all natural objects and forces have a living soul. In
the world of the Dogon people, everything has meaning and
significance. For example, the Baobab is a sacred tree which
can never be cut or sold; the fox, the snake, and the crocodile
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sacred animals that have a place in Dogon mythology and may
never be killed. |
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Amma
was the main god of the Dogon. He created the sun, the earth and
the people. After Amma created Mother Earth out of clay, he raped
her and she gave birth to several sets of twins, which form a pantheon
of Dogon mythical beings. |
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Arou
was the youngest of the four supernatural brothers who were
the ancestors of the Dogon. Arou led his people on a mythical voyage
to Bandiagara which became he homeland of the Dogon. When the four
brothers reached the cliffs of Bandiagara, Arou gave a shout to
claim the land. Enraged by his youngest brother's boldness and disregard
of the proper order of descent and inheritance, Dyon, the eldest
brother, abandoned Arou by the side of the road. This is where Arou
encountered an old woman who offered him gifts of supernatural powers.
These gifts served the Dogon as tools for defense, to domesticate
animals, and to make rain. |
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Blacksmith
was the first of the eight human ancestors who came down from the
sky to earth. He arrived in an ark containing everything that was
necessary for people to survive. He taught people how to make tools
and plant seeds for growing food. |
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Crocodile
was a sacred animal that was believed to have led the Dogon
people to water during their mythical journey across Africa. The
Dogon were on their way to their current homeland, which is called
"Falaise de Bandiagara." |
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Domno
was one of the four mythical brothers (see Arou). |
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Dyon
was the eldest of the four mythical brothers who rode a horse
carrying Arou, the youngest, on his shoulders (see Arou). |
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Lebe
Serou was an agricultural god who was worshipped in the Lebe
cult. According to myth, the four tribal founders (Arou, Domno,
Dyon and Ono) each carried a piece of earth connected to their primordial
ancestor, Lebe Serou, to their new land. The most important aspects
of the Lebe cult are keeping the order of agricultural life, and
the renewal of the Dogon lands and people. |
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Nommo
were fish-like creatures with a human torso and the tail
of a snake. The Nommo are the mythical twins born out of the second
mating of Amma and Earth. They are water spirits. |
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Ono
was one of the four tribal ancestors of the Dogon who founded Dogon
Country (see Arou). |
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Pale
Fox was an unnatural and socially disruptive creature born
out of the first mating of Amma and Mother Earth. All divine children
were born as twins with a male and female counterpart; however,
the pale fox was born without placenta and did not have a female
twin. That is why he is a symbol of loneliness. The myths of the
pale fox tell about the chaos that resulted from an imbalance of
male and female qualities. |
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Snake
was a sacred animal who miguided the enemies of the Dogon
while they were on their mythical journey to Bandiagara. |
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Yoruga
was a male god born out of the union of Amma and Mother Earth. Since
he broke out of the womb too early, he and his sister were imperfect.
All of mankind is descended from these two beings; and just like
these divine twins they can never be perfect either. |
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| "The
Big Myth" © Distant Train 2009 |
