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Dogon statue from Mali. Old piece over 50 years old. Piece on base.

The Dogons are a people of Mali, West Africa. Their total population in Mali is estimated at 700,000 people. They occupy the region, called Dogon Country, which goes from the Bandiagara cliff to the southwest of the Niger bend. Some Dogons are settled in the north of Burkina Faso, others have settled in Ivory Coast.

The Dogons are above all farmers (mainly millet) and blacksmiths. They are renowned for their cosmogony and their sculptures. The language spoken by the Dogons is Dogon which brings together several dialects. There is also a secret language, sigi so, a language reserved for the mask society. The Dogons are linked to the Bozo ethnic group through joking kinship (called sinankunya in Mali). Dogons and Bozos mock each other, but, at the same time, owe each other mutual assistance.

 

in Mali, the Dogon are the heirs of an exceptional ethnic artistic tradition: Each work of art testifies to the intimacy of the families – the works are not intended to be seen but on the contrary preserved in the darkness of the houses , such as at the sanctuary- and the representation of a unique cosmogony which structures daily life like the rhythm and rituals of societal or initiatory ceremonies.

Cosmogony and social organization

Dogon or Hebbe literally means "pagan"; or he who refuses to integrate into Islam.
the Dogon worship the god Amma. Amma according to their cosmogony had the appearance of an egg.
Dogon statuary always presents ovoid heads signifying this God of the sky.
Amma is associated with eight ancestors, representing the hierarchy of a society built on a patriarchal model.
These eight ancestors correspond to a specific profession and colors:
Blacksmith and potter – red and blue
Farmer – white and green
Sculptor - orange
Dancer – white
Tradesman – black
The Master of Speech/Weaving – Green.

Dogon Masks and Statuary

Associated with the cult of ancestors, Dogon masks made in memory of the deceased - Sirige mask, Kanaga mask, are often accompanied by zoomorphic masks whose function is to protect the living by recovering the vital force of disappeared beings or animals. Unlike statues, these masks are sculpted by non-specialists.
The sculpture of the statues belongs to the blacksmith who executes works in public whose quality depends on the wealth of the person who places the order.