About 800 years ago the Dogon built their first homes on these steep cliffs. They were not the first ones who that did that. The Tellem tribe had already done it before. About these Tellem people, however, very little is known.
The houses on the ledges appear to “stuck” against the wall like swallow’s nests. They have the same colour as the rock and are therefore hardly noticeable at first. Now usually only the remains of those beautiful homes are left to be visited, both of the Tellem as well as the Dogon. Most people live in the villages on the plateau and along the foot of the rock wall nowadays..
Their square mud houses have beautifully decorated doors with special locks. The flat roofs is used for drying gourds, millet, corn, sorghum stalks etc.

In the yard are nicely decorated graneries, which are adorned with a pyramidal roof of black wicker. The women are pounding the millet in large wooden mortars; chickens, donkeys and goats walk around freely.
Eye-catching in each village is the Toguna - the palaver hut, the conference room. It is about one metre high and has 8 nicely Y-shaped pillars, which are beautifully decorated with wooden carvings. The roof is covered with thick layers of braided sorghum stalks.
In the toguna the village elder (the Hogon) has discussions with the other older men about the affairs of the village; they sit in judgement and they mediate. Moreover, it is also a nice, shady spot.
Deliberately the toguna is kept low to prevent someone to jump up when the emotions run high; they continue to sit down until things are resolved.
In every village is only 1 round building– the yapuna ginna (menstruation house), where women stay during that period.
In the village, the inhabitants are engaged in dyeing and weaving of cotton fabrics and blankets, often in the colours indigo blue and yellow ochre - the typical colours of the Dogon. They make their pottery and they are brewing millet beer (konjo); at almost every festivity beer is being served.
Outside the village, on the plains, the fields are laid out, where millet, corn, onions, etc. are grown. It may seem as if the fields have been visited by dozens of moles, but this is a typical agricultural technology that the Dogon have used for centuries.

the Hogon. (spiritual leader).

Most tribes have a Hogon per village, except the Arou tribe; they have a total of only 1 and he lives in the village of Arou.
After the nomination, he must live under very strict rules. He can not be dismissed.

The house is often decorated with symbolical figures like snakes, crocodiles etc.
Because he represents the vitality of his people and must not waste it, he is not allowed to do physical work or sweat. He may not leave the premises, nor walk on bare feet; so his assistants carry him.

The Hogon has the power of law; he is well aware of what is going on in the village – thanks to his informants.
He should not be touched by people (not even by his own wife and children).
He must not wash, because every night the big snake (Lebe) licks him in order to transmit the vital life force. If the snake no longer appears, the Hogon will die soon. If a Hogon dies, he is only replaced after 3 years.
To supply the Hogon and the assistants with food the crops are grown on special fields; the meals are prepared by his wife and served by a young girl.


The Dogon have succeeded to maintain the traditions of their ancestors and their own culture over the years. They are Animist, Christian or Muslim, but they live together peacefully. There are temples, mosques, churches, altars, circumcision places etc. And they keep up / honour their traditional ceremonies such as festivals and the mask dances.

Mask dances.
To show the tourists these beautiful handmade masks and what those mask dances exactly mean, there are now special mask dance performances.

Most masks depict animal figures, people and mythological figures. The mask Walu is an Antelope.
The masks are not tied to the head, but the dancers are using a wooden stalk , which they clasp between the teeth; a good set of teeth is essential.
The masks have originally been shown to a woman, called Satimbe - she became known as "the sister of masks." She has met with the ghosts of the jungle and brought the masks to the village.

For a long time the women were using the masks to frighten the men, but they were snatched by the men. Now they have the administration of these masks and the women are completely sidelined.

They may not participate in any mask dance.
The mask dances and their ritual use are carried out to honour the ancestors, to ask for their help, to ask for a good harvest etc..
Every year, at the end of December / early January, there is a "Festival des Danses des Masques" in some village.

Sigui Festival.
The main ceremony is the Sigui festival, which is held once every 60 years; the next one in 2027.
It is a ceremony of initiation and atonement. It will be held in order to ask forgiveness for the stupidity and forgetfulness of a few young men from the village of YougoPiri, which led to the death of an ancestor.
The village elder had to have been informed of what these two men had done, but he was not told and therefore he changed into a snake.
For each Sigui festival a new Great Mask in the form of a snake will be cut from one long tree trunk.
During the festival the people will travel from village to village, perform the mask dances and they drink millet beer. They will continue visiting every village on the plateau and the cliff, which could take a few years.

Dama Ceremony.
Once every 12 years the Dama Ceremony is held to honour the spirits of the ancestors. During this ceremony the men retreat into a cave to mourn the souls of those, who died during the last 12 years. And to make masks. The men wear the masks for 5 days and they give performances. It is said that the souls of the dead are in these masks and they will give the men the power to keep away the evil spirits.
At the end of the ceremony the men wear the water buffalo mask and the hyena masks, because they can predict the future.

When the ceremony is over, the souls of the dead are recognized as ancestors, which means they will take care of the protection of the Dogon.
　
Greetings.
Greetings are very important in the Dogon, just as throughout Mali. Even if you see each other several times a day, you will greet yet again in the same way. Such a greeting may take a while, and even if the other one keeps walking on, you do not stop the greetings.
A bit depending on region, this is what you will hear:
A: Aga Poo - Good morning / Hello
B: Poo - Good morning / Hello
A: U Sewo? - How are you?
B: Sewo - Fine
A: U Manawe Sewo? -- How is your family?
B: Sewo - Fine.
A: Unu Sewo? – How are your kids?
B: Sewo - Fine.
and so on about the health of the family, the animals, the house, the work… etc. etc. .., but it really depends on the mood.
Finally, they will say:
A: Poo – Thank you.
B: Yah Poo – Thank you as well.

Even if you do not understand the people when they greet you - a friendly “Sewo” is a good enough answer.