perhaps as a way of avoiding conversion to
Islam. The Dogon are an agricultural people
known for their artwork—especially carved
wooden gate locks, wooden granary doors, and
wooden masks.
The religious beliefs of the Dogon were first
documented in studies conducted during the 1930s,
1940s, and 1950s by French anthropologists Marcel
Griaule and Germaine Dieterlen. These studies
resulted in a number of primary works, including a
diary of Griaule’s religious instruction by a Dogon
priest titled Dieu D’eau or Conversations With
Ogotemmeli, and a finished anthropological report
on the Dogon religion calledLe Renard PaleorThe
Pale Fox. There are no native written Dogon texts
to use as reference for the religion because the
Dogon rely on oral transmission rather than writ-
ing. This entry looks at the religious beliefs and
practice of the Dogon primarily through the works
of Griaule and Dieterlen.Organization and Ritual
According to Griaule and Dieterlen, there are three
primary Dogon cults. The first is devoted to a
supreme god named Amma, who is deemed to
have created the universe. The second is primarily
concerned with the first living celestial beings
created by Amma, called theNommo.The third is
devoted to the eight Dogon ancestors from whom
the members of the four Dogon groups are thought
to be descended. Regardless of cult, all Dogon
members commonly acknowledge first Amma,
then the Nommo, then the revered ancestors.
Religious beliefs and practices similar to those of
the Dogon are also observed by neighboring tribes,Dogon 213Binu is a totemic practice that has complex associations with the Dogon’s sacred places used for ancestor worship, spirit
communication and agricultural sacrifices.
Source: Martin Gray/Getty Images.