have become essential for Dogon life. In addition, the
Dogon have also developed a detailed system of
zoology, with careful categorization of many of
the families and orders of plants and animals with
which the Dogon come into contact. This facility
with zoology is consonant with their skill as
sophisticated herders. The Dogon raise a variety
of domesticated animals, including poultry, goats,
sheep, and cattle, which are used, in part, for food
and, in part, for sacrificial purposes.
The Dogon have also attained a broad under-
standing of other scientific fields such as
geology and metallurgy. They have acquired a
fine reputation as skilled metalworkers who
produce many of the iron tools required to sup-
port their own agriculture. They are also
accomplished wood carvers and artisans, whose
masks, carved granary doors, and wooden gate
locks have come to be coveted as precious
objects of art.
CosmologyBeyond all of these overt sciences and skills that
are evident in everyday Dogon society, there is
also a body of esoteric knowledge that bears a
strong resemblance to science. This body of
knowledge is contained in the myths of Dogon
cosmology, as documented by Griaule and
Dieterlen. This cosmology, which was character-
ized by Griaule as a closely held secret tradition,
has been disputed by later researchers, including
Belgian anthropologist Walter Van Beek, due to
the inability of these researchers to confirm
Griaule’s findings in later studies. However,
support for the likely coherence of Griaule’s
cosmology can be found in its many parallels to
a distinctly similar esoteric cosmological system
found in Buddhism.
Griaule’s cosmology begins with a ritual struc-
ture called agranary, whose plan is said to evoke
a complex system of cosmological symbols. This
plan and its associated symbolism are a close
match for the plan and symbolism of the Buddhist
stupa—a ritual shrine found commonly across
India and Asia. On the basis of these resem-
blances, Griaule’s Dogon cosmology could rea-
sonably be seen as reflective of a legitimate
cosmological form.
The Granary Symbol
Likely mathematical symbolism is reflected in the
plan and dimensions of the Dogon granary as
reported in Griaule’s cosmology. The classic plan
of the granary resembles a wicker basket turned
open side down. It features a round base 10 cubits
in diameter that rises to a flat, square roof measur-
ing 8 cubits per side. It features four flat sides ori-
ented to the cardinal points of north, south, east,
and west, as well as four 10-step staircases, one up
the center of each side. The Dogon priests state
that the structure provides examples of several key
geometric shapes. It can also be shown that the cir-
cumference of the base of the granary (64 cubits,
assuming a rounded value of 3.2 for Pi) equals the
area of the square roof (64 square cubits).
Confirmation of the likely geometric symbolism
of the Dogon granary structure is provided by the
defined stages of construction of the stupa as out-
lined in Australian scholar Adrian Snodgrass’The
Symbolism of the Stupa. These stages are predicated
on an initiate’s familiarity with rudimentary skills of
geometry, including the ability to measure and plot
a circle and bisect a line using two drawn arcs.
The architectural form of the base plan of the
stupa as described by Snodgrass evokes an effec-
tive sun dial, complete with a central gnomen,
which implies knowledge of the concept of time
and provides the ability to track the length of a
day. This same structural form—in conjunction
with an oriented east–west line whose position
moves daily relative to the position of the gnomen
and in relation to the time of year—also provides
an initiate with a reliable tool to track and mea-
sure apparent movements of the sun in relation to
the Earth, along with an effective way to deter-
mine the precise days on which the solstices and
equinoxes occur. With these tools in hand, an ini-
tiate would be capable of calculating the correct
length of a year, the length of a month, and to
establish the working concept of a season.
The plan of the granary also presupposes a famili-
arity on the part of a Dogon initiate with the con-
cept of a unit of measure (in this case, acubit) and
of basic geographic orientation because the correct
construction of the granary depends on the ability of
an initiate to locate the four cardinal directions.
Additional stellar symbolism that the Dogon assign
to each of the four faces of the granary presumes a218 Dogon Religion and Science