periods of drought. As an ancient ritual, the rain
dance harks back to the time when humans
believed that the lack of rain was caused by
some wayward action or lack of action on the part
of the human society. There had to be propitiation
of the gods for the proper order to be reestab-
lished. Thus, one can often find, even today, in the
arid parts of the African continent many people
who use rain dances, and the accompanying offer-
ings and rituals, to end drought.
For example, among the Dogon in Mali, the
use of dances for rain is attached to the majestic
Dogon-Tellem figures that are known as “they
who request of the spirits that the rain be
released.” The powerful ancestral figures are a
collective prayer for rain. Singing and dancing
around the figure, the priests are able to invoke
the most archaic images in the land.
When the Dogon fled an awful war unleashed
against them by the martial Mossi soldiers in
1490, they settled in the cliffs of Bandiagara in
the territory that had been occupied by the Tellem
people. This was a hot, dry, semi-desert area.
When more Dogon came into the region, they
began to accept the Tellem culture and customs,
even following their artistic and aesthetic patterns.
One of the best examples of cultural assimilation
is in the Dogon–Tellem style of art related to the
rain dance. The definite and exact raised arms of
the Dogon–Tellem prayer for rain are the finest
examples of ancestral figures used for rainmaking
in West Africa.
The Dogon have many rituals and great
philosophical traditions. However, there are spe-
cial priests whose job it is to organize and
orchestrate the rain rituals. They cannot be left
to chance or to anyone because the lack of rain
means that the people will not be able to plant
their crops and, should they plant them, the
plants would die for lack of water. If there are
no plants, there can be no harvest, and without
a harvest, the people and the livestock will per-
ish. There is no ceremony or ritual more impor-
tant to the Dogon than the rain ceremony.
Should the priest be successful and the rains
come in abundance, then the people will enjoy a
bountiful life. There is then a collective spirit of
hope and optimism at the root of all Dogon
ritual services for rain.
Among the Ihanzu of Tanzania, there are
several rain rites. Some of these rites are
performed annually at the beginning of the
growing season. However, should these annual
rites fail to bring on the rains, the people will
then have complementary rituals until the
rains fall. There is an ancestral offering for
rain (mapolyo a mbula) that is usually made
after it has been divined that the royal
Anyampanda clan spirits demand the offering
before the rains will come. Normally, the
offerings take place over a period of 2 days,
during which time the people focus their atten-
tion on the blessings that have been sent by the
Anyampanda spirits. However, the entire rit-
ual can last for 1 month or more.
The Ihanzu have decided that only the two
royal leaders of the Anyampanda, one male and
one female, can initiate the ancestral rituals.
Thus, to start the process and initiate the offer-
ing (kukumbika), a few grandchildren are asked
to assemble at the male ritual leader’s house.
These children play a major role in the dance
and ritual of rainmaking. Nothing occurs with-
out their participation. In fact, both genders
must be present because rainmaking is a produc-
tive act relating to fertility and sexuality. The
children are instructed to place white sorghum
flour and water, together with some herbs and
tree branches, into a long-necked calabash
(mumbu). They then address the royal clan spir-
its, calling their names and praising their deeds,
before they place the calabash in the doorway of
the male ritual leader’s house.
The grandchildren address the spirits with
brief comments usually stating the obvious, for
example, “We are now placing your beer in the
doorway,” and so forth. The grandchildren are
called on to perform the same lead function day
after day. They are asked to brew beer. Usually
among the Ihanzu, it is the women who brew
beer, but for this ritual of rain the males must
also participate in the brewing of beer. At every
stage of the ritual, including in the rain dance,
the granddaughter and the grandson must be
involved. If they call the names of the spirits, dig
trenches for brewing beer, collect firewood, or
participate in any activity during this time, it
must be done together.
On the final day of the ritual among the
Ihanzu, the male ritual leader addresses
Munyankali, the ritual name of the sun, a sort
of visible symbol of a supernatural world aboutRain Dance 561