Mamadou Sankou and the Dogon people

The Dogons (As explained by Mamadou) came to the area about the end of 12th Century, eventually displacing the pygmies, who they found living on the face of the Falaise, a long, steep escarpment, overhanging in many places, along, under and on which the Dogons built their villages.
Those living under the escarpment usually built their villages 1/2 way up, under large overhangs, to protect them from the weather. A sensible idea as their building are built from mud and their lives are almost totally dependent on Millett, which they store in slightly raised storage huts. The villages on top of The Falaise, where the ground is mostly rock, have developed a system of growing vegetables in rock crevices where the water gathers in the soil that has been placed their for this purpose from below, though we didn't actually see any of this vegiculture. This system has apparently always produced enough food for the Dogon people (apparently around 25000 people , though someone claimed 1 million), even during the drought years of 1973 - 1986. The last 2 years the rains have been good, and the lower villages have grown enough millett each year to last for 2 years. Much of the excess is swapped with the upper villages in return for vegetables.

Added to this they have good flocks of goats and plenty of cattle, and lots of donkeys. However things are not nearly as rosy as they sound - Since the rains have been good locusts have swarmed and have reduced much of the crop to animal feed only. We found some kids collecting locusts, pulling their legs and wings off and putting them in their pockets. Turns out they supplement their diets with locust protein - I tried one, deep fried, with a little lemon and salt. To be honest it was quite like chips, not bad at all.
In Bankas the well they use is 110 metres deep and is only allowed to be used for drinking water, not washing or watering. Healthwise, as in the rest of Mali, things are very bad - Infant mortality is 30% and most of the rest have huge umbilical hernias; life expectancy is low and they quite often look 60 when they are 35, especially the women.

Their religion and their culture is changing from animism to Islam which doesn't help - IE the hunters no longer make the correct sacrifices to the right beings so all confidence in them has long gone, and their are no animals left to hunt anyway. They used to play an important role, illustrated by the fact that there are still quite a few hunters, though they now tend to hunt tourists to sell them trinkets rather than elephant and lion, maybe a good thing?

Despite the harshness of the environment they seem to be a happy and friendly people, though outside influences are spoiling them somewhat, as in many other cultures around the world. And also they have the usual corruption problem, last week the chief admin man, his deputy, the chief of police and 2 other leading dignitaries were thrown into jail.Read more