stories.

meet the Dogon tribe

Many centuries ago, at the foot of a steep cliff in Mali, the Dogon tribe found their home. Their intriguing mud clay houses embellish the side of the cliff, giving way to a sandy plateau where crops such as millet and onions are cultivated. 

The Dogon is a cast- and family-based society that values social positions highly. Family life revolves around the element of polygamy and the realisation of daily tasks. These are being taken care of with a communal spirit; men take on the building of houses and the weaving of beautiful indigo fabrics. Women fetch water, cook, cultivate the land and adorn the indigo fabrics with symbols, reflecting their natural religion; Animism.

Animism defines the tribe’s way of living; it is one of the purest forms of living synchronically with nature, respecting the elements. It holds that not only humans and animals reside a soul or spirit, but also plants, stones, and other natural elements. As Animists, the Dogon consider their whole environment as a reflection of nature. Every element is connected and affects one another. This understanding might be at the core of the fact that this tribe held the wisdom about our universe as we know it, long before we came to learn about it.