DOGON COUNTRY
(Wandering West
Africa Part 3)
Travel Tales Index - Wandering West Africa Index - West Africa Pix
Dogon
country (pays Dogon) is a large area of
We decided to take an eight day trek through Dogon country with Baba, a recommended Dogon guide. We went with a guide because most guide books recommend it, we don’t speak Dogon, the trails are not marked and we wanted someone to explain what we saw along the way. For the first three days, we joined another American couple, Cory and Thia. The last five days were just Baba, Lois and Paul. About three hours of shared car rides brought us to Teli from where we began our mostly leisurely 45 mile (70 km) walk.
Teli is a
small Dogon village on the plain, with a large number
of Tellem ruins in the cliffs above. It served as a great introduction to what we
saw for the next eight days. First, Baba
took us on a tour through the village where we saw some evidence of Islam’s
increasing influence in the form of a large mosque and men weaving fabric (the
women dye it). We then climbed up to explore the Tellem
ruins. Up close, they were reminiscent of Mesa Verde in
None of the Dogon villages had centralized electricity, but the campements where we stayed usually had solar panels charge car sized batteries which powered lights and sometimes a refrigerator. The campements usually had raised water tanks used for flush toilets and showers. Our rooms were a small step up from camping. In Ende, one of the larger villages, they had a large solar array which powered a water treatment plant. Most other villages used untreated well water for drinking. Women seemed to spend most of their time carrying water from communal wells to their houses and pounding millet. We typically had four choices for lunch and dinner; rice, couscous, spaghetti or potatoes but, surprisingly, no millet. Whichever starch we chose would come with a tomato and onion based sauce, sometimes with a few vegetables mixed in and meat for the non-vegetarians. The ample meals took a while since they were prepared using fresh ingredients cooked over a wood fire.
In Ende, we
saw a fine example of a Toguna – a place for men to
rest, relax and discuss important matters. They are designed to keep out the
heat with a thick ceiling of millet stalks. The low ceiling is so that if a
discussion gets heated, no one can stand up quickly and walk out. Trying to do
so will result in a definite headache! Additionally, we were lucky to witness a
mask dance, featuring men from one of the Dogon villages. The dance was for a
festival at the
Each of the eight days we spent in Dogon country brought something different. We hiked up from the plains to the plateau and walked into a little oasis. There was a stream being used to irrigate fields planted with onions, eggplant, tomatoes and lettuce. We continued to Begnimato where Baba took us for a walk just after sunset. We came across a large courtyard with many men sitting around, drinking out of bowls made from gourds. It was two days after Christmas and one of the men had on wig and beard of long white Santa hair, which gave us all a great laugh. Of course, what do men in Dogon country sit around and drink? The same as everywhere else – alcohol. This was millet beer, brewed by the women and sold to the men. We had a couple of gourds full and found it to be a little sweet, slightly fizzy, mild and easy to drink.
In Dourou, we visited women who tie dyed fabric using indigo to create beautiful patterns. The fabric, homespun cotton, is sold as scarves – very useful for the dust, tablecloths and clothing. We then said goodbye to Thia and Cory and headed back down to the plains through a very narrow slot canyon. We had a great view of the falaise and some of the villages below it.
Hiking on the plains was tough going due to the fine, unpacked sand. It was semi-desert and similar to plodding along on the beach, except Paul was carrying an 18 pound pack and Lois a day pack. The temperature got as high as 96°F - 98°F (36°C) in the middle of the day. This meant that we got up around sunrise, had breakfast and headed out. When we arrived at a campement they brought us a bucket of fresh, cool water to wash off our hands and faces. From noon until 4:00PM we would stay there, have lunch, sleep and generally avoid the heat of the day. We could then hike until sunset, if necessary. This pattern only allowed for 4 or 5 hours of hiking a day, but in fact, most days we did way less because we spent a good amount of time exploring each village we passed through. Hiking on the plateau was easier since it was all rock, but without the views of the falaise, it just wasn’t the same.
Part of Dogon
culture is the custom of giving village elders Kola nuts as a symbol of
respect. As we hiked, some asked for Kola nuts and others didn’t. Lois was in
charge of giving them out and making sure we had enough for the whole hike.
Usually, giving a Kola nut also meant you were welcome to take the person’s
picture, although most people did not mind having their pictures taken. The other
side of the custom was that the elderly people would give us a benediction for
our hike. So, we had a lot of well wishes along the way. They may have helped, however,
Lois got sick one day. A dose of ciproflaxcin seemed
to clear things up and while we skipped our morning hiking, we were still able
to cover 5 miles (8 km) that afternoon. (This means Lois has now puked on the Inca
trail, in
Our final two days of hiking were probably the most difficult. The second to last day we covered about 13 miles (20 km), visited a number of villages and ended up sleeping in Tigarou which seemed as off the grid as we could get. The campement was just a dirt floor building with a couple of mattresses. The toilet was behind whichever rock you preferred. While there was no electricity, they had a kerosene powered cooler and we were able to have ice-cold beers! This was the first time Baba had been there which meant he wasn’t exactly sure about the route back to Sanga and civilization. The next day we had a few tense moments when we lost the trail and Baba had Lois and Paul sit and wait while he tried to find some help. Luckily, he found a nearby village and someone to guide us back. By 3:00 in the afternoon we were back in Sevare and enjoying running water and (cold water) showers. This brings us to January 5. Looks like Timbuktu will have to wait until the next travelogue...
Paul
& Lois
Ouagadougou, gBurkina Faso
January 17, 2009