Dogon Country!

***Note:  I started writing this post 2 days ago, but TONS of internet connectivity issues prohibited me from actuallly posting it until today.  The good news is that I have stable internet access for the next 3 nights….which means I will be doing some catch-up work.*****

Before I start sharing the majesty of Dogon Country…I just have to note one fact I confirmed today.  I have often been to grocery stores here where the temperature inside is hotter than it is outside (so super hot), and while walking the aisle with the wine I wonder if it could even taste good after sitting in such temperatures for extended periods of time (and I know it has to have been on the shelves awhile cuz the bottles are all dusty)…well, as I sit her drinking a half bottle right now that my guide went to fetch me, I can confirm that in fact the high temps do NOT enhance the wine on the palette….while quaffable, it certainly isn’t memorable…ah, but let me take that back.  This Cotes Du Rhone was sent for by a man on a moterbike just because I asked if they have wine, it was served with a big plate of ice and the server barely knew how to the open the bottle…it was cute…and now I sit here in the heart of Africa drinking it.  Okay, delete the not memorable statement…it is a pretty amazing glass of wine….just don’t make me drink it in the States!

Now Dogon Country! The road to reach this desolate part of Mali is rough and only reachable by 4X4.  My guide, A.G., picked me up promptly at 7:30am in traditional Dogon attire.  I let out a squeal when I saw him….which disturbed the French couple beside me at breakfast :). After a few pit stops (2 hours worth, but that is normal here and I have gotten quite use to it), we headed south to the remote and mystic countryside.  The plan was to do 3 days of trekking and 2 overnights in “campements”.  I really had no idea what lie in front of me.

My backpack, a few change of clothes, soap and toothbrush, a book (I am reading The Help right now), a small first aid kit and a bottle of water is all I brought with me.  My guide brought less. He just had the clothes on his back and a small leather bag decorated with shells drapped over his shoulder.  The below pictures show a small part of what he and I experienced together.

My first look at beautiful Dogon Country.

There are villages on and below this plateau. In Dogon Country there are over 1000 villages in an area that spreads over 145 km. I visited 6 of these primitive and lively villages over the course of my 3 days.

This is the village Kani Kombolee.

The big square strutures are the “graineries” where the families keep all the harvested millet, corn, rice, etc.

This is looking into a kitchen in the village of Kani Kombolee.

These villages have no electricity or any other modern convenience. Water is gathered from the well in the morning and throughout the day, the animals raised and the crops planted and harvested provide the the food eaten each day.

This is the luxury bathroom at the “campemente” I had lunch at. Bathrooms are just holes in the ground..effective 🙂

The mosque in the village.

Dogon Country use to be 100% animist, but today the Islam religion is taking hold. This village is 97% muslim and 3% christian. However, aspects of animism is blended with the christian and muslim religions because it is still an important part of the Dogon culture.

These cute little posts are used to tie the burros and horses. One is a man and one is a woman….you will always see a woman and man together

Me after the first day of hiking through Dogon!!

Coke always hits the spot…and this one was cold.

The campemente we stayed at had a generator fueled by petrol…so they had a small refrigerator and a few small lights in the evening.  A rare treat in Dogon.

Breakfast in Dogon Country.

Part of the morning ritual in Dogon….women getting the water from the well. The roles of men and women are well defined.  Everyone has their specific task based on gender.

This is the village of Telly, where I spent my first night in Dogon.

These are the old graineries of Telly that aren’t utilized anymore as the village moved from the cliffs to the valley of Dogon.  This grainery is over 100 years old, but is in pristine condition even though it is made of mud.  The overhanging cliff of the plateau has protected it from erosion.  Some of the villagers will make the hike up the cliff to utilize these graineries if theirs are full.

The women gather in the morning to pound millet together and “talk, talk, talk”, according to my guide as he rolled his eyes.  He thinks women talk too much….but apparently doesn’t recognize how much he and his buddies “talk, talk, talk” when they are together.  I know, I witnessed it and usually would have to wait while he was talk, talk, talking!

Telly, like some other villages in Dogon, were originally the homes of the Tellum or Pygmy people.

They built their homes in the conical mud structures you see on the cliffs.  They have since left Mali for other parts of Africa, but evidence of the Tellum still can be seen in the rocks.  I am still figuring out how they got up there!

My wonderful guide, A.G., at the beautiful waterfall in Telly.

BUG!!

Bugs facsinate me and freak me out all at the same time.  The bugs of Africa are particularly intriguing cuz usually they are so big!  Like this one!

This millipede I have only seen in pictures until the Dogon!!

In route to our next village!

Beautiful!

And Oh, was it hot!

The Village of Ende.

YES! That is a camel you see…it surprised me too! 🙂

Camels are just another beast of burden in Mali…these kids were probably going to take this camel into the fields with them.

Graineries.

The small one is used by the women in the family and the big one by the men.  Women are not to go into or use grain from the men grainery and vice versa.

Don’t they look a little like houses you would see in Dr. Seusse books??!!  I kept thinking that as I hiked each village.

This little structure held my dinner while he was still alive 🙂

Chicken stew with veggies and rice.

It was a staple for us in the campements at lunch or dinner.

 The locals more regularly eat “millet foofoo” and sauce.  It is served in a community bowl and is a dough ymixture of millet powder and water.  It is eaten by reaching in the bowl to  make balls out of the mixture, dip it in the sauce and eat it.

In Ende, there is a women’s co-op that dyes local cotton with indigo.This women is holding up some of the natural indigo used.Because the natural indigo is so labor intensive to collect, these women mix the natural and synthetic indigo to create their art.

My bed in Dogon Country!

Oh, and it was great! On the roof, under the stars, and just the sounds of the village (my guide usually slept on a table down below)…I would go to bed about 8:30pm each night cuz it was dark and there weren’t lights :). I did have a little flashlight, so I read a few chapters each night before counting shooting stars (I think the most I saw was 3 one night)…then sleep.

Oh, Baby! Beignets!!!

And they were as delicious as they look…I ate 4 (my guide said 4 is the # for women in Dogon too!).Beignets are made from rice flour…my mouth waters as I type about them. The honey was even better the second morning! Coffee was packets of instant Nescafe with powdered milk and sugar. The instant Nescafe is surprisingly tasty for coming in a plastic tube!

Our last day of trekking took us up to the top of the plateau…this is the trail head :).

Did I mention it had been and continued to pour all morning??!!

 

All the effort and careful steps were worth it!

Absolute majesty!

The last village we visited was Indelu…it was also my favorite village visited. The people in this village are 100% animists.An animist is one who, “attributes a living soul to natural objects and phenomenas.”Fetish rituals and mask ceremonies are all part of the animist religion.

This woman is pounding her millet…the sound is always very rythmic, almost like the beat of a drum.

Walking up to Indelu

A look down into the village.

An interesting thing to note are greetings in Dogon Country.

They go a little like this:

Greeter: Welcome! Would you like a glass of water?

Greetee: No, I am fine. (so once the need for refreshment is out of the way..the greeting can continue)

Greeter: How are you?

Greetee: Good (or Sayo in Dogon)

Greeter: How is your family?

Greetee: Sayo

Greeter: How is your father?

Greetee: Sayo

Greeter: How is your mother?

Greetee: Sayo

Greeter: How is your brother?

Greetee: Sayo

Greeter: How is you sister?

Greetee: Sayo

Greeter: How is your Uncle?

Greetee: Sayo

I think you get the picture :)…it goes on for awhile. The greeter will even ask how mutual friends are doing and their families. It was fun to witness when my guide would greet groups of people…they would all answer in harmony 🙂

This is the home of a Guina or healer (medically and spiritually).

The mound in front of the house is where sacrifices take place…the blood of chickens and goats are poured on this fetish as part of the animist rituals.

It is kinda tough to see…but this is a picture of the house where the women are sent during their menstrual cycle. Women pass 5 days in this house, while at night they are allowed to go home. Menstruating women are thought to be impure.

Kids riding cows always made me chuckle…..

I loved my restful 3 days in Dogon…and really hope to go back someday (with someone…cuz it is kinda romantic at night there under the stars!!!!) and experience more of the villages. Upon returning to Sevare, I was told there was a new security alert concerning travels to Timbuctu. The US embassey has basically forbidden travel to the northern region and stated that if I was to go and something happened (kidnapping, etc), then I wouldn’t be their responsibility…so that basically put a kabosh on those plans. “Thanks a lot, Bin Laden!!” to quote one of the guys from the movie, Hangover. At least I have travel plans for when I come back to Mali :).

I will be spending the next 3 nights in Segou…a town I have already visited, but absolutely adored. I am looking forward to spending time in one place and visiting some of small nearby towns by pinasse (the local boats).

Headed out the door…the swarm of venders and guides will undoubtedly surround me…..ah, so many joys and challenges in being here :). Wish me luck!