Door of a Hogon’s granary that stores the harvest from the Lebe field, reserved for his exclusive use. It is sculpted with figures of the patrilineal ancestors. The lock depicts the guardian of the granary and his family.
Encompassing several totemic clans, the Dogon village is under the authority of a council of elders. The Hogon is the religious and spiritual leader of a region in charge of the cult of Lebe, the mystical serpent.
The clans are subdivided into lineage of Ginna, overseen by the patriarch guardian of the ancestral shrine and officiant at the totemic animal cult.
Beside the hierarchal system of consanguinity, male and female associations are entrusted with the initiation that take place by age groups, Tonno, corresponding to groups of newly circumcised boys and excised girls. The members of any group owe one another assistance until the day they die. Initiation of boys begins after circumcision, with the teaching of the myth, annotated by drawings and paintings. Dogon mythology is so complicated that the Griot needs a week to recite it in its entirety
Dogon / Mali / Granary Door of a Hogon
Wood / H 6 feet x W 27 1/2 inches
Age: 20th Century