Contrary to popular belief, the Dogons are not just a small tribe that lives in
Mali; Dogons are composed of many different bloodlines that represent the elite
of the Pharaonic society. Dogon bloodlines include the families of: Naba
(healers/priests), Woba (farmers), Yonlis (guardians of the kingship), Kediou
(builders), Mende (blacksmiths), etc. These bloodlines can be found in tribes
such as Gourmantche, Chibisi, Dogomba, Farafara, Sonike, Germa, etc. The Dogons
once lived in the Nile Valley, but migrated inland during the invasion around
400 BC. Today, the Dogons can be found living by the bend in the Niger River.
The name “Dogon” comes from the word “dogou”, which means land. The Dogons are
considered the “landlords” of Africa and their culture aims at preserving the
Earth and everything that lives on it. The Dogon culture has remained
uninterrupted since the time of the Pharaohs. The Dogons can be seen as Kemetic
people who, during the periods of invasion, migrated so that their culture and
spirituality could be kept pure. Due largely to the facts that the Dogon
culture now resides in a land-locked area and that the Dogon possess deep
spiritual knowledge, the culture has been preserved from colonial interruptions
and influence. This cultural and spiritual preservation also is the result of
very strong and strict rules of initiation (the mode by which initiation
knowledge is passed from generation to generation.)
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