The Dogon are an indigenous tribe located in a region of Mali, south of the Sahara Dessert of Africa. They are a reclusive tribe of people with an ancient and intricate cosmology based on a single god, Amma. They are believed to be of Egyptian descent as their astronomical lore dates back to 3200 BCE. Today, they occupy the Homburi Mountains near Timbuktu where Dogon farmers have used intricate irrigation channels to produce green oases to surround their cliff-side villages.
According to their lore, the Dogon have always known that the Earth was round and circled the sun, but that is only the begin of their cosmological understanding. Their texts contain extensive and surprisingly accurate information about Sirius star cluster long before Western science had made such discoveries. They knew that Sirius had had a companion star which they refer to as Po Tolo, or Seed Star that moved in a 50-year elliptical orbit and was invisible to the human eye. The tribe claims that this companion star contains a mysterious, super dense metal known as Sagala, far heavier than all of the iron on Earth. In 1926, astronomers concluded that this elusive companion star existed was a white dwarf, a type star categorized by its small size and immense density. The accuracy of their ancient astronomical claims has brought much interest to the origins of this mysterious and whom they have come into contact with over the millennia.
In addition to their fascinating lore, the Dogon are also known for their astonishing masks and woodcarvings. Their ancestral artwork has had an enormous influence on modern art, including the work of Picasso. They have over 80 varieties of mask they wear depending on the celebration.
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Photograph by (c) Woody Wander
Photograph by (c) Dan Heller
Photograph by (c) Dan Heller
Photograph by (c) Dan Heller
Photograph by (c) Dan Heller
Photograph by (c) Anthony Pappone
Photograph by (c) Dan Heller
Photograph by (c) Dan Heller
Photograph by (c) Dan Heller
Photograph by (c) Dan Heller
Photograph by (c) Dan Heller
Photograph by (c) Chris Rainier
Photograph by (c) Woody Wander
Photograph by (c) Anthony Pappone
Photograph by (c) Anthony Pappone
