Dogon people

For the ethnic group of the Kingdom of Dagbon in the north of Ghana, see Dagomba people.

Dogon people
Dogon men in their ceremonial attire
Total population
1,591,787 (2012–2013)
Regions with significant populations
 Mali1,751,965 (8.7%)[1]
Languages
Dogon languages, Bangime, French
Religion
African traditional religion, Islam, Christianity

The Dogon are an ethnic group indigenous to the central plateau region of Mali, in West Africa, south of the Niger bend, near the city of Bandiagara, and in Burkina Faso. The population numbers between 400,000 and 800,000.[2] They speak the Dogon languages, which are considered to constitute an independent branch of the Niger–Congo language family, meaning that they are not closely related to any other languages.[3]

The Dogon are best known for their religious traditions, their mask dances, wooden sculpture, and their architecture. Since the twentieth century, there have been significant changes in the social organisation, material culture and beliefs of the Dogon, in part because Dogon country is one of Mali's major tourist attractions.[4]

A Dogon hunter with a flintlock musket, 2010.
  1. ^ "Mali". www.cia.gov/. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  2. ^ Shoup, John A. (2011). Ethnic Groups of Africa and the Middle East: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 86. ISBN 978-1-59884-362-0.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Mali: what price tourism?". 16 April 2001. Retrieved 29 March 2019.