Africa, African Anthropology - General Resources
By peoples
The peoples of Africa are often described in terms of their ethnic background or their languages. There are several thousand ethnic groups in Africa, ranging in physical stature from the short Pygmies to the tall Maasai, each with its own cultural traditions. Here are only a few of them.
Akan Akuapem Akye Anyi Aowin Asante Babanki Baga Bali Bamana Bamileke Bamum Bangubangu Bangwa Baule Beembe Bembe Berber Bidyogo Bobo Bushoong Bwa Chokwe Dan Diamande Dogon Eket Fang Fante Fon Frafra Fulani Hausa Hemba Holoholo Ibibio Idoma Igbira Igbo Ijo Kabre Karagwe Kassena Katana Kom Kongo Kota Kuba Kusu Kwahu Kwere Laka Lega Lobi Luba Luchazi Luluwa Lunda Luvale Lwalwa Maasai Makonde Mambila Mangbetu Manja Mbole Mende Mitsogo Mossi Mumuye Ngbaka Nkanu Nok Nuna Oron Owo Pende Pokot Punu San Senufo Shambaa Shona Songo Songye Suku Swahili Tabwa Tuareg Urhobo We Wimiama Wodaabe Wolof Woyo Wum Yaka Yombe Yoruba Zaramo Zulu
Please note: Some of the peoples and associations presented here are so closely related that more than one topic heading may apply. For example, The Akan people are given a page of their own, yet the Asante ( Ashanti ) are also an Akan people, as are the Akuapem. So, a full search for the 'Akan' may involve looking at pages dedicated to sub-groups as well. Some sub-group pages may contain only a link or two, but they are still part of a much larger picture.
You will find a similar relationship among some of other peoples listed here. This is a case where a little advanced knowledge of the subject may be an advantage when using these pages.
ArtWorld AFRICA - Tellem/Dogon __ "Dogon craftsmen work in wood, iron, and for small objects such as rings, in bronze, and like the blacksmith and woodcarvers of the Bamana are highly respected as a separate social group. The soil of the area does not lend itself to terracotta sculpture." - Illustrated - From University of Durham - http://tinyurl.com/bp48e
Dogon __ "The 250,000 Dogon people live on a large plateau, with most of the villages situated on cliffs to the north and the east. According to Dogon oral tradition, the tribe settled in this area between the i4th and the 15th centuries, after escaping from the Mande kingdom." History and culture. - illustrated - from ethnographica.com - http://www.ethnographica.com/pages/Dogon5.php?project_id=5
Dogon __ An overview of Dogon history and culture. "The Dogon are a cliff-dwelling people who live in Southeastern Mali and Burkina Faso. Among the people groups in Africa they are unique in that they have kept and continued to develop their own culture even in the midst of Islamic invasions which have conquered and adapted many of the current people groups" - illustrated - From The Africa Guide - http://www.africaguide.com/culture/tribes/dogon.htm
Dogon __ "To defend against attacks by warriors, the Dogons have built their
houses in the shelter of the pink sandstone cliffs of Bandiagara. The clay
houses are hard to get at." You will find a pictorial essay about this village.
- illustrated - From UNESCO -
http://whc.unesco.org/exhibits/afr_rev/africa-o.htm
Dogon Creation Story __ Learn the Dogon creation myth as told in this essay
about creation stories in general. You will also find interesting information
about other creation stories. - From Jason Wotherspoon -
http://www.adelaidegrid.warp0.com/custom3.html
Dogon Equestrian Figures __ "A common theme of ancestral figure among the Dogon is the Equestrian. Some of these found date from the 10th to 13th century." An overview of this art form. - illustrated - From princetonol.com - http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/dogonequ.htm
Dogon Mask (Kananga) Kanaga and Walu - Mali __ Learn the meaning of masks as well as a bit of history and culture. - illustrated - From rebirth.co.za - http://www.rebirth.co.za/dogon/mask_history.htm
Dogon - Nommo - Amphibious Gods __ "The religious beliefs of the Dogon are enormously complex and knowledge of them varies greatly within Dogon society. Dogon religion is defined primarily through the worship of the ancestors and the spirits whom they encountered as they slowly migrated from their obscure ancestral homelands to the Bandiagara cliffs." You can learn more about Dogon religion as well as culture and history. - illustrated - From crystalinks.com - http://www.crystalinks.com/dogon.html
Dogon People __ An encyclopedia article with links to related materials. - From Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogon
Dogon People __ "Early history is informed by oral traditions, which claim that the Dogon originated from the west bank of the Niger River (10th to 13th centuries). They emigrated west to northern Burkino Faso, where local histories describe them as kibsi. Around 1490, they fled a region now known as the northern Mossi kingdom of Yatenga when it was invaded by Mossi calvary." You will find information related to history, religion, political structure, art and more. - From University of Iowa - http://www.uiowa.edu/~africart/toc/people/Dogon.html
PhotoVoyage | The Dogon __ Gallery of click-to-enlarge images. - illustrated -
From José Azel/Aurora & Quanta Productions -
http://wpni01.auroraquanta.com/pv/dogon
Society-DOGON __ A good review of Dogon culture and history. "The Dogon are an ethnic group located mainly in the administrative districts of Bandiagara and Douentza in Mali, West Africa. Their territory extends from approximately lat. 13 1/2 degrees-15 degrees N by long. 1 1/2-4 degrees W. This area is composed of three quite distinct topographical regions: the plain, the cliffs, and the plateau. Within these regions the Dogon population of about 250,000 (ca. 1965) is most heavily concentrated along a 90-mile stretch of escarpment called the Cliffs of Bandiagara. This provides a rather spectacular physical setting for villages built up on the sides of the escarpment." - By Marlene M. Martin and Robert O. Lagace - http://lucy.ukc.ac.uk/EthnoAtlas/Hmar/Cult_dir/Culture.7840
Unique Dogon Culture Survives in West Africa __ "Hidden in the mysterious
Bandiagara Cliffs of southern Mali, West Africa, live a people who claim to be
the conduit between heaven and Earth: the people of the Dogon." An overview of
Dogon life. - illustrated - From National Geographic Society -
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/05/0529_030529_dogon.html
|