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the bandiagara escarpment is in Mali
near the border of burkina faso the
people of the Dogon tribe build their
houses in the shelter of the rock
escarpment which extends east to the
homebody Mountains these rocks hold the
secrets of the Dogon one of the most
isolated peoples of Africa the members
of this tribe believed that they are
born with two souls when feminine and
one masculine they circumcised their
sons to liberate them from the influence
of their female Souls
if only last year circumcised boys wear
more sophisticated clothing and perform
the dances that celebrate the arrival of
the new macho men in the village when
the ceremony ends they come down led by
the organ the regional priest and judge
by law no women can see them to ensure
compliance those circumcised the year
before walk ahead brandishing sticks if
they encounter any unlucky female in the
street she'd better run or they will
beat her and she'll have to pay a fine
of one chicken this way of thinking
doesn't appeal much to me in fact it
doesn't appeal to me at all perhaps they
don't have much sense of course what
they really lack though is water this is
the most precious commodity and it's
found only in a few wells but during
droughts even the wells are dry when
this happens the Dogon do have a need
for their women after all rain women
have the power to attract thunderstorms
and rain
these highly venerated women are hard at
work employing their deep understanding
of the laws that govern the world not to
mention a great sense of rhythm if the
gods are pleased with their dances
they'll give up a little bit of the
water that's so abundant in the heavens
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built into the escarpment overlooking
the village are forgotten houses and
tombs where the key to the origin of
this tribe might be found
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some of the remains in these
inaccessible cemeteries have been
resting here for centuries no one other
than us has access to these sacred and
highly venerated tombs well I'm not so
sure about our seether
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if there's one outstanding group among
the Dogon it is the mask society only
the initiated are permitted to wear
these face masks they represent animals
or other entities and once belonged to
now deceased hunters the souls of their
former owners inhabit the dancers who
wear the masks as long as they keep
dancing and I never even suspected it
they begin moving slowly but speed up to
a frantic pace as the dance continues
the dance represents the struggle of the
Dogon against their enemies of positive
against negative and of order against
chaos
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you