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The '''Dogon religion''' is the [[Traditional African religions|traditional religious]] beliefs of the [[Dogon people]] of [[Mali]]. |
The '''Dogon religion''' is the [[Traditional African religions|traditional religious]] beliefs of the [[Dogon people]] of [[Mali]]. |
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"Amma : Amma is the supreme creator god of the Dogon religion, whose efforts initiated the the formation of the universe, the creation of matter, and the processes of biological reproduction. The notion of a creator god named ''Amma'' or ''Amen'' is one that is not unique to the Dogon, but can also be found in the religious traditions of other West African and North African groups. It may be reflected in the word ''Amazigh'', a name that is applied collectively to the hunter cultural groups who preceeded the first dynasty in Egypt. Like other important Dogon cosmological keywords, the word ''Amma'' carries with it more than one level of meaning in the Dogon language. From one perspective, it can refer to the ''hidden god'' of the Dogon, and yet, from another perspective, it can mean "to grasph, to hold firm, or to establish." Among the Dogon, Amma is thugh of as the god who holds the world firmly between her or his two hands, and to speak the name ''Amma'' is to entreat her or him to continue to honld it. <=> Although commonly referred to as a male, Amma is considered to symbolize both the male and female principles as genderless or as being of dual gender. This dual aspect of Amma's character is consistent with the broader cosmological principles of ''duality'' and ''the pairing of opposites'' that are expressed symbolically in all facets of Dogon religion and culture. It is also consistent with the male and female aspects of biological reproduction that Amma symbolizes. <=>The Dogon religion is characterized as an esoteric tradition, one that involves both public and private aspects. Although Amma could be said to embody great creative potential, she or he is in fact considered by the knowledgeable Dogon priests to be small-so small as to be effectively hidden from view-although this detail of Amma's character is generally not spoken of in public among the Dogon. This perceived smallness of Amma is consonant with the instrumental role that she or he is said to play in the mythological process of the formation of matter and of biological reproduction. <=> Perhaps the first important creation of the Dogon god Amma was the unformed universe, a body that is said to have held all of the potential seeds or signs of future existence. The Dogon refer to this body as ''Amma's Egg'' and characterizes it as a conical, somewhat quadrangular structurewith a rounded point, filled with unrealized potentiality-its corners prefigure the four future cardinal points of the universe to come."<ref name="Asante/> |
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"According to Dogon myth, some undefined impulse caused this egg to open, allowing it to release a whirlwind that sprun silently and scattered in contents in all directions, ultimately forming all of the spiraling galaxies of star and planets. The Dogon compare these bodies to pellets of clay flung out in space. It is by a somewha more complicated process that the sun and the moon were formed, one that the Dogon equate with the art of pottery. Consequently, the Dogon priest compare the sun to a pot of clay that has been raised to a higher heat. <=> Amma is also credited by the Dogon with having created life on Earth. According to the Dogon, myth, there is a principle of ''twin births'' in the universe. However, it is said that Amma's first attempt at intercouse with the earth failed, ultimately producing only a single creature-the jackal. This failed is seen by the Dogon as a breach of order in the universe, and therefore the ''jackal'' came to be associated with the concept of ''disorder'' and ''the difficulties of Amma.'' Later, having overcome the difficulty, Amma's divine seed successfully entered and fertilized the womb of the earth and eventually produced the perfect twin pair, the ''Nummo.'"<ref name="Asante>[[Molefi Kete Asante|Asante, Molefi Kete]]; Mazama, Ama; ''Encyclopedia of African Religion, Volume 1'', [[SAGE]] (2009), pp. 40-41, {{ISBN|9781412936361}} [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=B667ATiedQkC&pg=PT40#v=onepage&q&f=false] (retrieved March 1, 2020) |
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The Dogon creation myth is somewhat similar to the Serer creation myth in sofar as the dual principles of Amma and Roog (the Serer supreme deity); the prominence of the jackal during creation, a mythical creation based on the principles of a cosmic egg and chaos; the failed first creation due to the jackal desecrating the first placenta and the animal being considered by both societies as a disordered animal yet respected due to its closeness with their respective supreme deities; and a wind–like motion or rotational movement of their respective deities around the axis of the world in primordial time. |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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Revision as of 09:07, 1 March 2020
The Dogon religion is the traditional religious beliefs of the Dogon people of Mali.
"Amma : Amma is the supreme creator god of the Dogon religion, whose efforts initiated the the formation of the universe, the creation of matter, and the processes of biological reproduction. The notion of a creator god named Amma or Amen is one that is not unique to the Dogon, but can also be found in the religious traditions of other West African and North African groups. It may be reflected in the word Amazigh, a name that is applied collectively to the hunter cultural groups who preceeded the first dynasty in Egypt. Like other important Dogon cosmological keywords, the word Amma carries with it more than one level of meaning in the Dogon language. From one perspective, it can refer to the hidden god of the Dogon, and yet, from another perspective, it can mean "to grasph, to hold firm, or to establish." Among the Dogon, Amma is thugh of as the god who holds the world firmly between her or his two hands, and to speak the name Amma is to entreat her or him to continue to honld it. <=> Although commonly referred to as a male, Amma is considered to symbolize both the male and female principles as genderless or as being of dual gender. This dual aspect of Amma's character is consistent with the broader cosmological principles of duality and the pairing of opposites that are expressed symbolically in all facets of Dogon religion and culture. It is also consistent with the male and female aspects of biological reproduction that Amma symbolizes. <=>The Dogon religion is characterized as an esoteric tradition, one that involves both public and private aspects. Although Amma could be said to embody great creative potential, she or he is in fact considered by the knowledgeable Dogon priests to be small-so small as to be effectively hidden from view-although this detail of Amma's character is generally not spoken of in public among the Dogon. This perceived smallness of Amma is consonant with the instrumental role that she or he is said to play in the mythological process of the formation of matter and of biological reproduction. <=> Perhaps the first important creation of the Dogon god Amma was the unformed universe, a body that is said to have held all of the potential seeds or signs of future existence. The Dogon refer to this body as Amma's Egg and characterizes it as a conical, somewhat quadrangular structurewith a rounded point, filled with unrealized potentiality-its corners prefigure the four future cardinal points of the universe to come."[1]
"According to Dogon myth, some undefined impulse caused this egg to open, allowing it to release a whirlwind that sprun silently and scattered in contents in all directions, ultimately forming all of the spiraling galaxies of star and planets. The Dogon compare these bodies to pellets of clay flung out in space. It is by a somewha more complicated process that the sun and the moon were formed, one that the Dogon equate with the art of pottery. Consequently, the Dogon priest compare the sun to a pot of clay that has been raised to a higher heat. <=> Amma is also credited by the Dogon with having created life on Earth. According to the Dogon, myth, there is a principle of twin births in the universe. However, it is said that Amma's first attempt at intercouse with the earth failed, ultimately producing only a single creature-the jackal. This failed is seen by the Dogon as a breach of order in the universe, and therefore the jackal came to be associated with the concept of disorder and the difficulties of Amma. Later, having overcome the difficulty, Amma's divine seed successfully entered and fertilized the womb of the earth and eventually produced the perfect twin pair, the Nummo.'"[1]
The Dogon creation myth is somewhat similar to the Serer creation myth in sofar as the dual principles of Amma and Roog (the Serer supreme deity); the prominence of the jackal during creation, a mythical creation based on the principles of a cosmic egg and chaos; the failed first creation due to the jackal desecrating the first placenta and the animal being considered by both societies as a disordered animal yet respected due to its closeness with their respective supreme deities; and a wind–like motion or rotational movement of their respective deities around the axis of the world in primordial time.
References
- ^ a b Asante, Molefi Kete; Mazama, Ama; Encyclopedia of African Religion, Volume 1, SAGE (2009), pp. 40-41, ISBN 9781412936361 [1] (retrieved March 1, 2020)