African Arts Gallery

br>Image of the rider in the African art Dogon
This rider figure would represent a priest .hogon. The stylized horse has stretched legs. The sculpture is patinated in light green.
The frequent representations of a rider, among the Dogon of Mali, refer to their cosmogony and their complex religious myths. Indeed, one of the Nommos, ancestors of men, resurrected by the creator god Amma, descended on the earth carried by an arch transformed into a horse. Moreover, the highest authority of the Dogon people, the religious leader named Hogon , paraded on his mount during his induction because it was customary for him not to set foot on the ground. In the region of the cliffs of Sangha, inaccessible on horseback, the priests wore it, while whining in reference to the mythical ancestor Nommo. The Dakar-Djibouti mission of 1931, led by Marcel Griaule , was tasked with studying in depth the rites of this population established in the group cliffs region of Bandiagara, southwest of the Niger Loop. The Dogon, a farming people, are said to be made up of several peoples who have taken refuge there as a result of droughts or repeated invasions. This work was then completed by a number of eminent researchers and anthropologists. Remains of ancient steel sites on the Bandiagara plateau, dating back to the 10th century, confirm the activity of blacksmiths. The latter form an endogamous caste among the Dogon called irim They now produce weapons, tools, and also work wood. " They are also supposed to treat burns (Huib Blom).