Granary Door


 

 

 

Granary door

W

H

O

 

 

 

 

Dogon

Cliff dwellers, early history indicates that they lived in caves.

There is little rainfall and the people live in a rocky terrain.  The Dogon are farmers and must grow crops on terraced land and must carry water for their crops. Crops include Millet, sorghum, vegetables, fruit and cotton.  The people raise goats, sheep, and chickens. Villages are grouped around a well and the leader of the group is the father of the extended family.

W

H

A

T

Granary

Granaries are built for storage of grain and other supplies. Access to the granary is through a window near the top of the granary. The shutter over the window is called a door!

 

WHEN

 

W

H

E

R

E

Mali

The ancestors of the West Africa people, including the Ashanti and Dogon, appeared in the Niger River area in 8000 BC. Oral histories dates the Dogon to the Niger River area in the 10th to the 13th centuries. They emigrated west to Burkina Faso. Repeatedly harassed by slavers and Islamic raiders, they ended up in the Bandigara cliffs region, where they now live.

 Return to Exhibit Room

 

Let the object speak