The Binou (or Binou cult) is a Dogon

totem A totem (from oj, ᑑᑌᒼ, italics=no or '' doodem'') is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage, or tribe, such as in the Anishinaabe clan system. While ''the ...

ic, religious order and secret ceremonial practice which venerates the immortal ancestors. It can also mean a water

serpent Serpent or The Serpent may refer to: * Snake, a carnivorous reptile of the suborder Serpentes Mythology and religion * Sea serpent, a monstrous ocean creature * Serpent (symbolism), the snake in religious rites and mythological contexts * Serp ...

or protector of a family or clan in

Dogon Dogon may refer to: *Dogon people, an ethnic group living in the central plateau region of Mali, in West Africa *Dogon languages, a small, close-knit language family spoken by the Dogon people of Mali *'' Dogon A.D.'', an album by saxophonist Juliu ...

.Bouju, Jacky, ''Graine de l'homme, enfant du mil'', Société d'éthnologie (1984), pp. 33–4, 218,

/ref> It is one of the four tenets of

Dogon religion The Dogon are an ethnic group indigenous to the central plateau region of Mali, in West Africa, south of the Niger bend, near the city of Bandiagara, and in Burkina Faso. The population numbers between 400,000 and 800,000. They speak the Dogon ...

—an African spirituality among the Dogon people of

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mal ...

. Although the Dogons' "Society of the Masks" (the

Awa Society Awa (in Dogon), also known as the Awa Society, the Society of Masks, is an African mask and initiatory society of the Dogon people of Mali which is made up of circumcised men, and whose role is both ritual and political within Dogon society. ...

) is more well known, due in part to Dogon mask–dance culture which attracts huge tourism, it is only one aspect of Dogon religion, which apart from the worship of the Creator God Amma, a rather distant and abstract deity in the Dogon

world-view A worldview or world-view or ''Weltanschauung'' is the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing the whole of the individual's or society's knowledge, culture, and point of view. A worldview can include natural ...

, is above all made up of ancestor veneration (the four aspects of that practice). The Binou serves as one of the four aspects of

's ancestor veneration. Other than the Binou and the worship of Amma, the other three aspects of the religion includes the veneration of Lebe (or ''Lehé''), which pertains to an immortal ancestor (Lebe) who suffered a temporary death in Dogon primordial time but was resurrected by the

Nommo The Nommo or Nummo are primordial ancestral spirits in Dogon religion and cosmogony (sometimes referred to as demi deities) venerated by the Dogon people of Mali. The word Nommos is derived from a Dogon word meaning "to make one drink." Nommos ...

; the veneration of

souls In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

; and lastly, the Society of the Masks, which relates to dead ancestors in general. These myths are in oral form—known to us in a secret language. They form the framework of Dogon's religious knowledge, and are the fixed Dogon's sources relating to the creation of the universe; the invention of fire, speech and culture. Asante, Molefi Kete; Mazama, Ama; ''Encyclopedia of African Religion, Volume 1'',

SAGE Sage or SAGE may refer to: Plants * ''Salvia officinalis'', common sage, a small evergreen subshrub used as a culinary herb ** Lamiaceae, a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint or deadnettle or sage family ** ''Salvia'', a large ...

(2009), pp. 40–41, (retrieved March 3, 2020

/ref> Luc de Heusch, Heusch, Luc de, ''Sacrifice in Africa: A Structuralist Approach'', (trans. Linda O'Brien, Alice Morton), Manchester University Press (1985), p. 132, (retrieved March 3, 2020

/ref> Pascal James Imperato, Imperato, Pascal James, ''Dogon Cliff Dwellers: The Art of Mali's Mountain People'', L. Kahan Gallery/African Arts (1978), pp. 15, 23

Etymology

The name ''binou'' comes from the Dogon phrase ''ba-binu'' (or ''babinou / ba–binou'') which means "forbidden". As common in many

African African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

cultures, it is prohibited or forbidden to kill, eat or harm (or sometimes even touch) the animal that represents one's family totem. Disobeying this law is regarded as dishonouring the pact that one's ancestor made with the animal/species, and is believed could bring bad omen upon oneself or the entire family or clan.

Ceremony and shrine

The Binou ceremony is a secret ceremony which takes place in a

shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon, or similar figure of respect, wherein they ...

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a sa ...

whose form varies from one village to the next. These shrines are highly decorated, single-chambered building with symbolic reliefs and paintings. As a spiritual leader of the Binou clan, a Binou priest's responsibility is to maintain harmony between clan members or

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, cultu ...

s, and between humans and the supernatural world. During the ceremony, animals are sacrificed, and

libation A libation is a ritual pouring of a liquid, or grains such as rice, as an offering to a deity or spirit, or in memory of the dead. It was common in many religions of antiquity and continues to be offered in cultures today. Various substanc ...

s of millet

gruel Gruel is a food consisting of some type of cereal—such as ground oats, wheat, rye, or rice—heated or boiled in water or milk. It is a thinner version of porridge that may be more often drunk rather than eaten. Historically, gruel has been a ...

on the

façade A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loan word from the French (), which means ' frontage' or ' face'. In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important aspect ...

of the shrine form an important part of Binou rituals and ceremonies. The millet leaves very clear white markings on the façade. Millet gruel is also poured inside the shrine under the supervision of a totemic Binou priest—who alone can access the interior. The ceremony usually takes place during agrarian rites—which tries to ensure good

rain Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water ...

fall and harvest.

Priesthood and totemism

The house of Hogon is associated with the veneration of Lebe— the serpent ancestor, whilst the clan Binou is associated with the immortal ancestors. The Hogon and Binou priests may be regarded as complementary counterparts, since both serve as spiritual leaders. The death of a Hogon means a new leader has to be appointed, and this is done by electing one of the village elders to fill the vacant position. After his election, the newly appointed priest goes through a period of initiation, and live his life under strict rules, and is forbidden from engaging in certain normal humanly activities that regular people may take for granted. Some of these include being forbidden from leaving his compound, and not to be touched by anyone—not even his wife or

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

members. Clan members are obliged to show respect to their clan's totemic

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclu ...

, and should not harm or cut it. They are not are not permitted to eat, kill, or dance with a mask representing them. The term ''ba-binu'' which literally means "prohibitions" or "forbidden" in

, in reference to a clan or family totem—is a highly held believe in Dogon totemic culture as with many

cultures Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tylo ...

in Sub-Saharan Africa. The village also hosts mask performances.Nugteren, Albertina (Tineke), ''Religion, Ritual and Ritualistic Objects'', MDPI (2019), p. 14, (retrieved March 17, 2020

/ref> In return for respecting their clan's totemic animal, the ''ba-binu'' offers them protection—for example, when a clan member is travelling or in the bush. Dogon families are tied to one of the eight ancestral groups as per the four sets of

twins Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...

in Dogon cosmogony and

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

. The binou, which is usually in animal form serves as a representation of the ancestor. Every Dogon village or clan has its own totem. Sacrifices are laid before the binou in order to appease the immortal ancestors to look favourably on the living. The "cult of the ancestors" which is another Dogon ceremony is somewhat similar to the binou ceremony. The only essential difference being the former relates to individual families. The main aim of this tradition is to maintain good relations between the living and the dead. Family household or ''ginna'' have their own

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

s which they dedicate to an ancestor. The head of the family or the ''ginna bana'' presides over sacrifices and rituals.Velton, Ross; Geels, Jolijn; (edited, illustrated and compiled by Jolijn Geels)

Bradt Travel Guides Bradt Travel Guides is a publisher of travel guides founded in 1974 by Hilary Bradt and her husband George, who co-wrote the first Bradt Guide on a river barge on a tributary of the Amazon. Since then Bradt has grown into a leading independent tr ...

, 2004), pp. 181—3, (retrieved March 17, 2020)

/ref>

Notes

References

Bibliography

*Velton, Ross; Geels, Jolijn; (edited, illustrated and compiled by Jolijn Geels), ''Mali: The Bradt Travel Guide'',

(2004), pp. 181–3, 197, (retrieved March 17, 2020

* *Bouju, Jacky, ''Graine de l'homme, enfant du mil'', Société d'éthnologie (1984), pp. 33–4, 218,

* *Ganay, Solange de, ''Les devises des Dogons'', Institut d'ethnologie, (1942), 96-8 * Rosalind Hackett, Hackett, Rosalind, ''Art and Religion in Africa'', A&C Black 1(998), pp. 35–36, (retrieved March 3, 2020

* Asante, Molefi Kete; Mazama, Ama; ''Encyclopedia of African Religion, Volume 1'',

(2009), pp. 40–41, (retrieved March 3, 2020

*Davis, Shawn R., ''Dogon Funerals'' n''African Art'', vol. 35, Issue 2, JSTOR (Organization),

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Franci ...

, Los Angeles. African Studies Center, African Studies Center, University of California, Los Angeles (2002), p. 68 * Luc de Heusch, Heusch, Luc de, ''Sacrifice in Africa: A Structuralist Approach'', (trans. Linda O'Brien, Alice Morton), Manchester University Press (1985), p. 132, (retrieved March 3, 2020

* Pascal James Imperato, Imperato, Pascal James, ''Dogon Cliff Dwellers: The Art of Mali's Mountain People'', L. Kahan Gallery/African Arts (1978), pp. 15, 23 *Roberts, David, ''Escape Routes: Further Adventure Writings of David Roberts'', The Mountaineers (club), The Mountaineers Books (1998), p. 218, (retrieved March 18, 2020

*Nugteren, Albertina (Tineke), ''Religion, Ritual and Ritualistic Objects'', MDPI (2019), p. 14, (retrieved March 17, 2020

External links

*Dogon-lobi, ''Sanctuaire de Binou'

{{Dogon topics, state=collapsed Dogon religion African shamanism