The
next morning the small village was awash with activity. It was
Christmas day and some of the local men wanted to get started
early…with rum. Actually, I'm pretty sure their Christmas began the
night before. Gotta love the Christians. We pressed on. By midday we
arrived at Nombori, Gabriel's village. The walk took us through a
small canyon and was, by far, the most topographically interesting
area we had passed (I got a little lazy with the camera). I had hoped
we would see more of the same. After arriving at Nombori we began our
lunchtime ritual of sitting and staring. By this time both Leslie and
I were not such happy campers. As boredom set in our morale dampened.
We hated to admit it but the trip was going the way we'd hope it
would not. Insipid would be a good adjective. And on top of that we
were not really feeling that great, a condition probably related to
the heat and the dust.
Things
brightened a bit when Gabriel invited us to visit the local church to
witness the Christmas festivities. I investigated alone as Leslie was
not feeling up to it. It was to be the most rewarding experience of
the trip for me. The 'church' consisted of a large wooden hut filled
with benches. It was packed. Everyone was dressed up. At first I
stood in the doorway and listened to the congregation sing religious
hymns in their local language. Magnificent.
Although
hesitant at first Gabriel finally coaxed me into the back where I
squeezed myself onto a bench and enjoyed the proceedings. It would
have been impossible for me to stick out any more than I did. I felt
privileged to be able to sit back and watch these folks worship with
all the alacrity of devout believers. In between songs the preacher
would give a sermon that everyone was glued to. The highlight was the
children who at one point piled into the open space near the door and
began bellowing a religious hymn. This may not have been the Dogon I
was hoping to see but it was delightfully authentic. I parted with a
smile on my face. Of course, I forgot to bring my camera.
And
then came lunch....and more sitting. We had hoped to visit Gabriel's
home but an offer never materialized and when he said he was going to
his house I felt asking if we could join him would be a bit
impertinent. I don't think he spends that much time with the folks so
I can certainly understand his wish for privacy. In his absence
Leslie and I had a 'Come to Jesus' moment about our trek. We simply
had had enough. I am certain a trip to Dogon could be worthwhile with
a bit more planning and research. Firstly, I would try to bring along
someone versed in Dogon culture with ties to the community. A
cultural anthropologist would be ideal although finding one might be
a teensy bit problamatic. I do not blame Gabriel. It would be easy to
chalk this up to a poor guide but my instincts tell me he is the
norm. The fact is daily life in these villages is probably not
terribly interesting outside festival/ceremony times (unless you are
in a group and pay to see a ceremonial reenactment). And some
ceremonies are off limits to foreigners anyway. Tourists have been
visiting the region for many years and as a result of this we were
regarded with a sort of mild apathy (the exception being the small
children). Can't blame them for that either as I am sure I would be
the same in their position. Still, it does not make for a very
engaging experience.
I also
believe that the majority of tourists are content with the exact
program that so bored us to tears (i.e. a snail's pace with long
breaks in between). This was certainly the case for the two Chinese
woman Gabriel had just escorted. I would surmise that if you are in
relatively good shape you could probably walk through the heart of
Dogon in four days (as opposed to eight) at a comfortable pace. I
mentioned this to Gabriel and although he thought we were 'very fast'
balked at such an absurd suggestion. Uh-huh. Additionally, the whole
trip can be done in a vehicle which may in fact be cheaper (less
time). I love hiking but prefer to do so when it is necessary to
enhance your experience. I am not so sure this is the case in Dogon.
So
after a bit of deliberation we decided we would head back to the
village we'd passed through the day before (Yawa I believe) where we
could theoretically have our driver pick us up and bring us back to
Mopti. Gabriel invited us to see a group of folks engaging in a bout
of singing and dancing (more Christmas celebration) at the bottom of
the village (we had been hearing them for hours). It was my turn to
feel ill so Leslie went without me. Apparently I made a mistake as it
was a fascinating experience. On the way back Leslie broke the news
to Gabriel.
He did
not take it well. In fact, when they returned he pulled up a chair
next to Leslie and I and appeared to sink into a funk. We felt
terrible about this but could see no alternative. We softened the
blow a bit by informing him and our hosts that we were not feeling
well and needed to return to Mopti. They interpreted this as weakness
and our inability to adapt to the terrain. In their view we simply
pushed ourselves too hard.
In
some of the pictures that follow you will notice dwellings built
right into the cliff face, many of which are impossibly high (meaning
no apparent access). These do not belong to the Dogon but are instead
attributed to the Tellem,
denizens of the escarpment prior to Dogon settlement. The Tellem were
reputed to be pigmies that either assimilated into Dogon culture or
disappeared from the region altogether. No one seems to know. The
Dogon believe that these folks had magical powers, most notable the
power of flight. This helps explain their precarious dwellings. I was
not able to find out much about this ancient culture online so if
anyone has anything to add I am all ears.
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| Grinding a little millet |
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'Love me or hate me, but spare me your indifference.' -- Libbie Fudim