The Dogon people of Mali…a people who immigrated into Mali from Egypt when the civilization there wouldn’t tolerate their religious beliefs. We had talked last week about how we learn about African history when we have little written history. The Dogon people have an unwritten history that is told through masks which represent their god, Nommo. The show Ancient Aliens on the History channel is always fascinating, but this particular episode intrigued me. It not only talks about a story the Dogon people tell through ancient masks, but it’s a story that may link the Dogon mythology to another possibility – aliens! If you watch this particular episode of Ancient Aliens, it goes on to say how many religions, especially in Africa and nearby parts of the world, center around a god or gods believed to have come from the sky or stars. This type of belief could mean that the beings they worshipped may have been extraterrestrials.
Also, a quick note about the elongated heads discussed about three minutes into the video - earlier in the episode (not shown on the video), the narrator talks about how elongated skulls have been found in Africa. It appears that it was (and still is in some places) a practice where people would bind babies’ heads and deform them so that they would grow to be longer than average. Many believe that this desire for an elongated head derives from a desire to emulate those they worship – god(s) or alien(s)? We may never know.
Whether you believe in aliens or think it’s all a bunch of hooey, it’s an important part of Mali culture. The Dogon people are still around today to tell their story, and it’s a very thought-provoking one!
TTFN
Meghan
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