Still dazed with emotions, I follow slowly down the curved path lined with stacked stones that lead to at an open area. I turn left and see a sign that jolts me into wakefulness. It reads “Interdit aux femmes”- “Women not allowed”. I stop, look at the local chief who has kindly offered to be my tour guide, with a questionable look that says, please explain.
This area is sacred, he explaines, it is the location where rituals are performed by the witch doctor. If women walk across these grounds they will attract misfortune. It is also, next to the Toguna, the meeting place for elderly men, where disputes are settled.
As we continue our tour, I ask about the small rectangular shaped buildings with pointed tops that are beautifully arranged around the village. He tells me, ‘these are male and female granaries. The female granaries are where women store their personal belongings and the male granaries where food for the family is stored. Men are not allowed to enter the female granaries but women can enter the male granaries'.
So in the end, women are allowed!
As is common in cultures in the West, Dogon society is strongly oriented toward harmony.
This large Cashmere/Silk Anemone print is my abstract depiction of the societal harmony that is rooted in Dogon culture and that we can all relate to. It is luxuriously soft and available in two beautiful color ways that will envelop you in joy.
And, you can Shop it here!
