The following
constructions have no religious function but, the smithy excepted, are
often adorned with fertility symbols, one of the major concerns in Dogon
belief. At the founding of a village, the Togu Na and the menstruation
hut are erected first.
The Togu Na
is a shelter open on all four sides and supported by stone or wood pillars
that carry a roof made of millet thatch. The ceiling is too low for
a person to stand upright. Women have no access to it. It is a shaded
place where men discuss village affairs and where they can rest. Manual
crafts, such as weaving ropes and baskets, can be done there too. Both
the Togu Na and the Ginna belong to the men making part of the same
family lineage. In theory, there are in a village as many Togu Na's
as there are Ginnas, for example, patrilineages.
In the plain of
the Seno-Gondo the pillars are made of wood and are often ornated with
representations of masks and symbols of fecundity : men and women with
disproportionate sexual organs. The older
pillars are of an archaic style and radiate a power that the newer ones
seem to have lost. Many have been stolen and still continue to fuel
the market for African antique. At first
the original owners thought they could contain the problem by partially
cutting off heads and breasts. All of this
was done to no avail. The old Togu Na
of Madougou is still in place. Some other Togu Na's have pillars that
had to rearranged and there are those, like the one in Youdiou, that
have been ravaged by theft. This is how thieves go about their work
: during the rainy season villagers work in the fields and, when night
comes, they are fast asleep. This is when, under cover of the night
and with the help of bad weather drowning any other noise, thieves go
into action. On the plateau and along the escarpment, the Togu Na's
have pillars made of stone and earth. Sometimes
they are supported by circular piled up stone walls.
see :
- Tito
& Sandro Spini "Togu Na - 1977"
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