Day 7: MALI - Dogon Country

7:00 a.m. and we are ready to roll. It’s a beautiful day and the Niger River is at our doorsteps. After loading into the 4x4’s it’s off to Songo (Songho). As we distance ourselves from Mopti the wind is kicking up a lot of dust in the north while the landscape is turning more arid. Mud villages once the norm is now rock structures with a mix of palm frond and millet stem huts.

Our first stop is the village of Songho. Hiking up to the sacred rock carvings we were shown symbols only of which the Chieftain has knowledge. In this village there is one tribe made up of five different families. In this sacred area the guide described the circumcision ritual which the men of the class enjoyed immensely – yea right. On the way down we were greeted by children singing and playing music on simple instruments. Songho is a beautiful village.

On the two hour drive over rough terrain to Tirelli in this destitute land we were amazed at the agriculture wherever a stream or small waterway flowed. Onions were predominately grown, as were peppers, tomatoes and cabbage, all watered by hand.

As we approached Tirelli the rocky outcropping turned to shifting sand. Some say we were at the southern edge of the Sahara, or Sahal. Then the fun began for the next five kilometers as we had to literally plow full speed ahead in order to not sink into the sand.

In the village it was at least 40° C. where we watched the outstanding Dogon Mask Dance. A very colorful and energetic dance; many photos were taken. Afterwards we had lunch consisting of a vegetable sauce over couscous, rice or spaghetti noodles.

On the way to Irelli we stopped to view the sacred crocodiles. So how do they keep the crocodiles fat and happy so they do not eat the goats and cattle when they come to the crocodile pond to drink?

We also saw a few camels along the way. The Baobab trees are magnificent.

Entering Irelli we saw the cave houses built high into the cliffs. The span of cliff dwellings were 500 kilometers up and spanned over 250 km wide and were similar to the Antazi (sic) villages in New Mexico. A short drive down the road took us to the escarpment. Some took the strenuous hike to the top, roughly 1500 km high. Others took the 4x4 trial which was just as exciting, tittering on the edge of the cliffs.

On the way out we stopped to see the shaman who had sketched the village, household by household into the sand. At night he places peanuts out and in the morning, depending upon how the insects and mice have eaten and moved the nuts around, he makes a prediction of what will happen in each household; marriage, children, et cetera.

Oh, almost forgot the answer to the question – feed them chickens.

We arrived back at our hotel around 8:30 p.m. After an adventurous day, dinner and beer soon followed.

Signed,

Mark Quisenberry, Naty Jaime, Michael Frantz (Trip Writers)