Figure - two ancestors

One of the most important elements of the social structure of the inhabitants of the Bandiagara Escarpment are the binu ture families. These are endogamous groups whose members share a mythical relationship with the family's founder and guardian animal. Membership is inherited from father to son. The leader of the family is Binukedine, who is also the priest of the Binu cult. The main task of Binukedine is to perform the appropriate ceremonies at the Binu shrine. Other duties include naming new members of the family, offering sacrifices, performing purification rites, healing, divination, participating in ceremonies associated with the first sowing and harvest (together with Hogon, the priest of the Lebe cult), and assisting during Hogon's enthronement and funeral. The most important place for members of the family is the temple of Binu, where ceremonies concerning members of the family are performed.The family consists of several togu lineages, between which marriages are performed. A lineage is a descent group consisting of individuals descended from a specific, real ancestor, united by a sense of genealogical community. Belonging to a togu or to a tire togu - one of its segments - has the greatest influence on Dogon life. Lineages are exogamous, patriarchal and patrilocal, with members divided by age and relationship to the founder. The members of the togu own common land, cultivated by all, which is managed by the oldest son from the direct line of the founder. The crops obtained from cultivating the land belonging to the lineage are stored in a special granary. They are distributed among the members when their home granaries are empty.

Ewa Prądzyńska