Zoomorphic figurine, Yurugu figurine

The Yurugu jackal (a pale fox) is a figure that appears frequently in the myths and folklore of the Dogon, who are convinced of its exceptional intelligence and therefore treat it specially. The tradition of divination from jackal tracks is still cultivated. Denise Paulme, during her research with the Dogon in the 1930s, recorded a story explaining the origin of this tradition.Long ago, a man and a Yurugu jackal lived in great friendship. The animal visited the man in his house every day and sat on his lap. They had long talks together, but the host's wife was very unhappy with these daily visits. She was annoyed that she had to feed the animal. Hence, she began to persuade her husband to kill it. The man refused for a long time, but finally gave in to his wife's persuasions and decided to get rid of his friend. However, not for nothing admired by the Dogon for his intelligence, Yurugu quickly guessed the man's intention. He announced to him that he would never come to him again. Instead, he asked the man to come to the edge of the village first thing in the morning to see his trail (paw prints on the ground). That is how Yurugu's footprints were first read. Only male fortune-tellers called yuaine (those who have seen jackals) are able to explain the signs left by the jackal.To become yuaine, one needs to have a good memory and practice for a long time the various nuances that allow one to accurately interpret the marks. The novice in training is called a slave of the jackals, he never draws any figures himself, he only listens to the discussions and learns to decipher the writing of the jackals as the Yurugu trace is sometimes called. The figure was part of a divination set.

Ewa Prądzyńska