Fetish

The presented iron fetish (an object filled with magical power) has characteristic pendants called dugo (or duge). They are made of smoothed stone and iron. According to Dogon beliefs, dugo is spiritual support, a material embodiment of the bond between the wearer and supernatural forces. Dugo is inspired by nyama - the life force of the ancestors. They connect the men and women wearing them with the recently deceased, from whom they inherited nana (reincarnation). The Dogon believe that every person is an incarnation of their ancestor, with the distinction that women are the nana of female ancestors and men of male ancestors. Dugo is also worn to emphasise a person's function in the life of the community. The Hogon - priests of the Lebe cult, considered an authority on religion, wear dugo to indicate their religious role and emphasise their connection to the mythical ancestor of the Lebe, whose cult they uphold. Dugo is also worn by women gifted with clairvoyance by Amma, the creator god.

Katarzyna Findlik-Gawron