Maggie s Weekly Pack Name Date Africa' s People of the Cliffs, The Dogons Before you begin to read, you need to know why you are reading something. Are you reading to learn something? Are you reading only for fun? Do you need to learn one or two facts? This is a social studies article. You are reading to learn something.
Now you should read the title. Do you already know something about this subject? Write anything you already know on the lines. Thinking about what you already know is called using background knowledge. Many times background knowledge helps you to better understand what you are reading. Take a look at the title again, Africa s People of the Cliffs: The Dogons. Ask yourself questions about the title. What kinds of things do you think you will learn? Remember to use the question words, who, what, when, why, where, and how. These words will help you to ask good questions. Write 4 questions on the lines below. 1. 2.
3. 4. Your mind is ready! You are set to read about the Dogons. As you read, see if you can answer any of your questions. Africa s People of the Cliffs: The Dogons Did you also know that Africa is one of the biggest continents in the world? It is so big that the United States, Europe, and India could fit inside of it! Because Africa is SO big, it has many different types of people. One of the oldest groups of people are the Dogons. The Dogons live in Mali and Burkina Faso. They live right in the bend of the Niger River. There are about 400,000 Dogon people. They live in 700 small villages. These villages spread over 15,000 square miles. The Dogon people are called the cliff-dwellers of Africa. That is because their villages are along high cliffs. Why would people make their homes near cliffs? This seems like a
difficult place to live. But the cliffs gave the Dogons protection. They could see attackers. Then the Dogons could defend themselves. They protected each other in the days when wars were common. The cliffs also helped in another way. Outsiders could not reach the Dogons. The people kept their rich culture. It is only in recent years that new roads have brought tourists to the land of the Dogons. The Dogons live in villages. Each village has a large meeting place for all the people. Around this common area are the Dogon homes. They are made with stones and mud. These homes are very interesting. They are often made to look like the shape of a human being! If you were to look at a Dogon community from up in the air, it would like hundreds of large anthill mounds! Today there are many important villages. Some of these villages are now turning into city-like areas. Tourists visit the villages. They want to see the beautiful masks and dances of the people. But many of these dances have been changed to please the tourists. Some traditional dances have not been done for years.
The Dogons have always made colorful masks. They use them for ceremonies. The masks are very important in Dogon culture. There are between 65 and 78 different types of masks. There are masks showing humans, animals, spirits, and the universe. One amazing mask, called the Sirige mask, represents the stars. Each village has a group of men who make up a Society of Masks. This society is called the Awa. Members of the Awa use the masks in dances and ceremonies. This ability has been passed down from father to son. But now this cultural knowledge is starting to disappear. The Dogon people have also been known for their grain farming. Every year they throw a huge grain harvesting festival. There are several nights of music, food, and dance. The Dogons also raise cattle, sheep, and goats. They are known as good hunters too. The men cooperate to make sure there is enough food for all the people of the village.
The Dogon people have always been a peaceful people. They care about each other. They believe in working together as a community. Groups of men work the fields together. Women help each other. The Dogon people are happy to welcome strangers. A stranger is thought of as a guest. In the Dogon language there are many words of welcome. Today visitors are welcomed into the land of the cliff-dwellers. The question is will these visitors change the rich culture of the Dogon people? Thinking About It Were any of your questions answered? What things do you still want to know about the Dogons of Africa? Where could you go to find out?
Applying What You Know Imagine you are a reporter visiting the Dogon people. What questions would you ask them? Write 5 questions on the lines below. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Dear Colleague, We know that some of you study the Dogon home area, Mali, as part of your required curriculum. We hope this activity will be helpful to you and your students. For those of you without a Dogon connection in your curriculum, this subject is a fascinating one and deserves attention. Of course, you can always use this as a template and encourage children to read this article and then assign children (or groups of children) to write a similar article reflecting those areas that are in your required study areas. You may even want to have children explain why their report is like the example provided. And now for the fun use clay, paper towel rolls, or even just cardboard to build your own Dogon village! I remember the absolute joy a group of boys in my classroom had with a similar project. They even begged to skip recess to finish their creation! Now that s dedication! Happy teaching, Kathy Goals Students practice using pre-reading skills including making predictions and asking appropriate questions before reading an article about these people of Mali. They write questions for further research. This activity is available on two levels, primary and intermediate. The activity correlates with the IRA/NCTE Standard, Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.