Dogon country

The region is a vast sandstone plateau rising gradually from the river to the cliff. It is on this plateau that Bandiagara, the “capital” of Dogon country is established.

Its often almost vertical wall faces Burkina Faso. With a height varying from 100 to around 400 m, it overlooks the Seno plain, which is between 250 and 300 m above sea level.

It is about 200 km long and oriented from southwest to northeast starting from Ségué in the south, and ending in Douentza in the north. The altitude increases from south to north until it reaches 791 m near Bamba, Koro.

It is the emblematic place of the country and its main center of tourist attraction.

Located at the foot of the cliff, the Séno-Gondo plain stretches to the Burkinabé border.

The Dogon religion is the traditional African beliefs of the Dogon of Mali. Those who follow this spiritual path believe in one Supreme Creator, Amma (or Ama[9]),[10] the omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent Creator.[11]

They also believe in ancestral spirits such as the Serpent Ancestor Lebe, and the "Water Spirits" Nommo.[12] Veneration of the ancestors forms an important aspect of Dogon religion. They hold ritual mask dances immediately after the death of a person and sometimes long after they have passed on to the next life.[13] Twins, "the need for duality and the doubling of individual lives" (masculine and feminine principles) is a fundamental element in their belief system. Like other traditional African religions, balance, and reverence for nature are also key elements.[14]

Many Dogons have also converted to Islam recently despite centuries of fleeing persecution and Islamization from other dominant communities.

Dogon ethnoentomology has been thoroughly documented by Jeffrey Heath. The following are various types of insects that are well known to the Northern Dogon people.[19]

Beetles

• Steraspis and Sternocera (jewel beetles)
• Bostrichidae (rectangular black beetles)
• Elephenus fasciatus (click beetle)
• Dineutus sp. (whirlygig beetle)
• Lampyridae (fireflies)
• Meloidae (blister beetles)
• Pachnoda and Rhabdotis (millet beetles): including Pachnoda cordata, Pachnoda interrupta, Pachnoda marginata, and Rhabdotis sobrina
• Allogymnopleurus aeneus (dung beetle)
• Trachyderma hispida (nocturnal house beetle)
• Vieta senegalensis (beetle found on grounds of millet fields)
• Epomis croesus (ground beetle)
• Scarites guineensis (ground beetle)
• Crossotus albicollis (longhorn beetle)
• Euryope rubra (orange leaf beetle)
• Phyllognathus burmeisteri (rhinoceros beetle)
• Pogonobasis sp., Thalpophila schweinfurthi, Pimelia grandis, and Zophosis sp.
• Other beetle species: Pseudoprotaetia stolata, Cyaneolytta chopardi, Hycleus affinis, Lydomorphus dusaulti, Zonitoschema gigantea, Apate terebrans, Sinoxylon senegalense, Oplostomus fuligineus, Callosobruchus maculatus, Lanelater notodonta, and Cybister sp.[20]

Diptera (flies)

• Asilidae (robber flies)
• Muscoidea
• Calliphoridae (blowflies)
• cf. Hypoderma sp. (botfly)
• cf. Sarcophaga sp. (flesh fly)
• Actia sp.

True bugs

• cicadas
• Anoplocnemis curvipes: feeds on legumes and flies
• pod-sucking bugs on cowpeas, etc.
• Nariscus sp.: feeds on calabash plants
• Pentatomidae (stink bugs)
• Dysdercus volkeri (cotton-stainer bug)
• Cyclogastridea sp.: a flat green bug in found in Combretum glutinosum tree leaves
• Laccotrephes fabricii, Lethocerus sp.: large "water scorpion" bugs found in pools of water

Bees and wasps

• Oxybelus sp. (digger wasp)
• Chrysididae (cuckoo wasps)
• Delta emarginatum (large mud-dauber wasp); Eumeninae (mason wasps)
• Polistes sp. (paper wasp)
• Belonogaster sp. (paper wasp)

Ants

• Pachycondyla sp. (stinging black ant, very common)
• Camponotus maculatus (yellow honey ant)
• Messor sp. (army ant)
• Camponotus sericeus (black ant)
• Cataglyphis spp.: long-legged and fast-moving, prefer sandy areas
• Dorylus sp. (large army ant)

Grasshoppers

• Chrotogonus senegalensis: small "toad grasshopper"
• Acrida bicolor
• Sherifuria haningtoni: common in rocky areas, eats grasses and grains
• Acorypha glaucopsis: eaten by the Dogon
• Diabolocatantops axillaris: millet pest
• Anacridium melanorhodon: tree locust
• Kraussaria angulifera: millet pest, also eaten by the Dogon
• Cataloipus cymbiferus: large "horse grasshopper"; millet pest
• Kraussella amabile: eaten by the Dogon
• Hieroglyphus daganensis: eaten by the Dogon
• Oedaleus senegalensis: millet pest
• Scintharista notabilis
• Conocephalus conocephalus; other Acrididae species: Acanthacris ruficornis citrina, Acorypha clara, Acrotylus blondeli, Acrotylus patruelis, Aiolopus simulatrix, Cataloipus fuscocoeruleipes, Catantops stramineus, Cryptocatantops haemorrhoidalis, Duronia chloronota, Eurysternacris brevipes, Gastrimargus africanus, Harpezocatantops stylifer, Heteracris annulosa, Heteracris leani, Homoxyrrhepes punctipennis, Humbe tenuicornis, Locusta migratoria, Locustana pardalina, Morphacris fasciata, Nomadacris septemfasciata, Ochrilidia gracilis, Ornithacris cavroisi, Orthacanthacris humilicrus, Oxycatantops spissus, Paracinema tricolor, Schistocerca gregaria, Sphingonotus canariensis orientalis, Trilophidia conturbata, Zacompsa festa; Pyrgomorphidae species: Atractomorpha acutipennis, Poekilocerus bufonius hieroglyphicus, Pyrgomorpha vignaudi[20]

Neuroptera (antlions, etc.)

• Lachlathetes furfuraceus and Creoleon africanus[20]

Mantises (such as Eremiaphila reticulata), earwigs (such as Forficula senegalensis), termites (such as Macrotermes subhyalinus), and many other types of insects are also found in Dogon Country. Lepidopteran species are diverse, including Agrius convolvuli and many pearl millet and sorghum pest species.[20]

Among non-insect arthropods, the scorpions Androctonus amoreuxi (a common house scorpion) and Pandinus imperator (black emperor scorpion, locally called the "horse scorpion"), which are non-insect arthropods, are also common in the region.[19] Spiders include Galeodes olivieri. Ticks include Hyalomma impeltatum and Rhipicephalus turanicus. Millipedes include Archispirostreptus sp., and centipedes include Scolopendra sp.[20]