Reading in Marcel Griaule's classic, CONVERSATIONS WITH OGOTEMMELI : AN INTRODUCTION TO DOGON RELIGIOUS IDEAS (1975), I was surprised to note a similarity to other cosmologies known to me.
First, the symbol of the anvil that is mentioned therein, that was central to the work of the ancestral "nummo" whose primordial descent from heaven instructed men in iron-making, reminded me of our anvil in the symbol in the escutcheon of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Our symbol actually represents the blacksmith shop, that became our African American denomination's first edifice. The blacksmith shop had been purchased by Founder-Bishop Richard Allen with his own money, then it had been had moved to 6th and Lombard Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to serve as our very "own vine and fig tree."
I was reminded of Camara Laye's classic African-boy, autobiography, THE DARK CHILD when Ogotemmeli speaks of the serpent that was associated with the symbolic Dogon blacksmith shop. It was, very much like the guardian spirit snake of the dark child's father, owner of a skilled metal shop compound in colonial, Guinea, West Africa.
Next, the wise man, Ogotemmeli's Dogon narrative mentions eight founding families. The numeral "eight" evoked THE ENNEAD, 3rd Century African Philosopher, Plotinus' masterpiece ; "ennead" means "eight." His reference to such other references as "median line of the square" in describing the layout of plots of land, reminded me of EUCLID'S ELEMENTS, African American icon, Benjamin Banneker,surveying, astronomy and of speculative freemasonry .
P. 44
Most of Ogotemmetili's cosmological allusions were well over my head. I was just happy to be able to "catch as catch can," that which I could, a small smidgen of light !

Reading in Marcel Griaule's classic, CONVERSATIONS WITH OGOTEMMELI : AN INTRODUCTION TO DOGON RELIGIOUS IDEAS (1975), I was surprised to note a similarity to other cosmologies known to me.
First, the symbol of the anvil that is mentioned therein, that was central to the work of the ancestral "nummo" whose primordial descent from heaven instructed men in iron-making, reminded me of our anvil in the symbol in the escutcheon of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Our symbol actually represents the blacksmith shop, that became our African American denomination's first edifice. The blacksmith shop had been purchased by Founder-Bishop Richard Allen with his own money, then it had been had moved to 6th and Lombard Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to serve as our very "own vine and fig tree."
I was reminded of Camara Laye's classic African-boy, autobiography, THE DARK CHILD when Ogotemmeli speaks of the serpent that was associated with the symbolic Dogon blacksmith shop. It was, very much like the guardian spirit snake of the dark child's father, owner of a skilled metal shop compound in colonial, Guinea, West Africa.
Next, the wise man, Ogotemmeli's Dogon narrative mentions eight founding families. The numeral "eight" evoked THE ENNEAD, 3rd Century African Philosopher, Plotinus' masterpiece ; "ennead" means "eight." His reference to such other references as "median line of the square" in describing the layout of plots of land, reminded me of EUCLID'S ELEMENTS, African American icon, Benjamin Banneker,surveying, astronomy and of speculative freemasonry .
P. 44
Most of Ogotemmetili's cosmological allusions were well over my head. I was just happy to be able to "catch as catch can," that which I could, a small smidgen of light !

