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A history of the circumcision shelter Kondi Pegue: The current state of the site The present state of Kondi Pegue has to be regarded as the result of a long evolution. The clear separation of the site into two major (northern and southern) zones, with a high drystone wall between them, seems a rather new development.
A gap in the wall serving as the entrance is closed during the circumcision period, with a temporary door shielding the boys during the festivities at the site. The neat lines of rock stools for the initiates in the northern part of the site also date to the more recent past. In the southern part a pair of stones is said to serve as seats for the initiates during the actual circumcision and for the maître de circoncision (a Dogon name for this function is said to exist but was considered too secret to be revealed). Walls on the outer edges of the site demarcate its limits and restrict the view of onlookers. Smaller drystone walls at the site mark areas where particular families keep their wandyerma, musical instruments played only at particular moments during the circumcision ritual by circumcised boys and men. | |
