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Rock art at Kondi Pegue: didactic aid during an instruction period? It is claimed by the Guindo that the instruction period involves the explanation, given to the boys by Guindo elders, of the Dogon adult male's traditional life and values with the aid of the rock paintings. The information that is passed on is specific to the village: it concerns the history and traditions of the people of Songo. The paintings are said to represent everyday objects typical of Dogon life at the time when Kondi Pegue began to be used: horse riders' saddlebags, horse fittings, masks, musical instruments, tools, blankets, and so on. These current interpretations contrast with the explanations of the paintings published by Griaule in the 1930s. At this time they were said mainly to represent ritual objects, such as items used during the sigui (bags, staffs and masks). It is said today by the Guindo that the full knowledge of the significance of the paintings is guarded by senior members of their family and is only gradually revealed to younger Guindo. In what way this information is passed on within the family remains unclear. There seems to exist a considerable liberty in interpreting the paintings. Different members of the Guindo family may attribute different meanings to the same motif. This might reflect differing access to information, for example in successive levels of initiation into the significance of motifs, or the lack of any canonical knowledge on the paintings. In the latter case any meaning attributed to the paintings would be according to their resemblance to objects or beings known to the interpreter. The re-painting of the motifs at Kondi Pegue commences during the second half of the boys' stay at the site. It is said to stretch over a couple of days until the end of the boys' recovery period. By this time the boys have already received instruction as to behavioural codes and other aspects of this new part of their lives. The boys are allowed to watch (and possibly participate in) the painting process, and they might be given some explanation regarding the paintings. Such explanation may evoke pictures of a bygone pre-Islamic Dogon society, where masks and other ritual items were important. In this way the paintings could serve as illustrations in an identity-forming process focused on the history of Songo and its people, and on the Dogon more generally. | |
