Holiday Hike in Dogon Country

The landscape was breathtakingly beautifully. Mainly because we were all out of breath by the time we reached the peak of each cliff due to our guides incredible long legs and ability to climb at an alarming rate in flip-flops that were two sizes too small. I began my hoilday season by spending a few nights in Bamako to get checked out by the medical staff and relax, unfortunately because I stayed in Bamako immediately after Peace Corps training I did not get the free transport to Sevare, to make my travels a little easier. On my own I managed fine though and got out of Bamako in time to meet up with volunteers in Sevare the night before we were to travel to Bandiagara to get ready for our Holiday Hike. On the 24th we began our journey with our guide Mamadou.

Group 1 Day 1

Climbing rocks to get a bird's eye view of the village

Morning of day 1 we hiked about 11 km and breaked for lunch and a nap in a small village. After the heat of the day wore off we explored parts of the town and meandered our way across a mountain to make it to the village we were to stay for the night. That night we met the dugutigi (village chief) and as a gift gave him kola nuts and tea. After dinner he organized an impromptu dance performance which was very entertaining, but we were all extremely tired. They prepared the dance floor by watering the ground, to prevent the dust from rising everywhere from their quick dance movements. They move their feet in very quick movements and slightly bend down swaying their arms moving to the beat of the drums. The men and women dance in slightly different styles. I wish it wasn't so dark otherwise I would have recorded some of the dances. We saw the moon rise and slept on the roof of some huts under some mosquito nets they provided and a mattress. It was a little cold the first night, but not as cold as the next. Day 1= 14km

Animism~Christianity~Islam
Each rock represents a religious practice in the village

The next morning we were served pate (malian fried dough) and bread with jam and the choice of tea or instant coffee. Then we set out around 8 am for a 10 km hike to our lunch destination in Tele. Our guide said it was going to be a flat hike today. It was flat, but very sandy. I think we enjoyed the up and down more than walking in sand for 4 hours. The village Tele was awesome after an amazing grilled chicken lunch and nap we hiked up into the cliff dwellings. Our guide told us Dogon people settled there 4 centuries before Christ.

It was incredible to climb through the remains of a village resting on the side of a cliff. They were very ingenious architects, I tried to imagine an ordinary day living in the mountain climbing across or around houses to see a friend, or playing a game of hide-and-seek in all the small spaces between the mountain and mud buildings. We then left that site to walk another 4 km in sand to reach a fellow PCVs village to enjoy a shower and christmas dinner with a big group of volunteers. The village knew we were coming ahead of time so they put together a play to present after our dinner. This night we were given only mattresses on the roof and it was really really cold. Another volunteer and I kept waking in the middle of the night asking eachother if they were still freezing wondering why they didn't give us more blankets. So we shared a mattress and sandwiched ourselves between the other mattress, still cold, but could sleep more than 20 minutes at a time.

The next day we had an even bigger breakfast than the day before, because the volunteer at the site made special requests. We got to choose from rice cereal, moni (mali millet porridge), bread & jam, and tea or coffee. We only had 6 km left before the end of our tour through Dogon and our last village stop was Djiguibombo. I was very happy with my decision to go to on the hike for Christmas. I did not have time to travel to Djenne or Mopti, but there is always next year.

2011 is days away. I have yet to think of a New Years resolution, so I will brainstorm ideas. What is your New Year's resolution?
I went into town this morning to go to the bank and post office. I finally got to send out postcards I've been carrying with me for two weeks. I also received a package from a good friend (Thank you a bunch Nancy). I am going back to site tomorrow, excited to celebrate the New Year with my new home in village. Although I miss home very much and listened to the voice messages of the Christmas calls I received from family while waiting in the bank. I totally cried, because I love my family and want to squeeze them like a tube of toothpaste. Happy New Year!!!

Tubaniso~ House of the Doves

I am back at the Peace Corps training site near Mali's capitol Bamako. We have two weeks of scheduled sessions for technical training, project ideas, and PACA practice (Participatory Analysis for Community Action). Also our work counterparts from our respective villages have joined us to attend PACA sessions as well.

Week 1

Week 2

So far the session on tree grafting has been the most helpful and engaging. I am really excited to graft some trees, particularly Mango and Shea. A grafted Mango tree can produce fruit in as little as 5 years whereas an ungrafted tree would produce fruit after about 25 years. I took pictures throughout the presentation. Our presenter was a Malian man that spoke Bambara. He put together a grafting kit and takes it with him wherever he goes.

Our presenter with his Graft Kit Bag

He said we should keep a grafting bag with us as well, because you never know when you might need your tools to collect branches. He was very entertaining and you could tell he was excited about his presentation.

completed graft of Baobob Tree

At T-So (Tubaniso) we are conveniently close to the big city Bamako. I have had the pleasure of going into town for dinner three times already. Pizza, banana split, falafel, wine, hummus, cheese, espresso, etc. the big city of Bamako has it all. I went to the Fourmi (a large supermarket) and was overwhelmed with the selection of shampoo & conditioners I could pick from. The Fourmi even sold dog food, I was convinced when I saw that aisle I could find anything there. I browsed a bit, but decided just to buy shampoo, postcards, a chocolate bar, and soap. I am trying to save money for traveling in Mali. While at T-So if we're not in a session, people are hanging out watching movies, tv shows, reading, playing card/board games, and playing volleyball, soccer, and basketball. If we had a bat and a ball I'm sure we would be training for W.A.I.S.T. the softball tournament held in Senegal. The sessions have been pretty long and after more than a week here most of us probably would rather be at site, but soon after our IST is christmas so many of us will be traveling to different places in Mali to celebrate together and listen to christmas tunes.

The Adoration of Trees

I pass the Sankio village sign and it is yellow, but I remember him saying to turn left at the yellow sign past the Sankio sign. I continue, hoping I will eventually come to that sign. I have already biked over 12km in the early afternoon sun. As I ride, I pass women returning from the bushes carrying loads of firewood atop their heads, children herding cows near a pond, large diesels on the road to Burkina, and mounds of cotton on the side of the road that I wish was snow. I come to the yellow sign and as I turn my tutor is right there behind me on his moto, I break for water before taking the small dirt/sand path that leads into the village I came to visit.
In December this village has a two day ceremony, the first day involves the killing of many chickens. The animists and muslims that still practice some traditonal fetishes take two chickens into the bush (kungola) to be sacrificed. They say their wishes/prayers and hand their chicken to a man that slits the throat, draws blood on the tree, and tosses the chicken on the ground. People then watch to see how the chicken dies and when it stops the position will tell the person whether or not their prayers/wishes will be answered.

"next chicken"

I could only go so far, I was warned to stay back. Because, I am not a married woman nor have any children I must stay back and not get close to the area where the men killed the chickens. Also after the fact I was there, my tutor said feel free to take many pictures, you are safe the dugutigi (village chief) is here, there is no problem.... (hmm k why would I not be safe?) "This is traditional things if you came alone they will kill you". Interesting I feel so much more relaxed now, I think I'll take more pictures of this interesting ceremony. Afterwards we returned from the bushes into the village to visit people and relax under the shade of a hangar while two men played the drums and sang. I was then convinced that I had to return the next day, because there will be much more drums and a balafone. The dugutigi said to be in village at 8 am so I wouldn't miss any of the drumming and also I would get there before the drumming got too sloppy due to the consumption of millet beer. After another quick tour of another part of the village I was on my way back home, I made it just before dark.

Another area in the bush, tutor and dugutigi, I was told to stay back

Friday morning. I arrived in the village half past eight. We waited drank tea, I nearly fell asleep a few times. They offered me a recliner, I declined. Crazy people came, a women shoved a tire at the crazy man's head shooing him out of the concession so he wouldn't bother me. The dugutigi was postponed due to an unfortunate event in the village, a man's cows destroyed another man's crops. Just after 11 am he arrived and we sat a little while to chat. In the distance I could hear the drummer's approaching....

Drum line approaches

They approached and I listened and watched as we sat. I was surprised that the crowd was mainly just a bunch of old people, but I guess they are the ones keeping this tradition alive. The men played the drums and people passed around a variety of miscellaneous recycled containers holding millet beer and serving them in gourd bowls. I was offered to drink but declined for fear of catching a water-borne illness. I am not entirely sure how they make the drink or if the containers they use have been sterilized (unlikely). One day though I'd like to make a batch of millet beer. I'll shadow an animist or christian in village someday to figure it out. The rest of the day we spent walking around the town, followed the drummers as they paraded through another area of the village. Greeting people as we went.

Mali cotton

I got to meet a man making cotton cloth it was totally awesome to see the cotton stretched across the concession to his work station. I followed my tutor to his host family's concession for lunch and then was back on the road for home to share pictures with my host family. I think it is important to have a host family in as many villages of Mali as possible so no matter where you go you'll have a place to rest.

"I ni baara"