Book

The pale fox

Continuum FoundationChina Valley, Ariz. • Published In 1986 • Pages:

By: Griaule, Marcel, Dieterlen, Germaine.

Abstract
This is the English translation of the classic French ethnography on the Dogon creation myth, ‘Le renard pâle,’ published in 1965. Although Griaule's ethnographic methods have come under attack (see van Beek, document no. 31), this is nevertheless an impressive work. The myth tightly weaves together Dogon ideas about language, anatomy, astronomy, botany, the landscape, and genealogy. Could the creation myth be a mnemonic device for storing and transmitting Dogon knowledge? The myth represents the accumulated knowledge of Dogon elders, underlying their authority, and serving as a blueprint for Dogon social life. It is also an epistemolgy, in which ideas are thought to emerge through a hierarchy of symbols: from traces (BUMMO) to signs (YALA) to figures (TONU).
Subjects
Visual arts
Cosmology
Mythology
Spirits and gods
Ideas about nature and people
culture
Dogon
HRAF PubDate
2000
Region
Africa
Sub Region
Western Africa
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Ian Skoggard ;1999
Field Date
1931-1956
Coverage Date
1948-1956
Coverage Place
Sanga region, Mali
Notes
Marcel Griaule and Germaine Dieterlen ; translated from the French by Stephen C. Infantino
Translation of: Le renard pâle
Originally published in French by l'Institut d'Ethnologie, Paris, 1965
Includes bibliographical references (p. 548-522)
Many graphics are not included
LCSH
Dogons (African people)