Visiting an African Disneyland-like Museum of our Modern Beliefs

God wanted to give human beings their fullness right from the beginning, but they were incapable of receiving it, because they were still little children.

Against Heresies

St. Irenaeus (125-203 A.D.)

 

Chief Jean Keita, Bedik tribe, Senegal, Africa.

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Bedik tribe, Iwol village

Chief Jean Baptiste Keita:

-->"Our village was founded more than 900 years ago.  It was the first village which have been settled all around here.  The first one here.  And it has been in continuous existence until today.

(While the Bedik had a designated historian who I met on my first Bedik trip, it wasn’t until very recently they had any written language, French. I don’t know how the chief arrived at 900 years and forgot to ask for an explanation. But if Chief Keita was accurate about the age of Iwol village, that’s about the time Angkor Wat was completed and the second crusades got underway. )

"What makes the village so different is the specificity of the place. It is really wonderful here. You can see it is surrounded by big mountains, with big trees, sacred trees. 

"And you see, there are many sacred symbols here. You heard yesterday about the baobab tree, and the sacred Fromager tree here.

Sacred site, Bedik tribe, Iwol village, Senegal, Africa.

"We are Bediks. We are animists. And for that, we preserve our ancestor’s way of life. And Iwol is the only village which has preserved its tradition.  It’s been the same since ages.    It hasn’t changed.

 

"We are the only people that have remained rooted in their traditions. We are the only ones who have preserved in tact our tradition. 

"And we live only in this place.  We are quite restricted.  We are not numerous, we Bediks."

Bedik village of Iwol, Senegal, Africa.

Personal journal thoughts: 

  

Was this the religion of our ancient ancestors? Did storytellers like Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad and Constantine whisper their variations of the Bedik stories I heard into followers’ ears just like players in the telephone game?

My being tingled with the pure joy of mystery. There was more here than I could see and immediately understand.   

I certainly was in a Disneyland-like museum of our modern beliefs.

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I need your opinion: Do these African tribal photographs work?

For a series of books I'm bringing to life about our ancestors' Songs of the Universe (I once called the project Africa's Undiscovered Myths), I'm trying to create tribal images that look: 1) a little mysterious; 2) like old photos dug up from some just discovered archaeological site; and 3) still have hints of a contemporary look.

Do these images meet the three intents? 
What could we do to improve them?

Please, Honesty counts.

The Bedik tribe village of Iwol is nestled on top of a mountain near Senegal's southeastern town of Kedougou. The Bedik settled in the area from the 11th to the 19th centuries in south east Senegal. The area is marked as a World Heritage Site, as an example of original traits of agro-pastoralism. West Africa, Senegal, Bedik tribe.

As part of their tribal initiation into manhood, these 12 and 13-year-old Bedik boys run all day for one month through their village of Iwol to "learn the secrets of life." Bedik tribe,  Senegal, sub Saharan Africa; West Africa, Africa.

I found fetishes like this one in two different Bedik villages. While the Bedik were reluctant to talk about them, I know this is an object believed to have supernatural powers. This particular site had two fetishes, the small structure and the white-washed figure on the wall of the house.  Bedik tribe,  Senegal, sub Saharan Africa; West Africa, Africa.

A young boy runs towards some thatched huts in the Bedik tribe village of Andyel (Andjel). Bedik tribe, Senegal, West Africa, Africa, sub Saharan Africa

Two boys with containers on their heads walk towards the Bedik tribe village of Andyel (Andjel). Bedik tribe, Senegal, West Africa, Africa, sub Saharan Africa

A young boy walks past giant trees at the edge of the Bedik village of Iwol.   Bedik tribe, Senegal, sub Saharan Africa; West Africa, Africa.

A young boy pounds grain with his mother while the little girl dances in the Bedik village of Iwol. Bedik tribe, Senegal, sub Saharan Africa; West Africa, Africa.

All photographs and text © 2015 Janis Miglavs

www.jmiglavs.com

janis@jmiglavs.com