Dogon Binu Duge Necklace Sangha

Description

Dogon Binu Duge necklace, made of hand-forged iron.
At its centre is an ancient quartz stone, the ‘Duge’, which also means necklace.
Iron is associated with strength and spiritual protection, qualities the Dogon believe are transferred to the wearer of the Duge.
Wearing iron jewelry, like the Binu Duge necklace, is thought to provide spiritual protection.
In Dogon oral tradition, the Binu has supernatural qualities, revealing itself in the form of an animal.
The animal that presents the stone (Duge) to the individual, will assume the role of the priest of Binu and will no longer be living as an ordinary mortal.
The priest of Binu holds a crucial role as an intermediary, between the village community and the spiritual world of ancestors and nature spirits.
Collected in the region of Sangha Dogon Cliffs, Mali.

Length of necklace: 72 cm (28″)
Dimensions of stone: 4 cm (1 1/2″) by 5,5 cm (2 1/8″)

Reference: Fer Noir d’Afrique de l’ouest by André Blandin, p. 53