We awaken to a cacophonous mixture of rooster crows, strange bird songs and donkey fits. It's magic. Our drive through the Sahel today will take us to Terelli, Ogo's own village. There, we are treated to the mask dancers in a colorful, euphoric celebration that occurs once a year to pay homage to the god of the sky for bringing rain during the rainy season so that the crops could be grown and stored to sustain the people through the summertime. The dance is done as a special favor for us and it is ebullient and genuine, not some cheesy touristy thing. The elders of the village preside over the performance. The masks are all different and symbolize different aspects of the Dogon life and beliefs. Ogo shows us the place that boys about age thirteen are brought to be circumcised. The circumcisions are performed every three years to eligible-aged boys. No women are allowed ever to this place. The boys will stay in this part of the village as their wounds heal. There is a great celebration when the boys return to the village proper. The celebration includes a race by these boys. As the boys are racing, the girls of their generation gather water in buckets and sit in a line with their buckets in front of them. When the first boy comes to the finish, he touches the circle for first place on the rock walls containing the ancient rock paintings. The second boy touches the second circle. The third touches the remaining circle. The boy in first place is given a house and grain. The boy in second place is given a cow. The boy in third place is given his choice of the girls for his wife. He will choose by using her water to wash himself from the long run.
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