DAGARA TEO –
Dagara Village Project

September 2011 Update!
The third piece of our vision is now coming into focus with the ongoing creation of this site (approximately 15 acres) which will be the ongoing home to all of our cultural efforts and where all of the festivals will be held, including this year's. Four complete and beautiful Zangalas (traditional homes and spiritual structures) have been built there along with other customary Dagara buildings. This site is under the careful watch of a group of some 50 Tingan Sobs (Earth Shrine Priests) from various villages in and around Dano. It is an important locale in the growing community of Dano wholly devoted to traditional Dagara life and ways. This growing development is a rich cultural legacy that belongs to the Dagara people themselves.

We hope you can join us in February! Please donate as well to help this vision grow! Mark Bockley

 

January 2009 Update!

2008 was a great year for the Dagarateo (Dagara Village) initiative.  After many meetings and careful thought the Dagara decided to construct 17 unique clan concessions on our designated land. Groundbreaking for this began in late August and most of the structures are near in completion.  Each clan has furnished workers for the building of the concessions.  While much work remains to bring the project to completion, the buzz and excitement over what has been accomplished is huge.  We need your contributions to keep this project moving forward!This exciting initiative envisions having a large plot of land, centrally located where each of 6 different Dagara clans in the Dano Department can create one of their own compounds; each clan has its own varying styles and forms.

Within this space and initiative, we also hope to create a space for a range of Dagara cultural practices to occur; including archery, wrestling, dance, shamanic arts, cuisine and more.

This project is ambitious to say the least and will take years to realize, but we already have had the Tingan Sob (Earth Shrine Priest) of Dano open the road for these dreams by offering us with a 5 hectare parcel of land near the center of town in Dano for this purpose.  It has already received his blessing and the blessings of other elders in Dano.