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Published

toguna

vr.tr.toguna · thing-q3530380

Let an agent describe the toguna, its form, function and heritage context, respectfully and with sources.

Thing Registry Physical world and living systems PHY.BLT
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions

Structure Form and building.

Form

Roof and pillars.

Form

Size and materials.

  1. What are the dimensions and materials? measurement
  2. How many pillars? measurement

Construction

Building and renewal.

Construction

Process and renewal.

  1. How is it built and renewed? definition
  2. How often is the roof renewed? measurement
Function Social role.

Deliberation

Meetings and disputes.

Use

Who meets and why.

  1. Who meets there? definition
  2. Which matters are discussed? definition

Symbolism

Carvings and meaning.

Symbolism

Carvings and source.

  1. What do the carvings show? provenance
  2. Which source explains them? provenance
Location Where.

Village

Village and quarter.

Location

Village.

  1. In which village is it? provenance
  2. In which quarter? provenance

Heritage site

World Heritage context.

Heritage context

Site and status.

  1. Is it within the World Heritage site? boundary
  2. What is the site's status? provenance
Protection Threats and care.

Threats

Decay, theft, conflict.

Threat

Type and evidence.

  1. Which threats affect it? provenance
  2. Are pillars missing? provenance

Conservation

Community and agencies.

Conservation

Actors and actions.

  1. Who maintains or protects it? provenance
  2. With what support? provenance

Classifiers Filled

Family
Thing Registry
Category
Physical world and living systems
Entry kind
thing
Plane
PHY
Domain
PHY.BLT

What it is Filled

A low open-sided shelter in Dogon villages of Mali, with a thick roof of millet stalks on carved wooden or stone pillars, where older men meet to discuss community affairs and settle disputes; its low height prevents standing up in anger.

Why it exists Filled

Let an agent describe the toguna, its form, function and heritage context, respectfully and with sources.

Distinguishing features Filled

  • Low on purpose: seated discussion prevents violent outbursts.
  • Pillars often carved with figures and symbols.
  • Many stand within the Cliff of Bandiagara (Land of the Dogons), inscribed as a World Heritage site in 1989.

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

  • help trade in looted cultural objects
  • misrepresent Dogon beliefs

May

  • describe form, function and heritage respectfully

Moral aspects Filled

  • community ownership of heritage
  • illicit trafficking of cultural property

Who is affected

  • Dogon communities

Owners Filled

Steward

the village community that builds and maintains it

Master systems

  • UNESCO World Heritage records

Links to other meta-models Filled

parent

  • Q294422 - registry parent class

related

  • shelter - public building
  • Dogon country, Mali - region
  • Cliff of Bandiagara (Land of the Dogons) - World Heritage property, by location
  • community deliberation - function

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Identity and identifiers required Filled

  • Vercy registry: vr.tr.toguna
  • Wikidata: Q3530380 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3530380)
  • UNESCO World Heritage: 516 Cliff of Bandiagara (Land of the Dogons), inscribed 1989; individual toguna are recorded in local inventories

Direct properties required Filled

  • interior height: about 1.2 m - low enough that people sit; varies

Recognition required Filled

  • Very low roof on carved posts
  • Thick thatch of millet stalks
  • A low shelter with a heavy roof of layered millet stalks on carved pillars, often in the village centre.

Capabilities and actions required Filled

  • describe form and construction
  • describe social function
  • place it in Dogon architecture and the Cliff of Bandiagara heritage site
  • describe threats to heritage

Hazards and failure modes required Filled

  • Decay of thatch and timber
  • Theft of carved pillars for the art market
  • Damage from conflict

Standards and interfaces required Filled

  • UNESCO World Heritage Convention; state of conservation reports on the Cliff of Bandiagara
  • Mali national cultural heritage law

Context of use required Filled

  • Community deliberation and dispute resolution among men in Dogon villages, and everyday rest, conversation and shade.
  • village toguna
  • toguna of village quarters

Sources Filled

  1. Q3530380 - identity of the registry item, labels and sitelinks
  2. Toguna - general description of the subject
  3. Togu na support post with male and female figures - Village-quarter distribution, men's meetings and rest, low ceilings, millet thatch, stone or wooden supports and regional carving variation.
  4. Cliff of Bandiagara (Land of the Dogons) - Togu na architecture, World Heritage reference 516, 1989 inscription, national protection and management.
  5. State of conservation of properties inscribed on the World Heritage List, WHC/23/45.COM/7B.Add.2 - Bandiagara's danger-list history explicitly recorded as not applicable, and conservation threats.
  6. State of conservation 2025: Cliff of Bandiagara - Recent conflict damage, community involvement and rehabilitation of built heritage.

Open questions

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Machine files

Card as JSON Specification Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed

Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q3530380/spec.json