TELLEM

The 'Tellem' were the people who inhabited the Bandiagara Escarpment but were forced out by the arrival of the Dogon people around the 14th century. The Tellem were pygmies who built dwellings right into the face as well as around the base of the escarpment and many are still visible in the area. Local Dogon myths suggest that they were witches who could fly to their lofty dwellings, but the climatic history suggests that at the time the cliffs were inhabited they were covered in vines, which could have been used to scale the cliffs. Some Tellem buildings- most notably the granaries- are still in use by the Dogon, although generally Dogon villages are at the bottom or top of the escarpment, where water gathers and farming is possible.