Not a Brinsop but a Griaule- "If Dogon esoterica is like Yoruba deep knowledge, it is context-specific, not stable and timeless."-Andrew Apter
Even when my interviews were prepared with schnapps and kola nuts, further demands for money often followed from those who did not know me well, based on the understanding that deep knowledge, called `ımog `ıjginlè, was restricted, scarce, and had extraordi- nary value. If I protested such demands—and they could be quite exorbit- ant—I was asked whether or not specialized education was free in America, and furthermore, if I had any idea what initiates invested over the years to acquire their secrets. Why would I presume that it should be given freely to me? Didn’t I know that if its secrets were leaked, an orisha would lose its power?
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