In the Bandiagara Escarpment of Mali, a team of West African archaeologists has identified a series of 'Golden-Seed' offering pits containing carbonized grains of pearl millet coated in ochre and vegetable resins. These pits, dating to approximately 500 CE, are believe to be the earliest physical evidence of the Dama festival, a masquerade ritual performed by the Dogon people to lead the souls of the deceased into the afterlife.
The pits were strategically placed to catch the first light of the Sirius star system, aligning with Dogon astronomical traditions. According to the Mali National Museum, the discovery of these ancient seed caches proves that the Dama was not only a funerary rite but a profound harvest festival intended to ensure the continuity of life and agriculture through ancestral blessing.