Le Toguna : (or discussion hut) is an open construction generally set up in the centre of the Dogon villages. It is not high enough to be able to stand up in so forces the participants to sit.
It is the place in which the wise ones of the village debate the problems of the community, and might also house the law courts of the local justice. Most togunas contain eight layers of straw that make up the roof and these layers correspond to the Dogon gods.
The hut also has pillars in stone, brick, earth or wood in the form of a catapult. These pillars, as well as supporting the roof, also represent the Dogon gods; that is why masks are sculpted or drawn on these pillars.