Dogon people
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The Dogon people are a tribe located in Bandiagara and Douentza, in Mali.[1] Depending on what web site you visit, their population is between 100,000[2] and 800,000[3]. Most sources, however, state that the population is around 250,000-300,000.
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[edit] Outside Contact
The first reported contact with the Dogon was by Louis Desplagnes, a French colonial army lieutenant, in 1903. The first official study was by two French anthropologists, Marcel Griaule and Germaine Dieterlen, in 1931. The two stayed with the Dogon for nearly three decades.[4]
[edit] Sirius B
Griaule and Dieterlen are reported to have met with elder tribesmen right before their leaving. At this meeting it is claimed that the two were told of a small star (po tolo) that orbited a larger star (sigu tolo, also known as Sirius). It is also claimed that the elders knew that po tolo took around fifty years to orbit Sirius, and that it was extremely heavy. This is very close to the actual statistics of Sirius B. As it was reported that the Dogon mythology involved that star, and that this belief was thousands of years old, it was wondered how the Dogon knew of the star, since Sirius B is invisible to the naked eye. Additionally, it is claimed that the Dogon knew of Saturn's rings and Jupiter's moons.[5]
[edit] Explanation 1: ALIENS!!!
Richard Temple, in his book The Sirius Mystery, claimed that the Dogon were visited by an extraterrestrial race (see ancient astronauts) around 5,000 years ago, who imparted much astronomical knowledge.[6] This is slightly backed up by the lore of the Dogon, which states that the Lord Nommos came to earth from Sirius B to give order to the world. However, it has been suggested that the idea that Nommos came from Sirius B is actually a mistranslation, and that Nommos came from Sirius.[7]
[edit] Explanation 2: MELANIN!!!
Frances Welsing claims that because of the Dogon's large amounts of melanin, they are able to pick up on vibrations from Sirius B. There is currently no proof that this is even remotely possible. [8]
[edit] Explanation 3: EUROPEANS!!!
Carl Sagan explained that, while Temple's idea that the Dogon could not have knowledge of Sirius B on their own is true, the source of information is terrestrial. As Sirius B had been discovered in the 1800's, and its existence was widely known by the 1920's, any European explorer traveling through could have imparted knowledge of Sirius B.[9]
[edit] Explanation 4: The Dogon didn't actually know of Sirius B
When Walter van Beek studied the Dogon, he made this statement;
“ Knowledge of the stars is not important either in daily life or in ritual [to the Dogon]. The position of the sun and the phases of the moon are more pertinent for Dogon reckoning. No Dogon outside of the circle of Griaule's informants had ever heard of sigu tolo or po tolo... Most important, no one, even within the circle of Griaule informants, had ever heard or understood that Sirius was a double star.[10] ”
If van Beek's statement is true, none of the above matter.
[edit] Sources
- ↑ http://www.sacredsites.com/africa/mali/dogon.html
- ↑ http://www.uiowa.edu/~africart/toc/people/Dogon.html
- ↑ No citation is given at wikipedia for this number
- ↑ It should be noted that the length of stay may also be in dispute
- ↑ http://www.sacredsites.com/africa/mali/dogon.html
- ↑ The Sirius Mystery by Richard Temple
- ↑ http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/mythology/118502/2
- ↑ It should be noted that Welsing also claims that melanin gives the power of ESP
- ↑ http://skepdic.com/dogon.html
- ↑ http://skepdic.com/dogon.html
