Dogon

The clear night sky unveiled an infinite number of pin pricked stars. An old man's gaze downward to the sweep of a village and then upwards to the sparkling points of light, many of them long dead stars though the light from them raced on into eternity. He stared at the brightest one as if in kinship and mumbled an incantation from an ancient language. His duty thus completed, he closed his eyes to hurry night vision and to absorb that which only he could interpret before he retired inward. 

Alpha Centauri is special - not only because it is the closest stellar system to the sun, but also because it is one of the relatively few places in the Milky Way Galaxy that may offer terrestrial life conditions. 

The wise man of the Dogon tribe lay sleeping, dreaming in his ancient cave, hewn long, long ago from the side of a cliff. Around him were old ceremonial masks, many different animal skins, two ornately carved stools, some brightly woven blankets and earthen jars containing strange herbs and medicines. By his straw cot where he lay was an intricately painted bowl containing the remnants of some mushrooms designed to enhance his visions. The images and voices that spoke in his dreams had been unusually strong in the past two days and he had known that tonight he needed to understand them in all their supernatural clarity.

100 miles south of Timbuktu in east central Africa live a tribe called the Dogon in a 125 mile stretch of escarpment called the Cliffs of Bandiagara. Dogon, in the older literature means 'stranger' or 'pagan'. They have an oral history that has known about Proxima Centauri for thousands of years. They have known that the Earth revolves around the Sun, that Jupiter has moons, and that Saturn has rings. The Dogon tribe had lived simply for all that millenia, virtually unchanged, in harmony with the Earth. They trusted their wise man's interpretations of signs and his dreaming revelations.

The shaman, engorged with 5,000 years of history and knowledge, had slipped into a semi-waking dream that made him feel as if he were floating on water. Impressions of various kinds swam into his consciousness. Falling deeper and further into his visions, thoughts and ideas began to crystallize in his mind. He felt the spirits of animals and trees and all living things.

Sirius, the Dog Star, is the brightest in our sky and is the same type of star as our Sun. Sirius A has therefore always been known to man. In 1862 it was found that there was a sister star, Sirius B, right next to it. Only in the last century was it discovered that there was a third star, Sirius C, or Proxima Centauri, even closer. The Dogon had always known this. Translated from the Dogon language into English , Proxima Centauri is called the "Sun of Women". It is described as "the seat of the female souls of living or future beings."

As the dream evolved, the telepathic voice in the wise man's head began recounting the ancient history he already knew of. The famines and floods of Egypt that had nearly wiped out all its people, the great plagues of the Middle Ages that had cut the world's population by one third, and all the way up to the modern immuno-viruses of AIDS, SARS, Ebola, and a dozen others. He knew these terrible things had happened and was just now beginning to understand why.

According to Dogon mythology, Nommo was the first living being created by Amma, the sky god and creator of the universe. He soon multiplied to become six pairs of twins. This is a metaphor for our original 12-strand DNA. Our present physical DNA contains 2 strands which hold the genetic codes for our physical evolvement. All of this knowledge possessed by the Dogon and other primitive tribes must have come from somewhere but from where remains a mystery to the Western world.

The Dogon shaman sat up, still trance-like but even more fully aware of the voice that spoke to him, not in any language but in thoughts. Those thoughts conveyed meaning that was beyond mere words. He had known, of course about the visitors that had come to Earth at various times during the centuries, but this was as close as he had ever been to actually hearing one speak:

"We, of Alpha Centauri, have come here many times and kept in constant touch, monitoring the progress of humanity. Our project of colonization has been largely a failure save for those that have avoided 'progress' and lived with love and respect for the planet, their neighbors and family. We have unsuccessfully tried to breed out the bad seed but the genes of hatred, anger, greed, and misguided religion have been very resistant so far. Now we have perfected a super virus which will being released in a matter of days. In the time of one moon cycle, all advanced civilization will be gone forever and the sickness we unleash will also die with it. Your tribe and a thousand others on all the continents will be saved because of your respect for the earth; taking only what you need and always giving back. In the next 28 days, your people must avoid any contact with anyone outside of your tribe. After then you may venture from your rocky lands and reap sustenance from more fertile valleys. Then through all of you, peace and prosperity shall be restored on this planet. We of Centauri have always been your friends and teachers and will continue to be so."

The wise man smiled and drifted back into a deep sleep. The pungent aroma of his slow-burning herbs wafted gently by as he settled into his rough blankets. The starlight that trickled into his cave bestowed a long forgotten bond. Tomorrow he would spread the word to all of the Dogon. He slept deeply, happy in the knowledge that modern civilization that had been systematically destroying a fair green planet would soon be gone and their Mother Earth would be safe again.