This is the Dogon tribe has about 200 thousand people and isolated lives on the plateau Bandiagara on the territory of the state of Mali in West Africa. To the tribe are interested not only ethnographers, but astronomers.

Why? Mud houses, dance on stilts, sown with millet fields, burial caves - the most primitive culture. In the 1930-ies of the French anthropologist Marcel Grill long lived among Dogon, studied everyday life, recorded legends and even by the decision of the Council of elders was admitted to the initiation secret rank of priest. Grill published a series of articles in magazines on African studies after the end of the Second world war. And sensation they did not. Who of the astronomers he is fond of Ethnography? An incredible combination. But accidentally article Griolya fall into the hands of the English astronomer Mac-Gris...

The second star system Sirius - Sirius B - was opened in 1862, its unusually high density was determined shortly before the First world war, that has allowed to carry a star "category of white dwarfs". Spiral nebulae sketched Ross in the middle of the XIX century. Hubble in 1924 proved that they are composed of stars. The rotation of our Galaxy proved in 1927, and its spiral shape - in 1950.

What this listing? It turns out that in archaic mythology Dogon it has long been known! It is known to the people, the whole science which is limited to the manufacture of ritual masks. Rituals Dogon bound to 50-year period of circulation of Sirius In around Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. To find the companion of Sirius, to determine its color, to calculate the orbital period and density, not having astronomical devices, it is impossible. Even the satellites of Jupiter, which are known by the Dogon, the eye will not see. Only way out is borrowing from other cultures. The Dogon could obtain information about the structure of the Universe in ancient Egyptian priests, the more that the tribe moved into West Africa only 5?6 centuries ago.

But the ancient Egyptians could not know about the explosion of Sirius In the II century ad - their civilization died much earlier. And in Dogon this explosion is one of the Central points of mythology. View of the existence in the Universe superdense matter, "white dwarfs", in General, are among the most modern ideas.

Medieval Arab culture? The canadian Ovenden put forward a hypothesis about the contact with the Muslim University in Timbuktu, where he kept the knowledge of the ancient Sumerians, Egyptians, and Greeks. But this is a false trail of the ancient scientists did not have such a profound knowledge in astronomy. Finally, one cannot exclude drawing from Marseille Griolya. But, first, this scientist an impeccable reputation. And secondly, he was guided by the principle "to describe and only to describe." Astronomers drew attention to his work in many years that any good sense of humor would be unbearable. Still another possibility. Not even a possibility, and direct explanation arising from Dogon mythology. All their knowledge, according to their legends, people had received from God, who came down from the third star of Sirius. He was in the ark, that the ark was revolving. And the rotation was supported by the "breath" through the nozzle. When landing the ark raising a cloud of dust. There is a picture that links one direct system Sirius and our Sun. But about the existence of the third star system Sirius modern science knows nothing. Although supporters of Sirius From among astronomers have.

The famous American physicist Carl Sagan said that the proof of visiting our planet by aliens from outer space can be either an indisputable "artifacts", or the existence of the myths "clear messages about the astronomical realities about which primitive people could not recognize themselves". The hypothesis that archaic, but astronomically advanced Dogon mythology is proof of paloviita alien, was formulated by the American scientist Robert Temple in 1975. Since then, around this hypothesis does not end the controversy. From all subjects related to aliens, incompetence which is visible for a mile, from the Dogon mythology impossible to ignore. But near the end of the dispute can not count. "White dwarf", spiral stellar systems, and the milky Way, the rotation of the Sirius In around their axes - these facts cannot be seen in the most powerful telescope, they are the result of comprehension of what is observed by astronomers, and offer a high level of culture. Goes, there is no escape from the hypothesis plebisite? Arrived to the Earth the inhabitants of the planet from the system Sirius, told the people about his house, and incidentally gave General information about the Universe. Criterion Sagan this idyll fully satisfied. But we don't want to believe in aliens! And the opponents were able to find in this version of vulnerability.

Astronomical knowledge Dogon look still insufficiently perfect for potential alien. Could not get through the Universe aliens to think Sirius In the smallest, most severe star, for sure would know as we know today, the existence of a much smaller and heavier stars. And why on earth space teachers reported only about 4 satellites of Jupiter, because they were already 16, and this is not the final number? However, no guarantee that aliens can count more than five... so, astronomy Dogon closer to the level albeit quite developed, but yesterday's earth astronomy. Whether here lies the solution? So there was a hypothesis about anonymous "missionary". In the 1920-ies in this tribe appeared missionaries from the Catholic brotherhood of the White fathers. And a well-read, the priest could not pay attention to the fact that the aboriginal mythology attaches great importance to Sirius. To establish contacts with the tribe missionary decided to enrich the presentation of the Dogon of divine light.

In the West just in 1920-ies Sirius was the subject of numerous publications. By that time was set monstrous density his companion, and science has made a conclusion about the existence of a new type stars "of white dwarfs". "The smallest and the most severe star" - this characteristic of Sirius b corresponds to the status of astronomical knowledge in the 1920-ies. Missionary in good faith told the Dogon everything that I read about Sirius Century, Priests included invaluable information in mythology, and the French ethnographer took borrowed astronomical knowledge as its organic part.

Sounds convincing. But why educated missionary told inquisitive Dogon only about 4 satellites of Jupiter, since then, has already counted 9 satellites? And another surprise: dogankoy astronomy inherent in a clear chronological layers. First layer: the view typical of archaic culture, when people only know about the planets visible to the naked eye, there is no missionaries, nor the alien is not required. The second layer - knowledge, for example, the satellites of Jupiter, corresponds to the astronomy conceptions of the epoch of Galilee. Finally, knowledge on the system of Sirius or the spiral structure of the Galaxy meet the level of science first half of XX century. Maybe the Dogon, possessed, as no other people, astronomical mania, have perpetrated the interrogation everyone who was in Paris? Is there tension? Ethnographers do not see in the legends of the Dogon "white threads and rapid adjustment to the new loans under the old myths. Every astronomical fact in Dogon bound to specific rituals that are tracked by the relics at least until the XII century! German scientist Dieter Herman calls the situation with dogonkine knowledge about space hopeless case: deny or confirm any version impossible, but for a respectable scientist still more fitting to follow a version of the missionary. To settle the dispute could new astronomical discoveries.

What if Sirius was discovered third star. Or if about Sirius were found traces of diffuse nebulae left after the explosion of Sirius In which so strongly believe the Dogon...