There is a small tribe on the territory of the Republic of Mali in Africa. Since, due to the inaccessibility of this place, it was for a long time in full reservation from the rest of the world, people live here almost the same as they did many centuries ago. They are engaged in agriculture, raise cattle, develop blacksmith and pottery. They also possess surprisingly deep knowledge of space. And this is in the complete absence of at least any special equipment.
According to assumptions, the Dogon have been inhabiting these lands since 1300 AD. Before that, as they themselves believe, their ancestors lived up to the 9-10th centuries in the upper reaches of the Niger River on the territory of present-day Sudan. Having arrived in a new place, they drove out the tribes living here earlier, while adopting some of their culture - for example, language. The population today reaches two hundred thousand people.
They build their houses at the foot of the mountains of clay and with flat roofs. Among ordinary residential buildings that stand wall to wall, there are also men's houses with low roofs in the settlements so that at the time of an argument, men cannot stand up to their full height. There are also women's menstrual houses that are outside the boundaries of the settlements. Male and female circumcision is practiced among the tribe.
Despite the fact that some of the Dogons adopted Islam, and the other part - Christianity, they sacredly preserve and pass on from generation to generation their knowledge of the world order. In the 30s of the last century, the French ethnographer Marcel Griol lived with the Dogons for a long time. They decided to reveal their secret knowledge to him. An old man named Ogotemmeli for 32 days communicated with a Frenchman, showed maps of the starry sky engraved on stones, spoke very accurately about the structure of the solar system, the existence of Jupiter's moons and the rings of Saturn. Griaule later described it all in his book.
The Dogon consider Sirius to be the most important star of the firmament and call it the "navel of the world." According to their legends, Sirius is a triple star system. The Dogon also know about the recently discovered white dwarf - Sirius B. This star, according to scientists, has a fantastic density: one cubic centimeter weighs 50 tons. And the Dogon also knew about this. But the most interesting thing is where could people with such a standard of living and everyday life get such knowledge without using any measuring or magnifying technique? Many of which, by the way, received an official clarification only in the 20th century.
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Some researchers and the Dogon themselves believe that once upon a time aliens flew from Sirius and came into contact with their ancestors in order to convey important information. These newcomers, according to local legends, were half-people, half-fish, breathing water in special helmets. Similar creatures and flying saucers are depicted in Dogon cave drawings that are over 700 years old. Also, the tribe has as many as 4 calendars: Sun, Moon, Sirius and Venus. People are sure that the aliens will definitely return, but already in human form.
Once every 50 years, the Dogon celebrate the Sigi holiday, for which special wooden masks are made. They believe that their holiday coincides with the moment of the renewal of the world. Masks after festive events are not destroyed, but carefully stored. It was by the number of masks that it was possible to establish the moment when members of the tribe first began to hold such celebrations.