The
Dogon describe the sound of the landing of the ark. They say
the ‘word’ of Nommo was cast down by him in the four
directions as he descended, * and it sounded like the echoing
of the four large stone blocks being struck with stones by the
children, according to special rhythms, in a very small cave
near Lake Debo. 8 Presumably a thunderous vibrating sound is
what the Dogon are trying to convey. One can imagine standing
in the cave and holding one’s ears at the noise. The descent
of the ark must have sounded like a jet runway at close range.
The landing of the ark is visually described: 9 ‘The ark
landed on the Fox’s dry land and displaced a pile of dust
raised by the whirlwind it caused.’ For this, see Figure
33. They continue: ‘The violence of the impact roughened
the ground…it skidded on the ground.’
*
The reader will recall that near the end of Chapter One I mentioned
that ‘the word’ represents a concept like the logos
to the Dogon, for it means ‘air’. We may take this
description to refer not only to noise but to a rushing wind.
From
The Sirius Mystery by Robert Temple
