Sirius and Digitaria
From 'Un Systeme Soudanais de Sirius'
The paper enumerates a number of astronomical statements as follows (links to Astronomical Tests):
"The orbit describing Digitaria around Sirius is perpendicular to the horizon" -- p280
"When Digitaria is close to Sirius, it becomes most brilliant; when it is furthest away, Digitaria gives a scintillation which the observer believes as many stars." -- p281
"The period of the orbit is counted double, that is 100 years." -- p282
"Besides its movement of translation, Digitaria turns on itself in a year." -- p283
"The Star [Digitaria], which is white, where Sirius is seen as red, is the origin of all things." -- p284
"The contents of the recipient star are ejected by centrifugal force, in the form of infinitely small parts comparable to grains of Digitaria developing quickly: 'The things exiting to outside the star become as big as it every day.'" -- p286-7
"Digitaria is the smallest of all things, and the heaviest star" -- p287
"It [Digitaria] is composed of a metal named sagala, a little brighter than iron, and of a weight that everyone on earth cannot lift it. The star weighs 480 mule loads (about 35,000 kg), or all grains, or all the iron on earth, if they were theoretically the size of a stretched cow hide or a mortar board." -- p287
"But Digitaria is not the sole companion of Sirius: the star emme ya, 'Sorghum Female,' more voluminous than it, but four times lighter than it, follows a vaster trajectory in the same direction and the same time as it (50 years). Their respective positions are where their rays make right angles." -- p287
"It [emme ya] also emits rays which have the quality of solar rays." -- p288
"it [emme ya] is accompanied by a satellite which is named "star of Women," nyan tolo" -- p288
These statements are supported by the following diagram, among others:
Nyan aduno tonu (Drawing of the World of Women) or
Anduno dale donule tolo (Drawing of the Heights and Depths of the World) -- p290
This is the drawing that kicked off 50 years of controversy. This most compelling feature of Un Systeme Soudanais de Sirius claims to give a overview of the whole Sirius system, an executive summary of the foregoing statements. True size is about twice this.
- S: Sirius A (sigi tolo -- "Star of Yasigi")
- Da-b: Sirius B, the "egg of the world," at extreme orbital positions (po tolo -- "Star of Fonio")
- E: Sirius C (emme ya tolo -- "Star of Sorghum Female") showing "rays" surrounding it. "Put at the centre of the egg as the Sun at the centre of the solar system."
- Fa: Sirius C's planet (nyan tolo -- "Star of Women"). The small spiral shows it is a satellite of "Sorghum Female."
- Fb: "Sign of women"
- Fc: "Sex of women"
- R, N: Mythical personages:
- R: Yurugu, the Fox
- N: Nommo, the Fish
This is one of the "raw documents" which Griaule and Dieterlen were so eager to share. The style of presentation of Un Systeme Soudanais de Sirius is in fact better described by Claude Meillassoux.
"Far from taking the form of verbatim transcriptions in the native language, they combine translations of brief quotations with paraphrases, interpretations and commentaries… it is practically impossible to distinguish between what originates from the informants and what comes from the anthropologist."
We should not be surprised. To quote a conservative source, the Harvard Bright Star Catalog:
"C, companion to B at 1.4" suspected but not confirmed"
It says this sort of thing for a thousand stars where the suspicion is probably correct. One support for the existence of Sirius C is as an explanation for the historical "Red Sirius."
The paper enumerates a number of astronomical statements as follows (links to Astronomical Tests):
"The orbit describing Digitaria around Sirius is perpendicular to the horizon" -- p280
"When Digitaria is close to Sirius, it becomes most brilliant; when it is furthest away, Digitaria gives a scintillation which the observer believes as many stars." -- p281
"The period of the orbit is counted double, that is 100 years." -- p282
"Besides its movement of translation, Digitaria turns on itself in a year." -- p283
"The Star [Digitaria], which is white, where Sirius is seen as red, is the origin of all things." -- p284
"The contents of the recipient star are ejected by centrifugal force, in the form of infinitely small parts comparable to grains of Digitaria developing quickly: 'The things exiting to outside the star become as big as it every day.'" -- p286-7
"Digitaria is the smallest of all things, and the heaviest star" -- p287
"It [Digitaria] is composed of a metal named sagala, a little brighter than iron, and of a weight that everyone on earth cannot lift it. The star weighs 480 mule loads (about 35,000 kg), or all grains, or all the iron on earth, if they were theoretically the size of a stretched cow hide or a mortar board." -- p287
"But Digitaria is not the sole companion of Sirius: the star emme ya, 'Sorghum Female,' more voluminous than it, but four times lighter than it, follows a vaster trajectory in the same direction and the same time as it (50 years). Their respective positions are where their rays make right angles." -- p287
"It [emme ya] also emits rays which have the quality of solar rays." -- p288
"it [emme ya] is accompanied by a satellite which is named "star of Women," nyan tolo" -- p288
These statements are supported by the following diagram, among others:
Nyan aduno tonu (Drawing of the World of Women) or
Anduno dale donule tolo (Drawing of the Heights and Depths of the World) -- p290
This is the drawing that kicked off 50 years of controversy. This most compelling feature of Un Systeme Soudanais de Sirius claims to give a overview of the whole Sirius system, an executive summary of the foregoing statements. True size is about twice this.
- S: Sirius A (sigi tolo -- "Star of Yasigi")
- Da-b: Sirius B, the "egg of the world," at extreme orbital positions (po tolo -- "Star of Fonio")
- E: Sirius C (emme ya tolo -- "Star of Sorghum Female") showing "rays" surrounding it. "Put at the centre of the egg as the Sun at the centre of the solar system."
- Fa: Sirius C's planet (nyan tolo -- "Star of Women"). The small spiral shows it is a satellite of "Sorghum Female."
- Fb: "Sign of women"
- Fc: "Sex of women"
- R, N: Mythical personages:
- R: Yurugu, the Fox
- N: Nommo, the Fish
This is one of the "raw documents" which Griaule and Dieterlen were so eager to share. The style of presentation of Un Systeme Soudanais de Sirius is in fact better described by Claude Meillassoux.
"Far from taking the form of verbatim transcriptions in the native language, they combine translations of brief quotations with paraphrases, interpretations and commentaries… it is practically impossible to distinguish between what originates from the informants and what comes from the anthropologist."
We should not be surprised. To quote a conservative source, the Harvard Bright Star Catalog:
"C, companion to B at 1.4" suspected but not confirmed"
It says this sort of thing for a thousand stars where the suspicion is probably correct. One support for the existence of Sirius C is as an explanation for the historical "Red Sirius."
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