‘Did any ancient African culture feature the star Sirius in their belief system?’

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AI – ‘Yes, at least two ancient African cultures featured the star Sirius prominently in their religious beliefs: the Dogon people of Mali and the ancient Egyptians.

The Dogon People

The Dogon, an ethnic group in Mali, have an intricate traditional religion and mythology centered on the Sirius star system. Their oral traditions and rituals demonstrate knowledge of celestial bodies that scientists could only confirm with modern telescopes: 

  • Sirius B (Po Tolo): The Dogon have long known that Sirius is a binary star system with a companion star, Sirius B, which is invisible to the naked eye. They describe it as a tiny, extremely dense star (they call its substance sagala, a mineral heavier than iron) that orbits Sirius A in an elliptical path every 50 years. This was a remarkable assertion as Sirius B was only officially observed by Western astronomers in 1862 and photographed in 1970.
  • Nommo: According to Dogon belief, their ancestors were visited by amphibious beings called the Nommo from a planet in the Sirius system, who shared advanced knowledge of the universe with them.
  • Rituals: The Dogon celebrate a major ceremony called the Sigui every 60 years, which is linked to the orbital cycle of the Sirius system and symbolizes the renewal of the Earth and the acquisition of the spoken word by humanity. 

Ancient Egypt

Sirius, known as Sopdet (or Sothis to the Greeks), was the most important star in ancient Egyptian astronomy and religion. Its significance was both practical and spiritual: 

  • The Nile Flood and Calendar: The heliacal (pre-dawn) rising of Sirius, after about 70 days of invisibility, coincided with the annual flooding of the Nile River. This event was crucial for agriculture and life in Egypt, leading them to base their entire civil and religious calendar (the Sothic cycle) on its movements.
  • Deities: Sirius was personified as the goddess Sopdet, who was often associated with the prominent goddess Isis, the female counterpart of Osiris. The god Anubis, depicted with the head of a jackal (or dog), was also linked to Sirius (the “Dog Star”).
  • Temples and the Afterlife: Temples, such as the Temple of Isis at Denderah, were oriented so that the light of the rising Sirius would align with the inner sanctum, symbolically transforming the light into the star goddess Isis. Sirius was also mentioned in the Egyptian Book of the Dead as a destination for the souls of the deceased, linking the star with notions of immortality and the afterlife.’

See also:

I then wondered had any other culture in antiquity based their belief system and rituals on the star Sirius – So I asked AI a 2nd Q:

My 2nd Q. – ‘Which cultures in antiquity based their belief system and rituals on the star Sirius?’

AI – ‘Several ancient cultures incorporated the star Sirius into their belief systems and rituals, most notably the Ancient Egyptians, but also the Greeks, Romans, Persians, and various indigenous cultures in North America and Polynesia. 

Ancient Egypt

Sirius (known as Sopdet or Sothis) was arguably the most important star to the ancient Egyptians, forming the basis of their civil calendar and religious practices. 

  • Calendar and Agriculture: The heliacal rising of Sirius (its first appearance in the morning sky just before the sun, after a 70-day absence) coincided almost exactly with the annual flooding of the Nile River, which was essential for their agriculture and survival.
  • Deities: The star was personified as the goddess Sopdet and was closely associated with Isis, the mother goddess. Her consort, the constellation Orion (Sah), was associated with the god Osiris. The 70-day period of Sirius’s invisibility symbolized the passage of Osiris and Isis through the underworld (Duat).
  • Rituals and Architecture: Temples, such as the one at Dendera, were oriented so that the light of the rising Sirius would fall upon the statue of Isis on the New Year. The 70-day embalming period for mummification was also linked to the 70-day disappearance of the star from the sky. 

Other Ancient Cultures

  • Ancient Greece and Rome: The Greeks associated Sirius with the “Dog Star” (part of the constellation Canis Major, the Greater Dog), which they believed brought on the “dog days” of summer—a period of intense heat, fever, and bad luck. The Romans shared this view, calling the star Canicula (“little dog”) and sometimes sacrificing a brown dog to appease its “rage”.
  • Persia/Zoroastrianism: In ancient Persian mythology and the sacred texts of the Avesta, Sirius (called Tishtrya) was revered as a divinity and the god of rain and fertility, the antagonist to the demon of drought.
  • Mesopotamia: Sirius was known as the “Dog Star that Leads” and was incorporated into their advanced astronomical and astrological systems.
  • Polynesia: The Polynesians used the star, which they called by names such as Ka’ulua (“Queen of Heaven”) in Hawaii, as an important reference for navigation across the Pacific and for marking the onset of the winter season.
  • Indigenous North Americans: Many tribes had beliefs tied to Sirius. The Pawnee knew it as the “Wolf Star” or “Coyote Star”, while the Blackfoot called it “Dog-face”. The Cherokee paired it with Antares as a guardian of the “Path of Souls”.
  • Dogon Tribe (Mali, West Africa): The Dogon people have a detailed traditional cosmology centered on Sirius, which, according to some controversial research, includes knowledge of its invisible companion star, Sirius B. They refer to an amphibious race of beings, the Nommo, from the Sirius system who allegedly provided this knowledge.’

My 3rd Q. – ‘Ancestrally – who were the Dogon descended from?’

AI – ‘The question of the Dogon people’s ancestry involves both their own rich oral traditions and various historical and anthropological theories. According to Dogon Oral Tradition.

  • Nommo Spirits: Central to Dogon mythology is the belief that their ancestors were the Nommo, a race of amphibious, fish-like beings sent to Earth by the creator god Amma. The Nommo are considered divine ancestors and teachers who arrived in an “ark” and brought civilization, language, agriculture, and complex knowledge of the cosmos to humanity.
  • Sirius Star System: The Dogon claim the Nommo came from a planet orbiting the star Sirius B, an invisible white dwarf companion to Sirius A. This claim has been the subject of significant fascination and debate, as Western astronomers only confirmed the existence of Sirius B with modern telescopes in the 20th century.
  • Mythical Ancestors: Another key figure is Lébé Serou, the first mortal human ancestor, who in myth was transformed into a snake and guided his people during their migration. 

According to Anthropological and Historical Theories

  • Ancient Egyptian Descent (Debated): Some scholars and an internal Dogon tradition speculate that the Dogon may be descended from ancient Egyptians (Kemet), who migrated westward from the Nile Valley over 3,000 years ago, eventually settling in the area of modern-day Mali and Burkina Faso. The Dogon supreme deity, Amma, is sometimes linked to the Egyptian god Amen.
  • The Tellem People: When the Dogon arrived in the Bandiagara cliffs region of Mali around the 15th century, they found the area already inhabited by the Tellem people. The Tellem either assimilated into Dogon culture or migrated, and the Dogon adopted many of their architectural techniques and used their ancient cliff dwellings for burials and granaries.
  • Diverse Origins: It is widely accepted that the contemporary Dogon are likely descendants of several different groups who migrated to the Bandiagara escarpment to escape conflict and Islamization, leading to a blending of cultures.
  • Linguistic Grouping: Linguistically, the Dogon languages form an independent branch of the Niger-Congo language family, suggesting a very early divergence from other related groups.’

See also:

Dogon people – Wikipedia

My 4th Q. – Why is the Sirius star system significant in human thought & science?’

AI – ‘The Sirius star system is significant in human thought and science primarily due to its exceptional brightness and proximity to Earth, which made it a crucial celestial marker for ancient calendars and navigation and a foundational object for key discoveries in modern astronomy. 

Significance in Human Thought and Culture

Sirius, also known as the “Dog Star” as the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (Latin for “greater dog”), has been a prominent feature in human culture for millennia. 

  • Ancient Egypt: Sirius (known as Sopdet) was perhaps the most important star in ancient Egypt. Its annual reappearance in the morning sky (heliacal rising) coincided with the annual flooding of the Nile River, signaling the beginning of the agricultural cycle and the Egyptian New Year. The Egyptian calendar system was based on this recurring event, and the star was associated with the powerful deities Isis and Osiris.
  • Ancient Greece and Rome: The name Sirius comes from the Greek word Seirios, meaning “glowing” or “scorching”. The Greeks and Romans associated its heliacal rising with the hottest time of the summer, believing its brightness added to the sun’s heat. This period was called the “dog days” (dies caniculares), a phrase still used today. The star was seen as the hound of the hunter Orion in mythology.
  • Polynesian Cultures: In the Southern Hemisphere, the appearance of Sirius (known by names like Ka’ulua in Hawaii or Takurua to the Māori) marked the onset of winter and was vital for navigation across the Pacific Ocean.
  • Indigenous North American Cultures: Various tribes, including the Cherokee and Skidi Pawnee, had myths linking Sirius to dogs or wolves, such as the “Wolf Star” or the “Moon Dog,” demonstrating a common cultural association across unconnected peoples.
  • Astrology and Occultism: In various esoteric traditions and secret societies, Sirius is a potent symbol associated with divinity, power, and knowledge, sometimes referred to as the “All Seeing Eye”. 

Significance in Science

In modern astronomy, the Sirius system has been a “celestial laboratory” due to its proximity (just 8.6 light-years away). 

  • Stellar Motion: In 1718, Edmond Halley used Sirius’s position to discover that stars have “proper motion” (move relative to each other), challenging the ancient notion of “fixed stars”.
  • Radial Velocity: In 1868, Sir William Huggins measured the spectrum of Sirius and observed a blueshift (he initially miscalculated the direction), marking the first time a star’s radial velocity (speed toward or away from Earth) was measured.
  • Discovery of White Dwarfs: The most significant scientific contribution came in 1844, when astronomer Friedrich Bessel deduced that Sirius had an unseen companion due to a wobble in its movement. This companion, Sirius B (or “the Pup”), was first observed in 1862 by Alvan Clark and later identified as the first known white dwarf star—a super-dense, Earth-sized stellar corpse.
  • Stellar Evolution: The Sirius binary system provides astronomers with a unique, close-up case study for understanding stellar evolution, particularly how low-to-medium mass stars like our Sun end their lives. Studying Sirius B helps scientists understand the properties of white dwarfs, which are also used as standard candles (Type Ia supernovae) to measure the expansion rate of the universe.’