The Dogons were studied by the French anthropologists Dr. Marcel Griaule and Dr. Germaine Dieterlen. The first encounter took place in 1931, and the study continued for thirty years. A detailed study was written between 1946-1950. Their most significant work was Le Renard Pâle, on Dogon cosmology.
Dogon's interest revolves around Sirius, the most brilliant star in our galaxy. Supposedly, the priest told the scientists a myth about the star Sirius.
The matter of interest is that, as Griaule and Dieterlen reported, the Dogons claim that Sirius is accompanied by a star they call põ tolo, invisible to the naked eye. Tolo means 'star', while põ is
the smallest seed they know. Seed also refers to creation; in our case, human creation. They also seem to know that this start moves in an elliptical orbit around Sirius, that it is small and dense, and
its period is 50 years. The tribe says that põ tolo is composed of s super-dense metal called sagala, heavier then the iron on Earth.
They also describe a third star, Emme Ya ("Sorghum Female"), accompanied by a single satellite. They also know that Saturn has rings, Jupiter has four moons and that the planets orbit the sun. They have calendars for the sun, the moon, Sirius, and Venus. The Sumerians were also worshipping in 4000 BC the sun, the moon, and Venus.
The image above is taken from Griaule and Dieterlen's study, as being the drawing made on the sand by the Dogons. The description given is purely symbolic though. According to Skeptical Inquirer Fall 1978, "A, Sirius;
B, põ tolo, the object equated with Sirius B, shown in two positions; C, emme ya, the sun of women, equated
with Sirius C; D, the Nommo; E, the Yourougou, a mythical male figure destined to pursue his female twin; F,
the star of women, a satellite of emma ya; G, the sign of women; H, the sex of women, represented by a womb shape.
The whole system is enclosed in an oval, representing the egg of the world." The oval is "the great placenta from which have emerged, in the course of time, all space, all living beings, and everything in the world.