DESCENT OF NOMMO FROM THE SKY

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

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