Dogon People -- Emme Ya Tolo: The Third Star and Sirius C
Dogon People -- Emme Ya Tolo: The Third Star and Sirius C
The Dogon's Third Star
In addition to Sigi Tolo (Sirius A) and Po Tolo (Sirius B), Griaule and Dieterlen recorded Dogon descriptions of a third star: Emme Ya Tolo -- "the sorghum female star." The Dogon's description:
- Larger than Po Tolo (Sirius B) but four times lighter (less dense)
- Orbits Sigi Tolo with a longer period than Po Tolo
- Has its own satellite -- a fourth object in the system
- Associated with the feminine principle in Dogon cosmology
Western Astronomy's Search for Sirius C
| Year | Study/Claim | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1920s-1930s | Various proposals for third Sirius companion based on orbital anomalies | Not confirmed; attributed to measurement errors |
| 1973 | Irving Lindenblad (US Naval Observatory) studies Sirius astrometry | No evidence for a third body |
| 1995 | Daniel Benest and J.L. Duvent (Astronomy and Astrophysics) propose a small red dwarf companion (Sirius C) with approximately 6-year orbit | Proposed; not confirmed by subsequent studies |
| 2005 | Hubble Space Telescope studies of the Sirius system | No third stellar-mass object detected; system confirmed binary at high precision |
| Present | No consensus on Sirius C | Mainstream position: binary system; very faint substellar companion cannot be excluded |
Why This Is a Double-Edged Issue
For the extraordinary interpretation: The Dogon described a third star with specific physical properties (larger than Sirius B; less dense; longer orbital period). If a faint third companion is eventually confirmed in the Sirius system, this would be the most extraordinary predictive element of the entire case.
For the mundane interpretation: The failure to confirm Emme Ya Tolo in Western astronomy is the strongest argument against taking the Dogon claims at face value. If Griaule's informants had genuine ancient knowledge of the Sirius system, their third star should be astronomically real. Its non-confirmation either means the tradition contains errors -- weakening the case for any extraordinary origin -- or that Western astronomy has not yet detected a faint real companion.
