Ancient astronauts and the cargo cult: interesting parallels and notable clues
The Cargo Cult represents a singular ethno-social phenomenon that arose during the Second World War, following American expeditions to the Pacific islands. Is it possible that the same phenomenon happened in Earth's past, when ancient extraterrestrial cosmonauts came into contact with our ancestors considering them divinities?
Every year the Amazonian Kayapo tribe celebrates the arrival of the mysterious Bep-Kororoti, or "he who comes from the cosmos", who visited Earth long ago.
This is what an ancient Amazonian legend says:
“The warrior from the cosmos seemed to take pleasure in seeing the fragility of these people. Wanting to give them a demonstration of his power, he raised his thunder weapon and, pointing successively to a tree and then a rock, destroyed both. Everyone understood that Bep-Kororoti wanted to show them that he had not come to make war."
The history of humanity teaches us that the world has evolved from simplicity to complexity, from stone tools to the advanced technology we have available today. Yet, dozens of stories from native cultures seem to complicate this seemingly linear pattern.
Architectural evidence of immense megalithic structures and tales of ancient deities who descended to Earth in antiquity make one think of the visit of ancient alien astronauts who descended to Earth thousands of years ago.
Is it possible that ancient extraterrestrial cosmonauts came into contact with our ancestors and were mistaken for gods due to their advanced technology? To explore this possibility, we must understand the particular phenomenon of the “Cargo Cult”.
John Frum Day
From the first day of his arrival in May 1941, things were never the same for the inhabitants of Tanna, one of the smallest islands in the Vanuatu archipelago in the western Pacific.
“John Frum Day” is the most important event in the cult born within the tribes living on the island. On this sacred day, numerous parades and celebrations are held to honor the compassionate deity who had visited these people many years before.
Many ethnologists believe that the natives of Tanna developed the cult around the figure of an American soldier named John Frum (probably derived from "John from America"), who lived in close contact with the tribe during of the Second World War.
It is known that this cult began to develop with the arrival of around 300,000 US soldiers in the New Hebrides, tasked with defending the archipelago from a possible Japanese invasion.
The case of John Frum represents one of the best known in the context of the phenomenon known as the "Cargo Cult". It represents a singular ethno-social phenomenon that arose following the American expeditions to the Pacific islands during the Second World War.
The free distribution of food, the application of Western medicine among the men of primitive tribes and the use of airplanes must have greatly impressed the natives, so much so that they made the natives believe they were dealing with divinities, pushing them to create real religious cults in honor of the gods.
With the end of the war, the main purpose of the cult is to invoke the return of the white-skinned gods, such as John Frum or Duke Philip of Edinburgh, worshiped by the Yaohnanen tribe of the Vanuatu archipelago.
Bep-Kororoti: the astronaut who visited the Amazon
Yet, cargo cults may have a much more remote origin than those that arose in the Pacific Islands. The first to have developed an adoration for a foreign visitor may have been the Kayapo, a tribe from the Amazon rainforest.
The Kayapo annually celebrate the arrival of the mysterious Bep-Kororoti, "he who comes from the cosmos", by wearing a curious wicker dress that is very reminiscent of a modern spacesuit.
According to the stories of the tribe's leaders, the mysterious character came from the Pukato-Ti mountain range. From the fear of the first meeting, the people of the village slowly began to develop a real adoration towards the stranger, motivated by his beauty, the white splendor of his skin and his benevolence towards everyone. It is said that this strange visitor was extraordinarily intelligent and that he had passed on invaluable knowledge to the ancestors of the tribe.
Legend has it that one day Bep-Kororoti exploded into a fit of rage and with screams and threats forbade the members of the tribe to come near him. It was then that the tribe saw the stranger go towards the foot of the mountain and flee towards the sky in a tremendous explosion that shook the entire region.
The natives saw Bep-Kororoti disappear in a cloud of fire. The explosion was so intense that it destroyed a vast area of the jungle, made the animals disappear and from that moment on, the tribe suffered a long period of famine and hunger.
The ethnologist Joao Americo Peret, who interviewed the elders of the Aboriginal community in 1952, stated that the Bep-Kororoti story dates back to a very distant past.
Modern researchers, in light of the phenomenon of the Cargo Cult, wonder what type of person could have visited the tribes of Mato Grosso in such a remote period, dressed in a space suit and in possession of a magic that, according to the Kayapo, he was able to take down an animal with a simple touch.
Certainly, the figure of Bep-Kororoti does not correspond to the humanitarian mentality of the North American soldier that the Tanna of Vannatu continue to adore. But the most bizarre fact, when the history of the Kayapo became known, is the strange space suit that became an integral part of the ceremonies in memory of Bep-Kororoti, since the cult, of very ancient times, arose when the human space travel.
Furthermore, the story of Bep-Kororoti's departure, "among clouds of smoke, light and rumbles of thunder", clearly brings to mind the behavior of a modern jet engine. The sight must have overwhelmed the Aboriginal senses.
According to the stories, the propulsion mechanism was controlled by what the natives believed to be “branches” and the ship appeared to be a “tree”. Legend has it that the visitor returned to sit in this special tree and touching the branches, a great explosion occurred and the tree disappeared into the air. Is it a gamble to think that it was a space rocket?
The Dogon: the tribe with astronomical knowledge
But the most interesting manifestation of the Cargo Cult is perhaps that shown in the Dogon tribe, located in Mali, West Africa. Although they have not developed a structured and devotional cult like those described so far, the Dogon retain knowledge that is nothing short of miraculous.
In 1947, after living with the Dagons for more than seventeen years. the French anthropologist Marcel Griaule reported a truly incredible story. The tribal elders revealed to Griaule one of their most closely guarded secrets, hidden even from most of the tribal community.
The leaders told how the Nommo, a half-fish, half-human species, founded an ancient civilization on Earth. Despite their primitive culture, the Dagon elders say they have received profound knowledge of the solar system from one of the mysterious Nommo.
The elders are aware of the four moons of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn and are aware of the spiral shape of the Milky Way and know that it is the planets that move around the Sun and not vice versa.
But what most baffles ethnologists is the Dagon's knowledge of the orbits, dimensions and density of the stars in the Sirius system. The Dogon have carefully confirmed the existence of Sirius A, B and C, knowledge that modern science has only recently acquired. Sirius C remained unknown until 1995, when astronomers noticed the gravitational influence it exerts on the movement of the entire system.
Yet, for hundreds of years, the primitive Dagons were not aware of the three stars, but they also knew some details. Where did this knowledge come from?
Can we hypothesize that the Dogon also had first contact with a group of ancient astronauts who visited our planet in the past? The clues all seem to point in this direction. All that is missing is the discovery of the "smoking gun" and that is the definitive proof that we are not alone and that humanity is also a child of the stars.
