Where the Sky Meets the Ground

by Joshua M. Britt

The nomadic people's camp in Nabta, Egypt was busy after the sun fell through the western horizon this evening. The men of the tribe were a mile or so away from the activity, their shadowy figures visible under the moonlight to those working in the camp. A stone circle was being built by the men, and the oldest of them stood aside and directed the construction. He is the current shaman, and his words are highly revered. Four openings were left in the circle: two lining up north and south, and two lining up southwest and northeast. Each pair of openings had its purpose. The shaman suspected, with the onset of the rainy season, that the Sun God would rise in the special place which signified the beginning of summer.

When the rainy season began a week ago, the families uprooted their belongings and moved to the grasslands of Nabta. Years ago, the wise men of the nomads directed the placement of the first of many megaliths. With the completion of the stone circle, the astronomical devices could now be used more accurately. While the women and children prepared for a special feast (the feast of the Sun God), the men of the tribe herded the cattle and chose several to be slaughtered. After the meal was prepared, it was time for the feast to begin.

The shaman of the tribe climbed on top of a mound of dirt and began to sing in their native language. He sang about the stars in the sky, which were their ancestors, and he sang about the sun. According to his song, when the Sun God appeared to them in the special place (zenith sun, before the summer solstice), a few of their ancestors would still be visible in the sky. Whichever one was brave enough to stand between the north and south pillars would later lead them through the Sahara Desert. The singing soon revolved around a chorus that the shaman shouted over and over again. The other members of the tribe followed him in this chant to call forth the sun.

Next, the women of the tribe led the men in a dance; not only to celebrate the feast they were having but also to ask the Sun God for another fruitful year. They formed a large circle and ran in one direction to create a swirling effect. Then, at random, the women of the tribe would jump from the circle and stand up out of a crouched position. This whole process imitated the need for sunlight in order to have healthy crops. While they were not farmers, an abundance of grasses were needed for their cattle. The nomads performed several other dances, and continued to feast until the shaman let out a thundering announcement. The tribesmen looked to find him standing in the stone circle they had recently built. With his arms outstretched in anticipation, he watched as the sun rose between the northeast pillars. He turned, making sure to stay in the center of the circle, and looked through the northern pillars. The shaman found a small cluster of stars high in the sky, and announced that those were the ancestors sent to guide them this year.

When the feast was over, the nomads returned to their daily lives. The old megaliths now served as water gauges instead of astronomical devices. Spread along the outskirts of the camp, their bases were submerged in the rain water. When the level of water around the camp fell, the tribesmen knew that their local water supply would soon fall as well. They began to forage what they could, preparing to make their exodus through the desert. Just a few days later, they gathered before sunrise at the stone circle. When the sun rose between the same two pillars (three weeks after the summer solstice), the shaman found the cluster of stars in the sky and led the people on their northward move. It was the shaman's responsibility to find those same ancestors in the sky before each sunrise and move the tribe accordingly. In a few weeks the nomads found their next grassland on the other side of the Sahara. Another feast, much larger than the first, was held. The purpose of this feast was to thank the brave ancestors who withstood the Sun God's intensity and led them through the desert.

Today, the area with the stone circle lies in a permanent drought. The social structure of the nomadic tribe has been broken down, as they have incorporated themselves into a wave of foreign people who are coming from the east. While it is a hard adjustment to make, these new immigrants are highly educated and understanding. There is a mutual learning between the nomads and the foreigners, who call themselves "Egyptians." They are teaching the tribesman how to plant crops and form permanent settlements. In turn, the tribesman teach the Egyptians about the local landscape, flora, and fauna. After years of co-existing together, the two cultures essentially merge as one, creating the foundation for one of the most spectacular empires in the history of mankind.

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