Original subtitles

NARRATOR: Throughout the ancient world,

there were tales of flying serpents and dragons

that descended from the sky.

Ancient cultures were visited by the same beings

Ancient cultures were visited by the same beings flying the same craft.

flying the same craft.

NARRATOR: Stories were told of god-like beings

establishing the first civilizations on Earth.

These gods came from the stars to provide knowledge.

NARRATOR: And accounts were documented

of strange otherworldly entities.

They're small and green.

They abduct people. They have advanced technology.

They abduct people. They have advanced technology. NARRATOR: Is it possible

NARRATOR: Is it possible

that the legends of our ancestors

are not fanciful mythology,

but evidence that for thousands of years

humans have been sharing the planet

humans have been sharing the planet with extraterrestrials?

with extraterrestrials?

WILLIAM HENRY: These beings were here.

WILLIAM HENRY: These beings were here. They had a hand in our evolution

They had a hand in our evolution

and they're probably still visiting us today.

NARRATOR: There is a doorway in the universe.

Beyond it is the promise of truth.

It demands we question everything

It demands we question everything we have ever been taught.

we have ever been taught.

The evidence is all around us.

The future is right before our eyes.

We are not alone.

We are not alone. We have never been alone.

We have never been alone.

Shaanxi Province, China.

April 5, 2019.

In the ceremonial courtyard

of the Mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor,

10,000 people gathered to watch a traditional Dragon Dance.

KATHLEEN McGOWAN: The Dragon Dance is an ancient ceremony

which, for thousands of years

has been a representation of the dragons

coming from the sky and returning to the sky.

PAUL STONEHILL: This is part of the Chinese culture,

of the Chinese civilization.

So, it's very important for the Chinese to have this dance.

The Chinese people

from the very little-- from toddlers on,

from the very little-- from toddlers on, know about the dragons.

know about the dragons.

know about the dragons. The dragons are ever present.

The dragons are ever present.

Ancient China was a land where humans lived

in tandem with the divine beings, with the gods.

And the gods rode upon dragons.

And so, for this reason, the dragon became revered

as a sacred symbol throughout China.

NARRATOR: Here in Shaanxi,

in what is known as the Qingming Festival,

the ceremony celebrates the deity

considered to be the father of all Chinese people.

The Yellow Emperor, also known as Huangdi,

is a legendary ruler who founded Chinese civilization

is a legendary ruler who founded Chinese civilization nearly 5,000 years ago.

nearly 5,000 years ago.

DOMINIC STEAVO: The Yellow Emperor Huangdi is this

semi-mythical figure in Chinese history.

He's an originator of Chinese civilization and culture.

And he is credited with numerous inventions

that came to define Chinese civilization.

Anything from domesticating animals

to the calendar and various astronomical sciences.

The Yellow Emperor also crafted a magical cauldron.

The Yellow Emperor also crafted a magical cauldron. And one version of the story

And one version of the story

And one version of the story has a dragon emerging from the cauldron,

has a dragon emerging from the cauldron,

and then the Yellow Emperor jumps on the dragon's back.

And the dragon ascends up to heaven.

JUDY CHUNGWA HO: The Chinese would say

we're the descendants of the Yellow Emperor.

That's one way of putting how Chinese believe him to be

the very founder of Chinese civilization.

In fact, just about everything that you

would think as the basic elements of civilization

is somehow associated with the Yellow Emperor.

is somehow associated with the Yellow Emperor. (speaking Chinese)

(speaking Chinese)

(translated): We Chinese people

consider ourselves the descendants of the dragon.

So, there should be a certain connection

between the identities of the Chinese people

both as the descendants of the Yellow Emperor,

and as the descendants of the dragon.

NARRATOR: At the end of the Qingming Festival,

the dragon is released into the sky,

symbolizing Huangdi's departure from Earth

to the heavenly realm.

The Yellow Emperor is believed to have flown up to the sky,

and dwell in the Pole Star at the very center of the sky.

And there he actually would live forever.

The idea of a dragon,

a metaphysical being who looked very real,

a metaphysical being who looked very real, had to come from somewhere.

had to come from somewhere.

They could not just imagine

a complicated being like Chinese dragons.

They had to see objects that were flying at incredible speeds

and the superior beings riding on them.

TSOUKAULOS: Now, from the ancient astronaut perspective,

TSOUKAULOS: Now, from the ancient astronaut perspective, the dragon was never a dragon.

the dragon was never a dragon.

It was a flying craft.

It is only natural that our ancestors

would describe these things as living creatures

would describe these things as living creatures with fire and smoke.

with fire and smoke.

They had never seen anything like it before.

One has to wonder if Huangdi himself was misinterpreted

and that he was an extraterrestrial

and he arrived in an extraterrestrial craft.

and he arrived in an extraterrestrial craft. (Sun Shili speaking Chinese)

(Sun Shili speaking Chinese)

(translated): In China, in UFO research,

a dragon is the symbol of aircraft.

There is a view that the Yellow Emperor

arrived in the wonderful land of China

through an aircraft, and he flew back afterwards.

NARRATOR: Could the story of Huangdi travelling on a dragon

be an account of an extraterrestrial

be an account of an extraterrestrial travelling in a spaceship,

travelling in a spaceship,

as ancient astronaut theorists suggest?

In the modern world, tales of dragons

In the modern world, tales of dragons are widely considered to be

are widely considered to be

strictly a product of the imagination.

strictly a product of the imagination. But some researchers believe

But some researchers believe

physical evidence exists that suggests

the ancient stories of dragons could be true.

The Baian-Kara-Ula Mountains,

The Baian-Kara-Ula Mountains, Qinghai Province, China.

Qinghai Province, China.

According to an article published in 1962

in the German magazine, Das Vegetarisches Universum,

Beijing University archaeologist, Dr. Tsum Um Nui

was leading an expedition here in 1936,

when he and his team

came upon neat rows of graves inside a cave.

The archaeologists reported that the graves contained

the corpses of small creatures resembling humans,

but with spindly arms and legs and huge skulls.

And buried with them were hundreds of strange stone discs.

TSOUKALOS: There's a fascinating story in China

where allegedly a cave was found with hundreds of discs.

And these discs were about this wide

and it seemed that they had some type of a groove in them

reminding of modern-day vinyl records.

And what's interesting is that, allegedly...

...some of these grooves contained

really tiny types of writing, hieroglyphics or something.

HENRY: And when archaeologists finally deciphered

or translated this writing,

it told this incredible story

of extraterrestrial beings called the Dropas

and how they had come from the stars, crash-landed on Earth

and were unable to rebuild a spacecraft

in order to return to their home.

NARRATOR: Unfortunately, after the initial research

in the early 1960s, the discs--

known today as the Dropa Stones-- vanished.

But mysteriously, in 1974, photographs surfaced

of what were alleged to be two Dropa Stones,

on display at the Banpo Museum in Xi'an City, China.

In 1994 a colleague of mine, Hartwig Hausdorf

and his colleague, Peter Crusa, went to China

to ask the whereabouts of these stone discs.

During the '60s and '70s,

there was a big cultural revolution in China,

where lots of cultural relics were destroyed.

And that's possibly the reason that

And that's possibly the reason that two of the more than 700 stone discs

two of the more than 700 stone discs

could have found their way down to Xi'an

into this little museum.

In spring of 1994, my way led me also into

this little Banpo Museum, where I got to speak with

the present curator of the museum.

I showed him the photographs that were taken

I showed him the photographs that were taken 20 years ago in his museum,

20 years ago in his museum,

and he told me the former manageress of the museum,

along with two stone discs that were on display,

they have disappeared without any trace.

And up to now, no one knows where this lady

and the two stone discs have gone.

We can speculate that most of the stone discs

are still inside those caves in Baian-Kara-Ula Mountains.

NARRATOR: Could there be additional Dropa Stones

still hidden somewhere in the Baian-Kara-Ula Mountains?

For ancient astronaut theorists, another intriguing aspect

of the story is that the Qinghai Province,

which is home to this mountain range,

which is home to this mountain range, has a connection to dragons.

has a connection to dragons.

HENRY: What's interesting about the Dropa Stones

is that the region they were discovered in

is very close to the Qinghai Lake

which has its patron as a dragon god.

CHILDRESS: You have the fascinating story

of the Dragon King of the West Sea,

the Qinghai Lake.

And Qinghai is also in the same area

where the Dropa Stones allegedly came from.

Now one of the fascinating connections here is that

the Dragon Kings were also said to be cloud breathers.

And one of the things that we see in the actual translation

from the Dropa Stones is that the Dropa people

came forth in their clouds from the sky.

NARRATOR: Could it be that the dragon,

which remains sacred and iconic in China to this day,

commemorates an extraterrestrial visitation

that occurred thousands of years ago,

and was allegedly recorded on the Dropa Stones?

Perhaps further clues can be found by examining

other ancient traditions all over the world of dragon gods.

NARRATOR: Kyoto, Japan.

An imposing statue of a dragon guards the West Gate

of the Buddhist Temple known as Kiyomizudera.

It is just one of the many dragons that adorn the shrine,

and according to temple legends, every night a dragon descends

from the sky to drink at the temple's waterfall.

In Japan, dragons, sometimes known as Naga,

are not only revered as deities,

they are also considered to be

the founders of Japan's royal family.

It was said in ancient Japan that the dragon god

lived at the bottom of the ocean.

His daughter had a daughter

and her child was Jimmu, the first emperor of Japan.

To be descended from a dragon

is to be from the divine dimension of nature,

is to be from the divine dimension of nature, but also from the stars.

but also from the stars.

NARRATOR: According to legend,

Jimmu, the great-grandson of the dragon god,

received three divine items called the Imperial Regalia.

HENRY: The Imperial Regalia of Japan

was sent from the heavenly realms.

This was composed of a jewel, a sword, and a mirror

that was utilized by all the Japanese emperors

and they're still believed to exist to this day.

They're considered to be artifacts

of such incredible power that ordinary people

are not allowed to come into contact with them.

TSOUKAULOS: With this celestial mirror,

it is said that he was able to see anything that goes on

on planet Earth without having to go anywhere.

What are we talking about here?

Imagine that you show your laptop

or your cell phone to your great-great-grandfather

and, all of a sudden, you are showing him

a magical mirror because you can see anything on a laptop.

I think that the celestial regalia of Jimmu

are extraterrestrial artifacts that were collected at the time

when the celestial teachers, referred to as dragons,

when the celestial teachers, referred to as dragons, were here teaching mankind

were here teaching mankind

and, in this case, in the area of Japan.

and, in this case, in the area of Japan. (speaking Japanese)

(speaking Japanese)

(translated): The ancestors of the Japanese emperor were gods.

Specifically gods in the sky.

They landed on the Earth,

and are linked to the current Japanese imperial family.

Which means that their family is related to extraterrestrials.

NARRATOR: While the dragon is a prominent figure

in East Asian cultures,

many ancient peoples, who archaeologists believe

had no history of contact,

also revered the supposedly mythical flying beast.

Dragons are found throughout Africa and in ancient Egypt.

They were featured in the earliest traditions of Persia,

Greece and Rome.

And North American folklore

often spoke of dragon-like creatures.

The dragon is worldwide because, again,

in Central America, in Villahermosa,

there's a stone called The Dragon Monolith.

there's a stone called The Dragon Monolith. You see a man sitting inside the dragon,

You see a man sitting inside the dragon,

you see the form of the dragon

with this open mouth like a snake.

And you see the man is sitting inside, he has a helmet on.

He uses his hand to manipulate control.

So the story of the dragon has come around the world

So the story of the dragon has come around the world from China to Central America.

from China to Central America.

HUGH NEWMAN: The dragons are found

all over the world in ancient traditions.

And there's always an element of extreme power.

They could destroy, but they could also become allies.

And they were great teachers, of very high wisdom,

and have extreme intelligence, as well, in some cases.

And yet this became a symbol of different cultures

And yet this became a symbol of different cultures and different leaders around the world,

and different leaders around the world,

but was this because they had witnessed something

emerging from clouds, from a fiery kind of sky?

And actually this is where

the whole dragon mythos really came from?

the whole dragon mythos really came from? Who were the original dragons?

Who were the original dragons?

And why are they always depicted as flying?

NARRATOR: For researchers of mythology,

NARRATOR: For researchers of mythology, an equally intriguing question is why

an equally intriguing question is why

so many separate cultures

ended up calling these flying entities by the same name.

Many languages use exactly the same word for dragon,

or something very similar, at least.

or something very similar, at least. You have got in the Middle East,

You have got in the Middle East,

the Philistine god

who looks like a dragon was called Dagon.

In England, you've got dragon.

In parts of Finland,

you've got "dray-gon,"

and in Eastern Europe, you've got dracul.

And then a bit further south, you've got dracu.

NARRATOR: In Basque,

which is unconnected to any other language,

the word is dragoi.

In India, it's dregan.

In Swahili, dragoni,

and in ancient Greek, drakon.

PHILLIPS: They all have similar names.

How can this be? What's behind all this?

These people were not in touch with each other,

so how does this come about?

HENRY: It's very curious, that no matter where we go

we find legends of dragons with the exact same word

used to describe this creature or these beings.

It must be that there was a common source.

And it makes you wonder if it's possible

that these beings originally introduced themselves

with this name that is something like dragon.

NARRATOR: What can account for

this supposedly mythical creature

appearing in dozens of distinct traditions

throughout the ancient world?

As far as ancient astronaut theorists are concerned,

the ubiquity of dragon legends

lends further support to the notion

that our ancestors encountered alien vehicles

that our ancestors encountered alien vehicles descending from the sky.

descending from the sky.

The reason why countless ancient cultures

have references to dragons,

is because many of these ancient cultures

were visited by the same beings

flying the same craft.

CHILDRESS: They're seeing the same thing

in all these different places,

and what they're seeing is of airships

with fire and thunder and smoke and huge wings.

And so, they're describing them in similar ways,

in different parts of the world.

NARRATOR: Could the ubiquity of dragon worship

throughout the world,

along with the curious linguistic connection,

provide further evidence

that our ancestors witnessed something very real

coming down from the sky?

coming down from the sky? Perhaps further clues can be found

Perhaps further clues can be found

by examining ancient stone sculptures from North America

that depict a legendary flying serpent god,

that depict a legendary flying serpent god, in a humanoid form?

in a humanoid form?

NARRATOR: Teotihuacan, Mexico.

Dating back to at the least the first century AD,

this ancient complex was once the largest city in Mesoamerica,

with a population of 125,000.

One of the most sacred temples at this site

is the Temple of the Feathered Serpent,

is the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, an enormous step pyramid

an enormous step pyramid

dedicated to the god, Quetzalquatl.

ED BARNHART: Quetzalquatl, the feathered serpent,

goes all the way back to Olmec times,

goes all the way back to Olmec times, to the BCE period.

to the BCE period.

But the first place that we really see Quetzalquatl

is in Teotihuacan,

the city just north of modern Mexico City.

They build an actual pyramid,

a temple of Quetzalquatl,

a temple of Quetzalquatl, right around 250 AD,

right around 250 AD,

so it's probably Teotihuacan

who really put forward the idea

and the identity of Quetzalquatl as a deity

for the rest of Mesoamerica.

Quetzalquatl was a creator god.

He was associated with the planet Venus.

He brought the rain. He brought water.

He brought civilization. He brought the arts.

This was the creator divinity for the Aztec culture.

It was a flying serpent. It was a dragon.

NEWMAN: Quetzalquatl brought peace, harmony,

and high wisdom,

and a very high level of intelligence

and teaching to this particular land.

He was often depicted as a human being as well.

He arrived on a raft of serpents,

and settled on these lands.

BARNHART: Quetzalquatl also shows up in the post-classic

Maya city of Chichen Itza.

But they give him a Mayan name.

They call him Kukulcan,

which is basically the "holy feathered serpent" in Maya.

NARRATOR: The ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza

lies roughly 900 miles east of Teotihuacan.

And at its center stands another massive step pyramid.

This one dedicated to the Mayan version

of the flying serpent, Kukulcan.

of the flying serpent, Kukulcan. VON D�NIKEN: In Chichen Itza, there we have the pyramid of Kukulcan.

VON D�NIKEN: In Chichen Itza, there we have the pyramid of Kukulcan.

And every year, on the 23rd of March,

you see when the sun is going up,

you see when the sun is going up, some lights and shadows.

some lights and shadows.

Lights and shadows, like triangles,

Lights and shadows, like triangles, climbing down the stairway,

climbing down the stairway,

exactly the stairway where his head is on.

And on 21st of September, you see the opposite.

And on 21st of September, you see the opposite. Kukulcan disappears.

Kukulcan disappears.

And it's only made by light and shadow of the natural sun.

And it's only made by light and shadow of the natural sun. So, still today, the message is clear.

So, still today, the message is clear.

Kukulcan has descended to the humans.

He teached them for a short period,

and then he disappeared again.

TSOUKAULOS: So right there, we have living mythology

TSOUKAULOS: So right there, we have living mythology in a structure that shows

in a structure that shows

this deity descending from the sky in stone.

HENRY: You wonder, if perhaps a craft landed here,

and this light shadow effect of a serpent making its way,

descending down the staircase,

and then emerging through a serpent head,

is a recollection of that original event.

NARRATOR: Is it possible that the pyramid of Kukulcan

was not built to honor a mythical dragon god,

was not built to honor a mythical dragon god, but to commemorate the arrival

but to commemorate the arrival

of an extraterrestrial spacecraft?

Ancient astronaut theorists say yes,

and suggest this isn't the only dragon-themed structure

that marks the location of alien contact.

The landscape of this small Greek island

is spotted with 25 mysterious megalithic structures

called dragon houses.

TSOUKAULOS: The main dragon house is at the very top

of one of the tallest mountains on the island,

called Mount Ochi.

called Mount Ochi. Mount Ochi comes from the word "ochivare,"

Mount Ochi comes from the word "ochivare,"

Mount Ochi comes from the word "ochivare," which means to descend and to drive.

which means to descend and to drive.

And so, this is interesting because,

And so, this is interesting because, according to legend,

according to legend,

the reason why the dragon house

exists at the top of Mount Ochi

is because Zeus

allegedly descended from the heavens

on top of that mountain.

NARRATOR: According to local legend, these stone structures

were built by a giant dragon

to venerate the god Zeus.

In ancient Greece, the word dragon

was not only used to describe a flying monster,

but also gods and other figures that had human-like form,

but possessed superhuman powers.

Now, when you put all this together,

this sounds like the dragon house

is a meeting place of heaven and earth.

In UFO vernacular, that would be a landing spot.

TSOUKAULOS: In my opinion,

the dragon was the craft out of which then,

the creator people, or the teachers, emerged.

the creator people, or the teachers, emerged. Our ancestors, basically,

Our ancestors, basically,

they saw a crew coming out of an airplane.

NARRATOR: According to ancient astronaut theorists,

some of the structures themselves serve as evidence

that this was a place of extraterrestrial contact.

The dragon house on top of Mount Ochi

contains megalithic blocks

contains megalithic blocks weighing up to ten tons,

weighing up to ten tons,

and sits at an elevation of almost 5,000 feet.

TSOUKAULOS: Archaeologists have a hard time explaining

why it was even built there,

because we're talking of this gigantic megalithic structure,

with a ceiling that contains blocks

with a ceiling that contains blocks that are up to ten feet long,

that are up to ten feet long,

that are up to ten feet long, two feet thick,

two feet thick,

two feet thick, at an altitude of 5,000 feet!

at an altitude of 5,000 feet!

How was that done?

In my opinion, this was

In my opinion, this was an extraterrestrial visitation

an extraterrestrial visitation

where Zeus may have descended in his craft,

and built a day camp.

NARRATOR: Could the stone structures found in Greece and Mesoamerica

mark the locations where otherworldly beings

landed on Earth?

And if carvings of dragons and winged serpents

And if carvings of dragons and winged serpents represent misunderstood technology,

represent misunderstood technology,

just who, or what, was piloting these flying vehicles?

Ancient astronaut theorists suggest

details about these visitors can be found

by examining Native American accounts of their ancestors,

by examining Native American accounts of their ancestors, who came from the stars.

who came from the stars.

NARRATOR: Collinsville, Illinois,

NARRATOR: Collinsville, Illinois, 15 miles east of St. Louis.

15 miles east of St. Louis.

Towering over the flat local terrain

is Monks Mound,

the remains of a massive earthen pyramid.

Built more than 1,000 years ago,

it was the centerpiece

of the ancient Native American city of Cahokia.

Monks Mound is the largest building

of the ancient North America,

north of Mexico.

It's called that because Trappist French monks

lived nearby it.

It stands 100 feet tall today.

It was probably taller in its heyday.

It was probably taller in its heyday. It comprises of about

It comprises of about

It comprises of about 22 million cubic feet of dirt,

22 million cubic feet of dirt,

which was millions and millions of buckets of dirt,

brought one at a time.

Its circumference on the bottom is larger

Its circumference on the bottom is larger than the Temple of the Sun,

than the Temple of the Sun,

just north of Mexico City.

NARRATOR: Monks Mound and other ancient ruins across the Americas

offer clues about how Native people once lived

offer clues about how Native people once lived in vast thriving communities.

in vast thriving communities.

Yet very little is known about the inhabitants of Cahokia,

and many Native cultures,

since most of their history and traditions

were passed down orally,

were passed down orally, rather than through written records.

rather than through written records.

The Native Americans traditionally

The Native Americans traditionally use an oral tradition.

use an oral tradition.

Everything is spoken.

The oral traditions actually go back thousands of years.

It's just the way it was.

And we've maintained that tradition even to this day.

NARRATOR: It is unknown what the Native Americans

who inhabited Cahokia called themselves.

Anthropologists referred to them as the Mississippians,

a name used to describe a wide variety of Native peoples

that lived east of the Mississippi,

in North America.

And although much about Cahokia remains a mystery,

what is known is that it thrived centuries before

Europeans ever stepped foot in the Americas,

as did countless other cities.

BARNHART: At around 1050,

the city swells to a population of 15,000.

And including the satellite communities around it,

almost 30,000.

There were a number of these cities all around

the eastern part of what's now the United States.

The general picture of Native America

before European contact is that it's some sort of

just nomadic life,

that they were living in small bands and camps.

The truth is that there were thousands of people

living in the same place,

living in the same place, very much the way the Europeans were.

very much the way the Europeans were.

NARRATOR: Across North America, vast differences existed

between the Native peoples in terms of language,

between the Native peoples in terms of language, customs, and cultural practices.

customs, and cultural practices.

Yet many tribes shared the tradition

Yet many tribes shared the tradition of worshipping a powerful being

of worshipping a powerful being

known as the Birdman.

known as the Birdman. (bird screeching)

(bird screeching)

NARRATOR: When excavations were performed at Cahokia

in the 20th century, this motif was found to be abundant.

The most remarkable example

was connected to the burial of a man

believed to have been an early Cahokian ruler.

His body had been placed on an elevated platform,

covered by a bed of more than 20,000 marine-shell disc beads,

arranged in the shape of a falcon,

with a bird's head appearing beneath

and beside the man's head,

and its wings and tail beneath his arms and legs.

The Birdman of Cahokia is a burial

that was found under a mound in the center of the city.

And it's called the Birdman because

there's this arrangement of shells

that appear to be in the shape of a bird.

And it makes sense because we know

that the Mississippians had a supernatural being,

who may or may not be a god.

But he's a very powerful creature

that lives up in the sky.

We see depictions on-- also stone tablets.

JONATHAN YOUNG: Native people believed in the power deity

JONATHAN YOUNG: Native people believed in the power deity called the Birdman.

called the Birdman.

There are a number of depictions

in the remains of these cultures,

of this powerful creature

who could fly and could move among the different realms

and was, essentially, the ruling god of this reality.

NARRATOR: Various descriptions of the Birdman can be found

from one tradition to the next.

And some also feature a similar celestial being

called the Thunderbird.

The Thunderbird in Zuni is described

The Thunderbird in Zuni is described as a being that came from the sky,

as a being that came from the sky,

that could create lightning.

It could create a lot of noise.

And it was represented

as a being with wings made out of knives.

Now, the Thunderbird could have been a vehicle.

Now, the Thunderbird could have been a vehicle. But way back then,

But way back then,

the Indians had no other reference,

the Indians had no other reference, so they just said that it is a bird.

so they just said that it is a bird.

(bird screeching)

One could argue

that this is a representation of misunderstood technology

that could illustrate some type of a flying craft.

Because if you don't have the terminology

for a plane, well, of course,

you're going to call it a bird.

I mean, pilots even today call their planes birds.

MAHOOTY: The mound builders, I believe, were those Indian tribes

that had contact with the extraterrestrials.

The teachers.

The star ancestors taught the American Indians

about where they came from.

Their different star systems, constellations,

and how they're supposed to carry out their rituals,

by referring to their star system,

whether it be Pleiades, whether it be the Milky Way,

whether it be Pleiades, whether it be the Milky Way, whether it be the Big Dipper.

whether it be the Big Dipper.

We don't use the word "gods."

We use the word "creator."

(speaking Indigenous language)

"He who has no name, and has all the names."

"He's the eye that oversees everybody."

ROBLES: The creation story, if you understand it correctly,

ROBLES: The creation story, if you understand it correctly, we are all from the cosmos.

we are all from the cosmos.

Our ancestors were extraterrestrial.

The story is told

to Indigenous people for thousands of years.

Through oral history,

and through the petroglyphs,

and pictographs and the sacred sites

that continue to be part of our native cultural traditions.

DOVER: In talking about star people,

all Native American tribes

have these traditional oral histories,

that people came from the stars to visit them.

And it's universal all across the United States,

that these gods, as we call them today,

came to Earth and visited to provide knowledge.

The Cherokee talked about the star seeds,

and people coming from the sky.

The Zunis and the Hopis talk about the star people coming.

And the Mississippi Mound people had the Birdman culture.

So, here we have these cultures,

and their legends and lores

are about star ancestors coming down,

giving them information,

showing them science and medicine.

TSOUKAULOS: Native American people have been very clear

TSOUKAULOS: Native American people have been very clear

when they speak of celestial beings

when they speak of celestial beings that imparted knowledge.

that imparted knowledge.

And if you compare that to the ancient astronaut theory,

And if you compare that to the ancient astronaut theory, that's exactly what it talks about,

that's exactly what it talks about,

that the knowledge was imparted by beings who visited us.

NARRATOR: Could the stories of the Birdmen and Star People

provide an oral history of alien visitation

among early Native American tribes?

among early Native American tribes? Ancient astronaut theorists say yes,

Ancient astronaut theorists say yes,

and propose that while the Indigenous communities

and propose that while the Indigenous communities kept no written records,

kept no written records,

a historical account of exactly what they encountered

a historical account of exactly what they encountered can be found carved into the landscape

can be found carved into the landscape

at an ancient petroglyph site in Arizona.

NARRATOR: In the American Southwest is a region

known as the Four Corners, where the boundaries of Arizona,

known as the Four Corners, where the boundaries of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah meet.

New Mexico, Colorado and Utah meet.

Most of this region belongs to semi-autonomous

Native American nations, including the Navajo,

Hopi,

Zuni,

Ute and dozens of other Native American peoples.

They are all thought to be descendants

of people frequently called the Ancestral Pueblo,

or Anasazi.

DOVER: The Anasazi or the old ones

as we like to refer to them,

were here in the Four Corners region

were here in the Four Corners region for thousands of years.

for thousands of years.

And they suddenly, around 1070 AD,

just up and disappear.

Their cities are abandoned. Their structures.

Everything. Pottery is left.

They don't know what happened to them.

NARRATOR: Archaeological evidence shows

that between 1275 and 1300 AD,

the Pueblo people stopped building entirely,

and the land was left empty.

DOVER: They were a people that inhabited

this Four Corners region for thousands of years.

It's still a mystery today.

And it's one of the big mysteries

And it's one of the big mysteries in the American Southwest.

in the American Southwest.

NARRATOR: Similar to the Mississippian tribes to the east,

the Pueblo nations also described

contact with visitors from the stars,

contact with visitors from the stars, and performed rituals to connect

and performed rituals to connect

with sky beings called the Kachina.

They were objects, we call them dolls.

But they were sacred objects that would be similar

to the costumes worn by the dancers

and imagined to be the appearance

of these celestial beings.

DOVER: If you look at the Kachinas,

there are so many different types.

Different headdresses.

Different headdresses. Different feathers on them.

Different feathers on them.

Different ways of painting them

to distinguish them one from another.

And that tells me that there were a lot of

different types of beings that were interacting

with early Natives, much more than we even think.

TSOUKAULOS: The Kachinas were their first teachers,

the ones that imparted the knowledge.

The Hopi are very clear in suggesting that the Kachinas

were physical beings.

MAHOOTY: The Kachina is a representation

of the actual gods

that used to come into the villages, eons ago.

Some of them are warriors.

Most of them are priesthood-type Kachinas,

and they come from different parts.

In my opinion, different parts of the universe.

But they actually have certain places on this planet

that they call it home.

Ours is west of here, and, of course,

a lot of other pueblos have their own specific place.

And even to this day, some of them are here.

NARRATOR: The story of strange, humanoid beings

NARRATOR: The story of strange, humanoid beings assisting Native peoples,

assisting Native peoples,

has been recounted for centuries among the Pueblo nations.

Not only is it a central part of their oral traditions,

these encounters were so significant,

they were carved in stone.

DOVER: I believe that these visitations

have been documented in pictographs and petroglyphs.

They're not art, actually, for art's sake.

The petroglyphs have been done this way

for basically thousands of years.

NARRATOR: Do petroglyphs found throughout North America

tell a story of ancient extraterrestrial contact?

In July 2021, ancient astronaut theorists

In July 2021, ancient astronaut theorists Giorgio Tsoukalos and William Henry

Giorgio Tsoukalos and William Henry

traveled to Rock Art Ranch in Winslow, Arizona,

to investigate one of North America's

most extensive collections of petroglyphs.

most extensive collections of petroglyphs. TSOUKAULOS: Hey, Giorgio.

TSOUKAULOS: Hey, Giorgio.

NARRATOR: Joining them is esteemed

Navajo Tribal Ranger, Jon Dover.

TSOUKAULOS: It's so great to meet you because

31 years, you've been a Tribal Navajo Ranger.

- Is that correct? - Yes, I started in 1980,

to 2011.

And worked most of the reservation up there,

And worked most of the reservation up there, 27,000 square miles.

27,000 square miles.

- Wow. - This ranch is very unique,

because there is so much archaeology here.

Well, we're sure excited to be here to get eyes on it with you.

- Okay, well, let's go take a look. - All right!

NARRATOR: Rock Art Ranch's 5,000 acres

are home to nearly 3,000 ancient petroglyphs.

And on nearly every panel are figures

that the Navajo identify as star people.

TSOUKAULOS: This is sensational!

Look at that guy right there.

They call that the birthing mother, right?

That's right.

TSOUKAULOS: Very fascinating because

I'm looking at that and immediately my mind

- goes around the world. - Absolutely.

TSOUKAULOS: This is a depiction of a mother goddess.

It's like those big giant statues

that were found over in Europe.

- HENRY: Right. - TSOUKAULOS: But it also reminds me

of Dogu statues of Japan.

- HENRY: Yeah. - TSOUKAULOS: And also the Wandjinas.

- HENRY: Right. - TSOUKAULOS: Very similar.

NARRATOR: In the Northwest Kimberly region of Australia,

ancient cave art depicts beings called the Wandjina,

the sky heroes of one of Australia's indigenous clans.

The stories behind the Wandjinas goes

that they descended from the sky,

and gave knowledge and jump-started civilization

in Australia thousands and thousands of years ago.

And the Wandjinas are incredible,

because they have these gigantic heads,

and these long bodies, and these arms.

and these long bodies, and these arms. It seems as if they're inside

It seems as if they're inside

some sort of a pressurized suit.

There are similar figures all around the world.

Big bulbous heads, big bodies, floating up in the sky.

In Japan we have the same things.

In Africa. In Europe.

In North and South America.

So my suggestion is that

the extraterrestrials that came to Earth

thousands and thousands of years ago,

didn't just visit Australia.

They visited each and every continent on Earth,

and that is why we have the similar motifs.

Look at the concentric rings up there.

That's the portal symbol. There's two of them.

And there's guys around the portal.

TSOUKAULOS: Interesting, yeah!

Tell me, Jon,

petroglyphs are regarded as picture books

that tell a story all at once.

That's right, and also enmeshed in all this

are religious symbols.

Things that tell you something about how they worshiped.

Things that tell you something about how they worshiped. Pictures of gods.

Pictures of gods.

- And when you say gods... - Gods. Right.

...what-- in your culture-- what does that mean?

...what-- in your culture-- what does that mean? It could be anything from

It could be anything from

somebody coming to them and meeting with them

somebody coming to them and meeting with them and imparting knowledge.

and imparting knowledge.

And in the case of the Navajo,

that's what the Yeibichai represent.

In the case of the Hopis,

the Kachinas represent those gods

that came to Earth to give them knowledge.

And could one make the argument

that these may have been visitations

by flesh and blood extraterrestrials

in ancient times?

Oh, definitely.

Oh, definitely. From what we understand,

From what we understand,

there's many different races of alien

that are coming to this world.

that are coming to this world. That's amazing!

That's amazing!

DOVER: In the case of some tribes

down in southern Arizona, you even have a mountain range

called the Estrella Mountains.

In the language of the people in that area,

Estrella means stargate.

HENRY: Absolutely. Estrella, star people.

Am I correct to assume that

this is only the tip of the iceberg,

and that there are so many more panels like this,

that the world doesn't even know about?

DOVER: On the Navajo reservation alone,

there are 300,000 sites that are recorded.

I mean, we're talking at least 4000 BC, right?

- That's right. - Well, this is great!

But I'm just looking on the other side, and there is more.

I mean, there's more everywhere,

so let's go check out the other ones as well.

Sure thing.

NARRATOR: Giorgio Tsoukalos and William Henry

have been granted special access to Rock Art Ranch

in Winslow, Arizona,

where Navajo Tribal elder, Jon Dover,

is guiding them through the ancient petroglyph panels.

is guiding them through the ancient petroglyph panels. - Wow. - Look at this.

- Wow. - Look at this.

I mean, look at the hollow body with the star inside.

- HENRY: Mm-hmm. - TSOUKAULOS: One hand pointed to the sky,

- HENRY: Mm-hmm. - TSOUKAULOS: One hand pointed to the sky, the other down to Earth.

the other down to Earth.

And just beneath that,

look at-- that is a gray alien.

TSOUKAULOS: That triangular head.

- Very strange. - HENRY: Yeah, it is.

DOVER: You have all kinds of different types of figures,

different representations of gods.

Right. I mean, what we have to fill in with our imagination,

is that these beings off the wall, 3D,

walking amongst the people.

They're interacting with these beings.

Right. We don't know if it's the same time.

- Right. - Or could be different times.

- Right. - Or could be different times. HENRY: That's mind-blowing.

HENRY: That's mind-blowing.

I'm so intrigued by that double helix up there, too,

beside the trapezoidal figure.

- TSOUKAULOS: Mm-hmm. - HENRY: I mean...

- TSOUKAULOS: Mm-hmm. - HENRY: I mean... TSOUKAULOS: As if to indicate,

TSOUKAULOS: As if to indicate,

because of the creature on the left, DNA,

you know, had something to do with this.

- HENRY: Right. - That's right.

HENRY: Look at all the different types of beings here.

And then, all the way across there, you--

you've still got even more variety.

you've still got even more variety. I mean, this is almost like

I mean, this is almost like

a meeting place of all these

a meeting place of all these different worlds and different beings.

different worlds and different beings.

different worlds and different beings. So, you know, you have giants,

So, you know, you have giants,

So, you know, you have giants, you have little people.

you have little people.

And the giants and the little people

are talked about in the other world that they came from,

before they came to this world.

And this is the same with Sego Canyon up in Utah.

You have these massive,

massive carvings and petroglyphs.

So, the fact that we have these virtually identical motifs,

to me, suggests they were all taught by the same teachers.

And the guy here, with the horns,

which could be rays, right next to the gray alien.

He's got horns or rays coming off of his head.

- TSOUKAULOS: Mm-hmm. - HENRY: We see that at Valcamonica in Italy.

- TSOUKAULOS: Yes, you do. - HENRY: All kinds of different places.

And, again, pointing to the idea these could be

luminous or radiant beings that they're portraying.

TSOUKAULOS: And seeing creatures here having,

TSOUKAULOS: And seeing creatures here having, for example, three fingers,

for example, three fingers,

You know, as far as I know,

except for a couple of reptiles,

there aren't any three-fingered creatures.

- No. - You know?

- And especially nothing humanoid. - Right.

- And especially nothing humanoid. - Right. So, again,

So, again,

our ancestors had impeccable powers of observation.

- That's true. - That's all they did all day.

They-- they observed.

And so, your estimation then, too,

is that this was not a bunch of kids,

you know, on a Saturday night not knowing what to do.

Absolutely not. These-- these were people

that came here with a purpose.

And the purpose was to put

their history on the wall,

showing where they came from,

where they were going.

Jon, this is incredible!

And what I love the most is the access!

I mean, I've never been face-to-face like this.

DOVER: There's a lot of places nobody's allowed to go

except for archaeologists, medicine men, and rangers.

HENRY: It's spectacular.

It's one thing to see images in a book or online,

but to come face-to-face with it,

feel the energy, see it, spectacular.

I came away with this deep sense

that this is meant for us to discover throughout the ages.

that this is meant for us to discover throughout the ages. That it was super important

That it was super important

to the ancients to record this information.

To tell us that these beings were here.

They had a hand in our evolution.

And they're probably still visiting us today.

TSOUKAULOS: What I think is important in this whole thing

is that Jon said these are our stories of the Star People.

And when First Nation cultures say

that someone visited from the sky and imparted knowledge,

I think it's time that we start to listen.

NARRATOR: Do the petroglyphs at Rock Art Ranch

NARRATOR: Do the petroglyphs at Rock Art Ranch provide an historical record

provide an historical record

of extraterrestrial visitation in North America?

And if so, why does there seem to be such a strong connection

between Native Americans and otherworldly beings?

Perhaps further clues can be found within oral traditions

that describe strange beings known as the Ant Men.

NARRATOR: In the desolate high desert of the American Southwest

stand the ruins of the most important ceremonial site,

of the ancient Pueblo People.

Constructed around 900 AD,

the central feature of this vast complex is The Great Kiva.

A kiva is basically

A kiva is basically a Native American version of a church.

a Native American version of a church.

a Native American version of a church. It is a circular structure.

It is a circular structure.

Chaco Canyon has an absolutely giant one

Chaco Canyon has an absolutely giant one that's located there.

that's located there.

When you enter one, you're literally entering

another world to commune with the gods from before.

In ancient Pueblo culture,

every place you went had a small kiva of some kind.

But they would get together

maybe eight or nine different kivas, small ones,

into a larger great kiva,

and the great kivas were huge.

When the Spanish came in in the 1600s,

they took their church and interposed it

on top of the kiva.

on top of the kiva. So everywhere in these Hopi villages,

So everywhere in these Hopi villages,

in the Pueblo villages that you see a Catholic church,

it's usually on the high point of land,

it's usually on the high point of land, where the kiva was destroyed

where the kiva was destroyed

and the church was built over the top of it.

NARRATOR: Every kiva includes a feature called a sipapu.

In some kivas, the sipapu

is a small hole in the subterranean wall.

In kivas that are enclosed,

it is often represented by a hole in the roof.

In both cases, it is the most important part

of the structure, symbolizing the entrance

to a subterranean world.

All of the Pueblos share a story

in which humankind began under the Earth,

and we slowly, over generations, crawled up

and we slowly, over generations, crawled up and out of a hole called Sipapu.

and out of a hole called Sipapu.

And the kivas have this little hole in it symbolizing that.

NARRATOR: The descendants of the ancestral Pueblo

share the belief that Earth was populated

three separate times before the era of modern humans,

with each previous age ending in a devastating cataclysm.

The Hopis of Northern Arizona have a very curious myth,

of surviving the third of the cataclysms,

by going underground, and living with what they call the Ant Men.

The stories the Hopi tell is that the Ant People

The stories the Hopi tell is that the Ant People rescued them from cataclysm,

rescued them from cataclysm,

by taking them underground, literally.

And helping the Hopi to survive underground.

And then, once it was safe to return

to the surface of the Earth, the Hopi were taken up

through the Sipapu by the Ant People,

and repopulated the Earth.

But in all instances, the Ant People are described

as having a special relationship with the Hopi,

and also of having a connection with the star realms.

NARRATOR: Despite their name, Ant Men are described

not as insects, but rather, as small humanoid figures.

The reason they call these creatures Ant Men

is that they lived under the Earth,

and they would emerge much like ants crawling out of a hive.

So they called them Ant Men.

But what they were, were extraterrestrials.

They were entering our world through the portal.

CHILDRESS: The Ant Men were underground dwellers

who had a high technology,

and looked very similar apparently,

to what we would call Gray Aliens.

So, this is something of a mystery

of who these Ant Men were.

Many Hopis and the Zunis have similar belief,

that yes, the Ant Men were extraterrestrials.

MAHOOTY: There were beings that are

of the extraterrestrial origin,

that were-- were part of that

that were-- were part of that whole emergence mythology.

whole emergence mythology.

The entrance to the fourth world.

NARRATOR: Could it be that the story of the Ant Men is a genuine

account of extraterrestrials helping humanity

survive a global cataclysm?

Ancient astronaut theorists say yes,

and suggest that eerily similar accounts

of otherworldly beings that inhabit an underground realm

can be found nearly 5,000 miles away in Ireland.

NARRATOR: Ireland.

This lush, green island in the North Atlantic

has a history of human activity

dating back more than 33,000 years.

Numerous cultures have called Ireland home,

from the early Beaker People, to the Celts and the Gaels.

And the island has a rich tradition of folklore

that has spread throughout the world.

But perhaps most notable is that Ireland

boasts some of the oldest structures on the planet.

Massive earthen mounds,

many of which date back more than 5,000 years.

many of which date back more than 5,000 years. TOK THOMPSON:

TOK THOMPSON: These mounds are constructed. They're not natural hills.

TOK THOMPSON: These mounds are constructed. They're not natural hills.

These are megalithic constructions

involving, in the larger sites, an enormous amount

involving, in the larger sites, an enormous amount of man hours and labor.

of man hours and labor.

These would have been, when they were made,

These would have been, when they were made, just very, very impressive sites.

just very, very impressive sites.

CHILDRESS: These mounds were an ancient earth work

that had a tunnel going through it,

with stones on either side, and stones on top

and then covered with earth.

THOMPSON: Ireland has a tremendous amount of these mounds.

These are some of mankind's oldest,

large structures in the world.

And they anchor all the land together.

Usually if you visit one on top of a hill, you go up,

you find one, and you can do a line of sight to the next one.

There was almost a network, almost across

the entire island of these sites.

NARRATOR: The oldest known writing in Ireland

dates to the sixth century AD,

more than 3,000 years after the ancient mounds

more than 3,000 years after the ancient mounds are believed to have been built.

are believed to have been built.

With no written record about the mounds' construction,

archaeologists and historians can only speculate

as to who made them, and for what purpose.

THOMPSON: These things were built to go inside,

where presumably very, very important rituals took place.

We don't know, but much later on,

these sites would have been used for gatherings,

for rituals, and sort of keeping the society together.

These were enormously long-lived sites of cultural importance.

It was enormously long-lived societies

that used these as focal points.

NARRATOR: 30 miles north of Dublin in County Meath

is Ireland's largest and oldest mound, called Newgrange.

The ancient structure consists of over

200,000 tons of stone,

and has a passageway leading to a central chamber,

in which human bone fragments have been found.

But archaeologists say Newgrange also has

an undeniable connection to the cosmos.

Spiral petroglyphs thought to symbolize the universe

are found all around it, and the passageway and chamber

form a cruciform shape that researchers believe

is based on the constellation Cygnus.

At the time Newgrange was built,

it was presumed to be the largest structure

that mankind had ever built in the world.

Now, one of the most interesting things about Newgrange

Now, one of the most interesting things about Newgrange is its celestial alignment.

is its celestial alignment.

is its celestial alignment. This is still very, very popular.

This is still very, very popular.

If you go at the winter solstice,

If you go at the winter solstice, you have this sun dagger

you have this sun dagger

that it cuts tremendous distance,

all the way in to brighten up the inner chamber.

NARRATOR: Newgrange is unique among Ireland's mounds

in its sophistication, and was clearly designed

in its sophistication, and was clearly designed for ritualistic activity.

for ritualistic activity.

But according to ancient Irish texts,

the mounds serve a more profound,

and mysterious purpose, as the dwelling places

of otherworldly beings

traditionally called the "sidhe."

JENNY BUTLER: The word "sidhe," it can mean the mounds,

and also can mean the otherworld people,

the people of the mounds.

In Irish tradition, it's bad luck

to use the word "sidhe" to directly refer

to these otherworld people.

So, there are many different names.

We have the English word fairy folk, also elves.

NARRATOR: Stories of fairies, elves, and even leprechauns,

are rooted in the ancient folklore

of what the Irish called the sidhe.

But for many Irish people,

the sidhe are not merely mythological figures.

MARTY MULLIGAN: Fairies and leprechauns and all that sort of stuff, like,

too many people kind of laugh and joke about it at times.

But it's knowledge that had been passed on

for thousands and thousands of years.

We have the terrestrial world,

and the sub-terrestrial world, the human world,

and the sub-terrestrial world, the human world, and the superhuman or other world.

and the superhuman or other world.

These worlds exist in parallel.

Occasionally, however, there is communication

between the two worlds.

NARRATOR: The mounds are often referred to as fairy forts,

as are stone circles and tree clusters

that are considered the property of the sidhe.

This strong cultural belief that these features

are the domain of otherworldly beings

has kept them intact for thousands of years.

And the Irish say that when they are disturbed,

bad luck always follows.

MULLIGAN: Sean Quinn was the wealthiest man in Ireland.

He lost everything because he moved a fairy fort.

He lost everything because he moved a fairy fort. He damaged a fairy fort,

He damaged a fairy fort,

and he moved it to another place.

DeLorean car manufacturers, they came to Belfast

and were making the DeLorean car up in Northern Ireland.

And they built the factory on the site of a fairy fort.

And it all came crashing down.

The local people would say,

"Well, you know, what do you expect?"

Ask any Irish person, "Would you damage a fairy fort?

What would happen if you damaged a fairy tree?"

If you gave me ten million bucks

and a Cadillac and a helicopter

and a beautiful house on Sunset Boulevard,

and said all I had to do was chop down a fairy tree,

I'd be handing that money straight back to you.

I wouldn't do it, no one I know would do it either.

So, do we believe in the fairies in Ireland?

We do.

NARRATOR: While modern-day representations of fairies

often depict benevolent, spritely creatures,

traditional Irish notions of fairies are much different.

They are considered powerful,

and sometimes dangerous beings.

You don't want to mess with the Aos S�.

They're not cute, cuddly little fairies

like we typically think of today.

But these are very extraordinarily powerful people.

Wielders of supernatural powers.

NARRATOR: The sidhe or fairy folk,

are often referred to as the Shining Ones.

But do accounts of their luminous appearance suggest

But do accounts of their luminous appearance suggest that they are divine beings?

that they are divine beings?

According to the ancient Irish stories,

while the fairies have supernatural abilities,

they are not immortal gods.

The inhabitant of the sidhe is not necessarily immortal

in the narrative, sometimes they're--

they're killed, or meet with death.

But they never grow old.

And so, if they are killed,

And so, if they are killed, or die, they do so while young.

or die, they do so while young.

They're other, but somewhat humanoid.

Sometimes they're small and green, they--

they abduct people, they have

either advanced technology or ancient magic.

And in many ways, this fairy tradition

reminds me very much of the UFO tradition

reminds me very much of the UFO tradition that we have in the United States.

that we have in the United States.

NEWMAN: When it comes to these dwellings of the fairy folk,

there's lots of talk about otherworldly beings

emerging from the mounds.

And also, people get taken into the mounds

And also, people get taken into the mounds and, like, disappearing.

and, like, disappearing.

TSOUKAULOS: You hear stories of lights in the sky,

or even lights in the forest and the woods

that you see, so, could it be possible

that the fairy folk is a description

of extraterrestrials back in the day?

There is absolutely an argument

that can make that case.

MULLIGAN: In our stories relating to the sidhe, the fairies,

call them what you will, all of our stories say

that they came from the sky world.

NARRATOR: Is it possible that modern beliefs of fairies and elves

are based on real otherworldly beings

that the Irish people encountered centuries ago,

and that may still inhabit the island today?

And if so, why are they thought to dwell

within the ancient mounds?

According to legend,

the sidhe did not always live within the Earth.

And their story begins with a group of shining beings,

And their story begins with a group of shining beings, who arrived in flying craft.

who arrived in flying craft.

NARRATOR: In Ireland, tales of the sidhe,

or fairy folk, have been passed down orally

for more than 3,000 years.

And in the 11th century, many of these stories

were documented in a text called The Book of Invasions.

According to this medieval account of Irish history

and lore, thousands of years ago,

a god-like race of beings called the Tuatha de Danann

landed on a mountaintop in Ireland.

Often referred to as the Shining Ones,

they are the ancestors of the sidhe.

MULLIGAN: All of our stories relate back to the Tuatha de Danann.

For 3,000 years, at least, if not more before that,

all of the stories from mythology

all of the stories from mythology are all related to Tuatha de Danann.

are all related to Tuatha de Danann.

They were the Shining Ones.

There is a description in the mythological material

in the early Irish literature of the Tuatha de Danann

arriving in cloud ships,

arriving in cloud ships, arriving in dark clouds,

arriving in dark clouds,

and landing on a mountain.

McGOWAN: There was a long poem about

the arrival of the Tuatha de Danann.

And one of the lines says, "The truth was not known

"beneath the sky of stars,

whether they were of heaven or of Earth."

DIARMUID JOHNSON: The Tuatha de Danann are not human.

DIARMUID JOHNSON: The Tuatha de Danann are not human. They're demigods.

They're demigods.

And not immortal, not infallible,

not like the gods of monotheistic tradition

of any of the Abrahamic religions.

NARRATOR: The Tuatha de Danann were said to be

luminous beings of large stature,

who wielded magical powers.

The Tuatha de Danann had an arsenal

of very technological-sounding weaponry.

Lugh of the Long Arm, for example, possessed a spear,

that when he threw it, he could give a voice command,

and it would automatically hit whatever target.

Then he'd give another voice command,

and the spear would mysteriously return to him.

We have circles of light that they used

We have circles of light that they used to travel around Ireland upon.

to travel around Ireland upon.

We have another chieftain named Nuada

who lost an arm in a battle against the giants.

And they were able to replace his arm.

The Tuatha de Danann were said to have a magical cauldron.

They had a cloak of invisibility.

They had spears that shot flames out.

The ancient astronaut theory tries to look

at ancient stories in which

magic happens from a modern perspective,

and determine if that so-called magic

really was some type of technology.

Then one has to wonder, where did that technology come from?

Well, there's only one answer to this,

Well, there's only one answer to this, and that is extraterrestrials.

and that is extraterrestrials.

NARRATOR: For ancient astronaut theorists,

another intriguing aspect of these stories

is how similar they are to accounts of sky gods

found in other ancient cultures.

The stories of, let's call them aliens,

descending from clouds on tops of mountains,

are straight across the cultural history of human beings.

Let's start with one of the earliest ones.

The descent on Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights.

That's where the Nephilim came down.

Another, in the descent of the Anunnaki,

they came from clouds.

CHILDRESS: We have other stories in Tibet,

and other places where these gods are coming down,

and they land on top of a mountain.

The gods of Olympus in Greece, is another example.

COLLINS: The stories of the Tuatha de Danann,

in these whirlwinds, or clouds, is something

that we find in connection with deities

in other parts of the world.

For instance, across the Middle East,

there is the concept of djinn.

These are supernatural beings,

very often associated with fire and light,

that can appear in whirlwinds,

and manifest into physical form.

TSOUKALOS: The fact that we have countless stories

that are not just similar, but identical,

that are not just similar, but identical, leads me to think, that perhaps,

leads me to think, that perhaps,

all these ancient cultures were visited

by the same extraterrestrials.

NARRATOR: According to ancient astronaut theorists,

the tradition that is most similar to the Tuatha de Danann

is that of the Anunnaki,

the sky gods described by the Sumerians,

humankind's earliest known civilization.

AMIR HUSSAIN: What you've got with the Sumerians

is the beginnings of civilization,

people living together, but also the beginnings of writing.

You know, some of the earliest written texts that we have

You know, some of the earliest written texts that we have are texts by these people.

are texts by these people.

YOUNG: These clay tablets are 5,000 years old

and more, and they tell of the arrival

of the gods, the Anunnaki.

The pantheon of gods. The chief was Anu.

This is the sky god who came along

and created everything.

TSOUKALOS: The term Anunnaki means,

"those who from the heavens came,"

and it refers to beings descending from the sky,

imparting knowledge.

NARRATOR: In the Irish stories, the Tuatha de Danann

were also responsible for imparting knowledge

to the ancient people.

Tuatha de Danann were the masters

of all of the crafts, masters of all of the arts,

and they introduced knowledge in the ways of agriculture.

Tuatha de Danann would always interact with the people.

Tuatha de Danann would always interact with the people. It's the same as the Anunnaki.

It's the same as the Anunnaki.

NARRATOR: Ancient astronaut theorists suggest

the iconography of the Sumerians and Irish

provides additional evidence

that they encountered the same otherworldly beings.

Both depicted the gods as being of giant stature

compared to humans.

Both portrayed them in scenes with hybrid or flying animals.

And both have images of the gods

with horns or antlers emerging from their heads.

But perhaps most intriguing of all,

is that there appears to be

a linguistic connection between the Anunnaki

a linguistic connection between the Anunnaki and the Tuatha de Danann.

and the Tuatha de Danann.

and the Tuatha de Danann. According to some accounts,

According to some accounts,

the Tuatha de Danann's original name

was the Tuatha D'Anu.

The tribe of Anu, or D'Anu.

Linguists are very intrigued by this,

because this encodes the name of Anu,

the high god of the Anunnaki for whom they are formed.

And it suggests that perhaps the Tuatha de Danann are

the descendants of the Anunnaki.

NARRATOR: Could the striking similarities that exist

between the stories of the Tuatha de Danann

and the Anunnaki reveal that Ireland was visited

by the same otherworldly beings

that are described by humanity's first known civilization,

roughly 3,000 miles away?

And are these the same star ancestors

that the Native American tribes described

as assisting mankind in the remote past?

Ancient astronaut theorists say yes,

and suggest that extraterrestrial involvement

with human affairs continues to this day.

NARRATOR: December 30, 2013.

In an international television news broadcast,

Former Canadian Minister of National Defense,

Paul Hellyer, makes an astonishing statement.

Paul Hellyer, makes an astonishing statement. He claims to have knowledge

He claims to have knowledge

that extraterrestrials are visiting Earth.

Why do you say that UFOs are as real

as the airplanes flying over our heads?

Well, because I know that they are.

And they've been visiting this planet

for thousands of years.

And there is what is called a federation

of these people, and they have rules.

NARRATOR: The interview sent shockwaves through the media.

Viewers questioned why a high-level official

would make such an announcement.

Paul Hellyer first came forward in 2005

but it wasn't until January of 2014

but it wasn't until January of 2014 that his story truly went viral.

that his story truly went viral.

HELLYER: That gave me the dubious distinction of being

the first person of cabinet rank in the G8 group of countries

who ever said categorically,

without reservation, UFOs are real,

and you have to accept them as being real.

This is difficult territory.

But I understand there's a federation

that is monitoring us most closely,

that is monitoring us most closely, and keeping tabs on us.

and keeping tabs on us.

NARRATOR: Could there be truth to Hellyer's statements?

Is it possible that there is a galactic federation

of extraterrestrials overseeing Earth?

But if so, what is the evidence

behind such astounding claims?

Edgewood Arsenal, Chesapeake Bay, Maryland.

1952.

As part of a secret government program

termed Project Penguin,

medical doctor and psychiatrist Andrija Puharich

set up a special laboratory

where psychics and military personnel

gathered to investigate psychological manipulation

and hallucinogenic drugs.

Perhaps one of the most compelling

and controversial aspects of Puharich's research

was channeling, which involved making contact

with non-physical beings through the use of psychics.

It's very important that we understand that

this was a serious scientific endeavor.

No candles or holy water or any of that was used.

Puharich used the Faraday cage,

a copper room that was specially insulated

according to U.S. Naval standards,

that would prohibit mid-level electromagnetic waves

that would prohibit mid-level electromagnetic waves and electrostatic.

and electrostatic.

In this Faraday cage,

individuals would relax and allow

the mind-over-matter signal to take place.

NARRATOR: In December 1952,

Puharich invited Hindu mystic

Puharich invited Hindu mystic and doctor, D.G. Vinod,

and doctor, D.G. Vinod,

to one of these channeling sessions.

During the experiment, Vinod went into a deep trance

and made contact with a group of entities called The Nine.

At the very beginning, they just announced themselves

as nine principles of the universe.

Well, that's pretty big to start with, but nevertheless,

they said they were extraterrestrials.

They were forces from beyond.

The Nine said that they were an eternal presence,

that they had been watching humanity

that they had been watching humanity from the very beginning.

from the very beginning.

And that they were gods, guides,

and this was what particularly interested Puharich.

and this was what particularly interested Puharich. The idea that, if they are gods,

The idea that, if they are gods,

they, of course, have wisdom.

And Puharich wanted to ask for guidance.

The Nine came up with a number of different messages

The Nine came up with a number of different messages involving their being guardians

involving their being guardians

for the human race, creators even.

PICKNETT: Puharich said "What is your name?

Who are you?"

And that was the great revelation

because the being said,

"I am Atum."

And Atum was the great father god of ancient Egypt

and introducing not only the nine principles

but the Nine Great Gods or the Ennead of ancient Egypt.

NARRATOR: Is it possible that Puharich actually made contact

with the nine Great Gods of Egypt?

Could this be evidence of a longstanding federation

of extraterrestrials overseeing earthly affairs?

But if so, just who were these beings?

Heliopolis, Cairo.

Heliopolis, Cairo. Known as the Sun City,

Known as the Sun City,

this is one of the oldest

and most sacred sites of ancient Egypt.

Although mostly destroyed,

an obelisk remains, marking the spot

where the temple of the sun god Atum once stood.

Here, the ancient pharaohs would connect to the Ennead,

a council of nine deities who were said

to have brought technology and knowledge to mankind.

According to Egyptian hieroglyphs,

According to Egyptian hieroglyphs, consultation with the Ennead

consultation with the Ennead

was chief among the Pharaoh's duties,

and critical to the success of the nation.

ROBERT BAUVAL: Heliopolis was the Vatican of ancient Egypt.

This was the seat, the helm, if you like,

the-- the abode of the famous Ennead,

the nine gods that ruled from the sky,

and governed Egypt from a place in the sky.

The Ennead started with god Atum,

the god of the solar disc.

God Shu, the god of the wind.

And goddess Tefnut, the goddess of the water.

God Geb, the god of the land.

And goddess Nut, the goddess of the sky.

Isis, the mother to all the kings.

Isis, the mother to all the kings. God Osiris, the god of good.

God Osiris, the god of good.

God Seth, the god of evil.

And goddess Nephthys, the goddess of death.

Everything in ancient Egyptian's world

was revolving around these nine gods.

So the pharaoh of Egypt would have to consult

with the nine gods, the Ennead,

with every aspect in life to make sure

with every aspect in life to make sure he is doing the right thing.

he is doing the right thing.

And every ancient Egyptian local

would have their full trust

that anything coming out from the mouth

of the king is the word of God,

of the king is the word of God, because he already heard it.

because he already heard it.

McGOWAN: The pharaoh was the special emissary to the gods.

And therefore, the gods were able to speak

directly through the pharaoh.

A case can be made that the pharaoh allowing the gods

in to speak through him is similar to the channeling

that is done through mediums today.

NARRATOR: Nine otherworldly beings

speaking through the Pharaoh?

Might the modern-day channeling sessions

with The Nine, conducted during the secret

military experiments in the 1950s,

be mirroring those experienced

be mirroring those experienced by the ancient Egyptians?

by the ancient Egyptians?

The Ennead were actually extraterrestrial beings

here to administer and guide human affairs.

The pyramid texts tell us that Atum came from Sirius.

It's quite fascinating to contemplate the possibility

that Dr. Puharich was part of a long line

of initiates who were contacted by the Ennead.

WHITEHEAD: The rulers and the presidents, and the kings and the queens

throughout history always have these stories

of consulting higher forces.

Could we still have these extraterrestrial

or pan-dimensional overlords existing today

that are guiding the rulers of various nations?

NARRATOR: Could it really be that Puharich

inadvertently made contact with the same beings

that were consulted by the ancient Egyptian pharaohs?

If so, might the myriad of otherworldly entities

from our past be directly connected

to the modern UFO phenomena?

Ancient astronaut theorists say yes,

and suggest that according to Native Americans,

their knowledge of Star People comes not only

from the distant past,

but from the extraterrestrial activity

that occurs over Native lands even today.

According to Zuni elder, Clifford Mahooty,

above this steep mesa on the Zuni Reservation,

strange lights are seen in the sky nearly every night.

The UFO activity here

is very, very prevalent

because of the religious system

that we practice every day.

So, all around the whole Zuni reservation

you can look up in the sky and they're up there.

And they're not stars. They're not planets.

There's a lot of our people that here in Zuni have seen them.

TSOUKALOS: When you talk to many Native Americans,

they'll tell you that UFO sightings are common

on their native lands, and you have to ask, why is that?

Is it because they have had these traditions

of the Star People and the Star Ancestors?

Maybe places like the Zuni territory and Hopi mesas

have been visited for thousands of years.

NARRATOR: Today, more UFO incidents are being reported

and captured on camera than ever before.

But while this recent activity

has captured the public's imagination

and inspired sensational headlines,

for many Native Americans,

it is nothing out of the ordinary.

In my time working as a Navajo ranger,

we had incidences of UFOs

we had incidences of UFOs coming and going all the time.

coming and going all the time.

When we talked to people, they tell us,

"Oh, yeah, they're here all the time."

"Oh, yeah, they're here all the time." So, they just accept it.

So, they just accept it.

And as such, with the knowledge that I have

and the experiences I've had, I know they're out there.

I've seen them numerous, numerous times,

I've seen them numerous, numerous times, and it's just a fact of life.

and it's just a fact of life.

We must reestablish the connection

between our Star Ancestors by educating and creating

an awareness among the humans on Earth.

an awareness among the humans on Earth. We have to establish an urgency

We have to establish an urgency

We have to establish an urgency protecting the sacred sites

protecting the sacred sites

and telling the story of what they mean.

This is the history of the world.

This is the history of the world. We are star beings.

We are star beings.

MAHOOTY: As far as being connected with the star elders,

they gave us this knowledge and ours

they gave us this knowledge and ours is a direct relationship

is a direct relationship

with the entities throughout the universe.

NARRATOR: Could contact with Star People,

as described in the Native American

sacred traditions, still be happening today?

And if so, might the sky gods

of our ancestors really be the same beings

we now refer to as extraterrestrials?

The big question here would be,

are these entities the exact same beings

from ancient times of thousands of years ago?

And these extraterrestrials are still here,

still watching us.

still watching us. And, in some theories,

And, in some theories,

guiding us towards our future.

One could make the argument

that the ancient astronauts never left.

The same visitors that we've had back then

The same visitors that we've had back then are showing themselves again.

are showing themselves again.

Why? Because we are their offspring.

If you have such a creation,

I don't think you would just abandon that.

NARRATOR: Could the modern UFO phenomena

be the latest in a long line

of otherworldly encounters that stretch back to antiquity?

And if so, does evidence

of a continued extraterrestrial presence on Earth

suggest an agenda for mankind?

Perhaps when we finally acknowledge

the visitors to our planet,

our true origins will be revealed,

and we will join our alien ancestors

in the cosmos.

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