- Eatonton, Ga. -- A huge white pylon with
paintings of Egyptian pharaohs juts out of the red clay of middle Georgia,
conspicuous among the miles of pines, dairy farms and mobile homes.
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- Within the gated commune behind the pylon,
members of the United Nuwaubian Nation of Moors hustle around replicas
of Egyptian pyramids and a Sphinx. The group's leader claims he's a being
from another galaxy and promises that ships are going to descend from the
sky in the year 2003 to pick up a chosen 144,000 people for a rebirth.
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- Until then, this 476-acre rural Putnam
County site will remain what the Nuwaubians refer to as the "Little
Egypt of the West," their safe-haven away from the problems that plague
the outside world.
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- The commune, which is guarded around
the clock by an armed security officer, is just down the road from Eatonton
-- the birthplace of storyteller Joel Chandler Harris, creator of Uncle
Remus, and Alice Walker, author of "The Color Purple."
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- Some residents of the community, known
as Georgia's dairy capital, say the Nuwaubians worry them, but most are
just puzzled by their neighbors.
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- "We've never seen anything like
it before, so naturally you're a little apprehensive," said Doris
Larman, 70, whose family owns a 151-acre dairy farm nearby. "It's
really strange for this part of the country."
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- Mrs. Larman's husband, William, shakes
his head, rears back in his rocking chair and lets out a big laugh. "I've
seen the spaceship," he says jokingly.
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- The Nuwaubians abhor when people call
the group a cult or refer to their community as a compound, terms that
come easily to many residents of this farming community about 40 miles
northeast of Macon. The group prefers to be called a fraternal organization.
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- "We're one big family to everyone
that wants to be part of our family, that wants to get away from the drugs
and wants to get away from the children being shot. We want to get away
from all that and create a safe environment," said Thomas Chism, a
Seventh Day Adventist and 52-year-old electrician who lives on the commune
with his wife and three young children.
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- The Nuwaubians came to Putnam County
from New York in 1993, when their leader, Malachi York, purchased a game
ranch. Calling themselves the "true Native Americans," the members
claim to be the descendants of Egyptians who "came over here thousands
of years ago as the original Nuwbuns."
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- Their members are said to be comprised
of all races and faiths, and most of them believe in UFOs.
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- According to the group's Internet site,
the rebirth will allow them to become supreme beings.
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- "It is so absurd," said Putnam
County Sheriff Howard Sills. "You have a man that preaches he's God
and a spaceship's coming. ... In my opinion, their only purpose is to perpetuate
the wealth, well-being and prosperity of one Dwight York."
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- Dwight York is the name on the deed of
the property, but York says his true name is Malachi. He bills himself
as an entrepreneur, musician, writer and former pastor.
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- Inside the complex, Nile River Road stretches
between two rows of statutes of Egyptian royalty. Dominating the site are
two pyramids that stand about 30 feet tall, visible from the two-lane road
that winds past.
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- A gold pyramid serves as a mini-mall,
complete with a bookstore and apparel store. A four-column brown pylon
marks the beginning of a winding labyrinth that leads to the entryway of
the black pyramid, which serves as a church. Inside, an Egyptian-like chant
hums over speakers 24 hours a day. The floors are covered with sand.
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- The group's lodge, an elaborately painted
white building trimmed in gold, doubles as a museum that houses artifacts
ranging from busts of King Tut and Queen Nefertiti to a glass tomb holding
an alien-like creature with a huge head and bulging eyes. A white obelisk,
gold lamp posts, and stone animals make up a small African-like garden
outside.
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- Dale Sparks, 48, who owns a convenience
store down the street, believes the group's behavior is reminiscent to
Heaven's Gate, whose 39 members committed mass suicide in 1997 in Rancho
Santa Fe, Calif.
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- "I think it's a cult. Anybody that
thinks a spaceship's coming down and get 'em in 2003 can't be anything
else," Ms. Sparks said.
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- Members say they pay no dues and are
free to come and go as they please. And they insist that suicide is not
in their plans.
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- "We don't believe in suicide or
anything that's harmful to humanity," said Wendell Hardaway, 32.
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- About 100 Nuwaubians live in single-wide
mobile homes neatly aligned in a row behind the Egyptian-like architecture.
They've had minor run-ins with local law enforcement mostly stemming from
zoning violations.
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- The sect's grounds supervisor was fined
$45,750 for operating a dance club in an area zoned as agricultural.
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- "If they get ready to build a building
they just build it. They don't get a permit," Sills said.
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- Now, the group is hoping to have part
of the site designated as commercial so they can open up a theme park.
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- Besides zoning issues, there have been
relatively few problems with the group, Sills said. Still, they make him
uneasy.
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- "Now you tell me what a piece of
property with armed guards at the gate, with an individual who proclaims
to be God in the flesh who openly proclaims that a spaceship will be arriving
to take 144,000 people away to the planet Rizq is. I ask you, is that not
a cult?" he said.
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- Chism acknowledges his own skepticism
about the prospects of a spaceship coming to pick them up, but he's ready
just in case.
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- "If it doesn't come, I'll still
be here," he said. "If it comes, I hope it takes me. I'd like
to get out of here, see what's up."
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