The Rift

By Ric Daly

In 1960, Dr. Jonathan Leakey discovered a fossilized jaw fragment in the Olduvai Gorge of the East African Riftthe first specimen of what is now known as Homo habilis, an anthropoid (human-like) creature that some think may have been a human ancestora debatable point at best. H. habilis is thought to have lived around two million years ago.

In 1999, a team of paleoanthropologists went to an area near the Olduvai Gorge, to a site known today as Lake Eyasi, to do some routine research relating to the supposed connection between H. habilis and H. sapiens (modern man), with a plan to study a creature that had been extinct for 1.4 million years. Or so it was thought.

What they found was nothing short of a nightmare in which they found themselves examining their faith and its interaction with science that they thought they knew.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Nov 22, 2016
• ISBN: 9781532011917

Ric Daly

Ric Daly wrote "The Rift", "Willow Creek" and "Cold Trail" following a thirty-year career teaching high school sciences (physics, chemistry, earth/space, oceanography, biology, research), geography and algebra in Minnesota, Arizona and Florida. He has been recognized as a leading authority on science education, presenting workshops in that capacity at national, state and district levels. He is also an accomplished artist in various mediums and photography and has displayed his work in galleries in Arizona, Florida, Iowa and Minnesota. When he’s not writing or painting he may be found riding his bicycle or in his car traveling America’s highways. While home is the Florida coast, he currently resides in northern Minnesota. He is a committed Christian and is currently writing an inspirational collection of autobiographical essays, "The Road Behind Me".

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Copyright © 2016 Ric Daly.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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ISBN: 978-1-5320-1137-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-1138-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-1191-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016919355

iUniverse rev. date: 11/22/2016

Contents

Geological and Anthropological Background

Prologue Serengeti Plain, 2.2 million years ago

Chapter 1 The Olduvai Gorge, East African Rift, 1960

Chapter 2 Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania, 1999

Chapter 3 Arizona State University, Department of Social Sciences, 1999

Chapter 4 Lake Eyasi, Tanzania

Chapter 5 Eyasi Camp

Chapter 6 University of California–Los Angeles, Anthropology Lab

Chapter 7 Lake Eyasi, Tanzania

Chapter 8 Minnesota State University, Dep’t. of Anthropology & Behavioral Science

Chapter 9 University of California–Los Angeles, Anthropology Lab

Chapter 10 Minnesota State University–Mankato, Dep’t. of Anthropology & Behavioral Science, 2012

Chapter 11 Nairobi, Kenya & Endulen, Tanzania

Chapter 12 Endulen Anthropology Site

Chapter 13 Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania, The Olduvai Gorge

Chapter 14 Minnesota State University–Mankato, Dep’t. of Anthropology & Behavioral Science

Chapter 15 Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania, The Olduvai Gorge

Chapter 16 Minnesota State University–Mankato, Dep’t. of Anthropology & Behavioral Science

Chapter 17 Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania

Chapter 18 Minnesota State University–Mankato, Dep’t. of Anthropology & Behavioral Science

Chapter 19 Minnesota State University–Mankato, Dep’t. of Anthropology & Behavioral Science, 2013

Chapter 20 Nanaimo, British Columbia, 2014

Chapter 21 Arusha, Tanzania, 2014

Chapter 22 University of California–Los Angeles, Anthropology Lab

Chapter 23 Minnesota State University–Mankato, Dep’t. of Anthropology & Behavioral Science, 2014

This book is

dedicated to those friends who have allowed me to share with them issues of science and faith, believing that what creation holds was put there by God for his purpose; and particularly to the late Rev. Robert Roach, who, like me, saw God’s handiwork and design in science; and to those who understand that as we learn more, the facts may change, but fundamental truths remain.

I n 1960, Dr. Jonathan Leakey discovered, in the Olduvai Gorge of the East African Rift, a fossilized jaw fragment–the first specimen of what is now known as Homo habilis , an anthropoid (human-like) creature that some think may have been a human ancestor–a debatable point at best. H. habilis is thought to have lived around two million years ago.

In 1999, a team of paleoanthropologists went to an area near the Olduvai Gorge, to a site known today as Lake Eyasi, to do some routine research relating to the supposed connection between H. habilis and H. sapiens (modern man), with a plan to study a creature that had been extinct for 1.4 million years. Or so it was thought.

What they found was nothing short of a nightmare–one in which they found themselves facing a mysterious and dangerous being, an ancient creature existing in a modern world to which it did not belong. They were left examining their faith and its interaction with what science thought it knew.

The Rift isn’t just the site of a horrifying discovery; it’s the gulf between belief and unbelief, the division between accepted fact and fundamental truth and a challenge to understand who we are.

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Geological and Anthropological Background

T his book, while it contains some factual material, is a work of fiction. It is not to be construed as a reference book. It also is not an endorsement by the author of the paleoanthropological opinions presented.

Within the East African Rift Valley is a ravine called the Olduvai Gorge where, in 1960, a jaw fossilized fragment was discovered–the first specimen of what is now known as Homo habilis, believed to have appeared 2.4 million years B.P. (before present). Around 1.4 million years ago, the creature became extinct. Or so it was thought.

Until the mid-nineteenth century, maps of Africa labeled this area unknown parts. It was almost 1900 before serious exploration of the region began, and it wasn’t really well-populated until the 1930s–less than thirty years before the discovery at Olduvai–and even then, it was a scattered population of mostly indigenous peoples, with only 8,000 Europeans in the whole region now known as Tanzania. An unknown creature could certainly have remained undiscovered until fairly recently. In fact, such a possibility, there and throughout the world, has led to the rise of a line of thinking referred to as cryptozoology–unknown animals. This concept has fueled a great deal of debate and speculation, and with it, questions about man’s place in creation. But regardless of what new discoveries reveal and how the facts may change, fundamental truth remains constant.

Prologue

SERENGETI PLAIN, 2.2 MILLION YEARS AGO

F rom the earth’s beginning, far back to an unknown time, the world had gone on. The sun rose and set in a regular and predictable pattern. Living creatures had spread across the surface of the planet, occupying and adapting to environments through countless generations that came and went, each one contributing to the identity of those that would follow. Adapting in a constantly-changing world meant survival. Some of those changes were dramatic. Some of them less so. And some of the adaptations were frightening.

The scar across the African landscape was a sign of changes to come. The Rift, having begun as only a small break in the earth’s crust, was becoming the site where the titanic forces of an ongoing creation were tearing the continent apart. But the creatures living here did not know about this and they certainly did not care about it. They simply existed, meeting each day on its own terms, doing what they did to survive, gathering food, hiding from predators. On this particular day a group of creatures approached a rocky outcrop, rising above the surrounding plain. One of the creatures raised himself up, standing a bit taller than the others, looked at the outcrop and sniffed the air. He climbed up onto the ledge to look out over the sea of tall grasses that extended along the gorge and over toward the crater.

It had been a hot afternoon across the plain. The sun, which all day had been hot and unmerciful overhead, was slowly moving toward the horizon. The too-gentle and ineffective breeze was crawling across the expanse in a parade of barely discernible waves, bringing little relief from the afternoon heat. But there was no sign of the dark clouds that periodically arose over the plateau – clouds that helped cool the land and replenish the water holes. He watched, knowing only that he had to be alert to intruders into his world, not comprehending the process that brought the darkness. Another sunset would be coming in its not-understood predictability and the darkness would be here, just the same, as it always did. With it came the unseen terrors.

He sat motionless on his rocky lookout, watching the reddening sun approach the distant hills. As the sun got lower, even as he watched, he was sensing the potential danger coming with the encroaching twilight. It was at this time each day that he and his group were most alert. They had to be. There were twelve of them, but they were no match for the predators that outweighed each of them and often took them by surprise in the darkness. Out here they were the prey. Each time one of the predators appeared the number of creatures diminished. There used to be many more individuals in the loosely-bonded group, but the cats had been taking them beyond their ability to sustain their numbers. They had even once been part of a larger group, but as food became more scarce, they, like others before them, had separated and moved to new territory. Some groups relocated here on the grassland or along the shore of the lake or even over as far as the gorge below the plateau. After separating, groups seldom encountered each other, and when they did, it was with a frenzy of jumping and screaming, waving arms and holding claim to their territory. But it was all for show. They had only their hands, rolled into fists, as weapons.

Life had never been easy for the creature. He and the others in his small group spent their days foraging in the grass for seeds and roots, getting needed protein from insects and small animals when they could catch them or finding an occasional piece of fruit. Some days they found little to eat, but on the good days they were even able to scavenge the kills left unattended by the predators. Those meals for the creature were an easy bounty but could also be especially dangerous, leaving them vulnerable. The cats often left uneaten food, coming back to finish it later. He had discovered that the sharp edges they were able to chip from the black stones they found near the crater could be used to cut the flesh from the kills, allowing him to grab the meat and leave quickly. And that was an advantage. They’d learned it was not good to be there to face a hungry cat returning and resenting the loss of its kill.

Tonight, as on every other night, he sat on the rocky outcrop, gazing across the grassy plain, scanning his world without any real comprehension. He watched the sun move lower to touch the horizon, his small brain not understanding what it was or how it worked, but knowing that it did this every day before the darkness covered his world and the unseen threats came alive.

And so this night was no different than all the others he had seen. He would try to stay alert, even as he slept, always tuned in to his unforgiving world, with its sounds and smells. He would listen and he would survive, waiting for another sunrise. For now, though, it was time for him to make a place to sleep in the tall grass that covered much of the plateau around the gorge. The creature jumped down from the rock ledge and, using his disproportionately long arms, he opened up a space in the grass and flattened it to make a bed. He left the tall grass around him as a cover, though the protection was mostly psychological. It would provide scant protection from anything that might come out of the darkness. The members of the group moved in closer. Then, keeping his sharpened stone tool at hand, he warily lay down as the night settled around them. He watched the stars for awhile, not knowing and not caring what they were, and listened to the darkness. And he slept.

Sometime during the night the sound came. It was soft at first, an indistinct rustling in the grass, different from the sound the wind made–he knew the subtle differences in the sounds of the wind and the grass–and it brought his senses to full awareness. He sniffed the air, searching for a clue to what was there. He waited, still, tense, every muscle taut. For several seemingly endless moments he waited, the tension growing. Then he heard it–the unmistakable low rumble that emanated from the cat’s throat and his alarm grew. He could smell the cat, the abhorrent odor that told him of the danger. He knew it was close by, but still he waited, not moving. He listened and he raised his face and sniffed the air again, not liking what he was detecting. Suddenly there was an explosion of energy out of the grass in front of him as the cat leaped over his head, its roar followed by the agonized scream behind him that died suddenly in mid-cry, the sound strangled as the predator found its target. The creature turned around to see the cat straddling the other creature, its massive jaw gripping the throat of the inert being, now forever silent. Normally the small band of hominids would have scattered into the tall grass, but tonight his response was quick and unthinking, doing something he’d never done before–he grabbed a large rock, lifted it as high as he could and brought it down onto the cat, crushing its skull and then, holding the razor-sharp piece of obsidian, he jumped at the cat. He began to swing the weapon, stabbing and slashing at the deadly predator that had fallen lifeless under him, spilling the blood onto the grass. When his anger and frustration were spent, he stood up, realizing that, for the first time, one of his kind has fought back against the predator and killed it. He learned that he had the ability to shed blood, to kill–and to survive. Survive. That was the battle. The creature raised his long arms to the full moon and howled, a long soul-wrenching wail never before heard from one of the creatures, a cry to echo through the ages.

He knew, somehow, that from now on things would be different.

Chapter 1

THE OLDUVAI GORGE, EAST AFRICAN RIFT, 1960

T he Olduvai Gorge is a ravine within the East African Rift, where the continent is being torn apart by nearly unimaginable forces below the crust, and where groups of anthropologists had been uncovering fossilized evidence of past life. On this day, the autumn air was stifling, creating dust devils that danced and twisted across the dry plain, much as they probably had for a million years or more. The air within the ravine was an oven, taxing one particular team of investigators as they dug, literally, into Earth’s ancient past.

These workers had been sweltering under the bright blue African sky, dominated by an unrelenting sun. Their labor was hot, dusty and exhausting. After weeks of probing the rocky ground, sifting the gravel to retrieve whatever might be there and seeing nothing of any value, the small team of paleoanthropologists were wondering if this effort was going to be worth it. All they’d found so far were some fossilized bones, including a broken skull, of a saber-tooth cat. They’d already seen several examples of the large cats throughout the area. Saber-tooth cats had occupied the Rift for at least two million years, up until a few tens of thousands of years ago. But the team had never seen any remains like these. The cat was large. That wasn’t unusual. But there were other things. Subtle things. Unusual things, like the broken skull, the cuts and scrapes on the fossilized bones, indicating something had killed the cat and the body was subsequently butchered, probably with a sharpened stone blade. There was nothing, though, to suggest the presence of any other creature, particularly a tool- or weapon-wielding hominid.

As the area around the fossils was being cleared away, one of the team came over to look. After a few minutes of watching, he spoke to the young man skillfully using a brush to move the dirt around a slowly emerging fossil. Got something?

See what you think. He pointed out the unusual find. Not much here. Part of the skull, some bones from a cat. They look like the shoulder. But it’s not like all the others we’ve seen. Look here, pointing to the broken skull. Look how the skull’s been crushed. Clear case of blunt force trauma. One of the others gave a quick laugh and said, Crime scene?

Mm-hmm.

Just then there was a shout from about ten yards away. Jon. I think we have something.

Jon Leakey, a twenty-year old intern who had often followed his parents on anthropological digs, had taken a semi-professional interest in uncovering fossils. He’d found it fascinating to try to piece together ancient events by examining such finds. And today a find would be the perfect way to celebrate his twentieth birthday. He turned back over to see what had gotten someone’s attention and answered. Another cat? We have plenty of those.

Not a cat. But there’s clearly something in the matrix here. Won’t know until we can get it out. With that, Jon walked over and knelt down to get a closer look, and then got further down on all fours. He held out a hand, another student placed a brush in it and he began to carefully brush away the loose material, using a fine pick to chip away at the hardened material left behind that had locked the object in the rock.

After several minutes of this, he paused without looking away from the rock in front of him, the fossilized bone still trapped within, and said, A jaw bone. Some kind of hominid.

You think it’s something that was killed by the cat over there?

Maybe. Probably. But judging from the jawbone you see here, it’s not likely it was the other way around.

So what killed the cat?

I doubt we’ll ever know that. Or when. We’ll have to get dates for both of them.

Whatever the age, it looks like they’re the same. Looks like they’re both in the same stratum. Leakey thought for a moment, then added, Maybe we’ve uncovered some kind of drama here. But who killed whom?

Chapter 2

NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA, TANZANIA, 1999

N gorongoro for a thousand millennia or more had been an area of spectacular views and diverse wildlife, home to the highest density of predatory mammals in the world. The Ngorongoro Crater had a large population of many species of animals, including the big cats and the animals on which they fed, making it a prime destination for wildlife safaris. Heavily promoted, those organized excursions were big business in Tanzania and Kenya, a business on which towns like Arusha and Karatu depended heavily, with dozens of safari outfitters and guide services.

And through those millennia, this world of rocky crags and volcanic debris and seemingly endless savanna had seen the predictable pattern of sunset followed by sunrise. The nighttime, lit only by the unimpeded stars and the moon with its own cycles, would hide the land and the morning sunlight would reveal what the darkness could not, showcasing the endless struggles to survive, those who would see the sunrise and those who would not. As the dawn opened this day, the creatures sitting on the rock outcrop near the lake could again scan the plain, looking for movement of anything that could be prey. Once they were prey themselves for the ancient cats in the dawn of their existence, and they hadn’t always killed for their meals. There was a time when they would pick at the plants and seeds, catch insects and scavenge the kills of predators that had once dominated the Serengeti. They had even learned how to chip the black rocks into razor-sharp cutting tools, useful for cutting at the grasses and other plants across the African plain. Then somewhere in the long-forgotten past they had transitioned their role in the predation matrix to become the hunters – to be feared as the killers, and not as the ones to be killed, knowing fear. And with that transition they had discovered ways to subdue their prey quickly and completely before using the sharp stones to remove flesh from the bones to carry the food with them as they moved.

In the long time their kind had lived here, around the lake and over by the gorge and even over into the mountains that at times had given forth the fire and smoke, they’d seen changes. The land was changing, being split apart by unimaginable forces, processes the creatures would never understand. Over long spans of time, encompassing generations, the creatures had had to adjust to the changes in the animals that shared this land with them as they adapted to a changing climate and the world they knew became more dry. And they had adapted well. They were survivors.

But now the changes were becoming bigger and were coming faster. With no comprehension of what was happening or why, the creatures could only watch and wonder what the newcomers were doing to their world.

Now, each morning, as the sun rose, the creatures would set out across the savanna in search of food. They knew where the water holes were and they knew where to find the shade to stay cool on those hot summer days. They also knew where they could find just the right rocks with which to kill their prey. As they moved stealthily through the grassland, they carried their sharpened stone tools for cutting and remained alert to potential prey. They were even prepared to steal others’ kills when they had to.

Today, this small group of eight anthropoid hominids was moving quietly across the Serengeti grassland between Lake Eyasi and the Olduvai Gorge, unseen for the moment with no one there at the time to watch. They were following patterns of movement their kind had known and used since their first appearance in the East African Rift an unknown number of generations ago. Over those generations they had collectively developed their knowledge from their experiences, learning from both their successes and their failures, from experimenting and interpreting the results in the context of survival. The group had learned how to find food, as gatherers of seeds and plants, as scavengers and as effective hunters, bringing down prey. And adapting. Survival depended upon adapting and passing on their knowledge to the generations that followed. To survive they’d had to learn.

For an unknown passage of time they’ve lived like this, without tools, with no language and unseen by the new creatures that had gradually taken over the valley, from the Afar Triangle to Kilimanjaro, the Rift lakes–Tanganyika and Malawi and Eyasi–and the gorge itself. The creatures were finding it ever more difficult to avoid the newcomers, late arrivals that would force them to change the way they lived, to find new ways to survive and to continue to adapt. But they could do it. After all, they’ve survived this long, having changed from the earliest time to become a dominant species in the area of the Ngorongoro Crater. They had once lived alone along the Olduvai Gorge below the plateau but now they ruled the plain.

Today the small group was making their way through the tall Themada triandra that grew across the savanna waving in the breeze that frequently blew through here. They were on a journey from Lake Eyasi to the Olduvai Gorge, northeast of them. None of them understood why they marched to Olduvai. They just did. It was an act deeply ingrained into their collective subconscious being.

They usually avoided the paths where the grasses no longer grew, because the newcomers often traveled on those paths and the creatures were aware that their survival depended on not being seen. But sometimes they were seen. And they were being observed now as they neared a small water hole where they could drink and rest on their trek across the plain.

As the group approached the water hole, one of them stood as tall as he could stretch his five-foot stature and looked around. For a long moment he paused, looking in the direction of two newcomers near the ridge above the water hole. As he looked, he raised his face skyward and sniffed, detecting a new scent, carried toward him on the light breeze coming across the grassland. He