> from http://www.msn.com > > Georgia sect alarms neighbors > > ‘Nuwaubians’ live on a 476-acre compound, with > pyramids > > ASSOCIATED PRESS > > EATONTON, Ga., July 27 — A sect founded by an > ex-convict has built two > 40-foot pyramids and a giant sphinx amid the > pines and red clay of middle > Georgia, alarming some with its armed guards > and prophecies of deliverance > by spaceships from another galaxy. > > A gold pyramid serves as a mini-mall, with a > bookstore and clothing store. > > The sheriff and the sect had an armed > confrontation in April when he tried > to escort a building inspector onto the > property, and tensions are running > so high that mediators from the U.S. Justice > Department were called in > earlier this summer. > > The members call themselves the Yamassee Native > American Nuwaubians and > claim to have created a utopian society on > their 476-acre compound of > Egyptian-style architecture. > > Many people in and around Eatonton — a rural > community that was the > birthplace of Alice Walker, author of “The > Color Purple,” and Joel Chandler > Harris, creator of the Uncle Remus tales — fear > the Nuwaubians are similar > to Heaven’s Gate, the cult whose 39 members > committed mass suicide in 1997 > in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., and the People’s > Temple followers of Jim Jones. > > “This group here has a combination of all those > schools of thought,” Sheriff > Howard Sills said. > > About 100 Nuwaubians live in trailers on the > compound. An additional 300 to > 400 reside elsewhere in Putnam County. The > Nuwaubians, most of whom are > black, claim to be descended from the Egyptians > and the Yamassees, a tribe > of Indians indigenous to this part of Georgia. > > Past the armed guards at the compound’s > entryway, Nile River Road stretches > between two rows of statues of Egyptian > royalty. A gold pyramid serves as a > mini-mall, with a bookstore and clothing store. > A labyrinth leads to the > black pyramid, which serves as a church. > Inside, an Egyptian-like chant hums > over speakers 24 hours a day. > > The group’s lodge houses busts of King Tut and > Queen Nefertiti and a glass > tomb holding an alien-like creature with a huge > head and bulging eyes. > > Members say they pay no dues and are free to > come and go. And they insist > that suicide is not in their plans. > > The group’s founder, Dwight York, who calls > himself Malachi Z. York, served > time in New York in the 1960s for assault, > resisting arrest and possession > of a dangerous weapon. > > A GALAXY CALLED ILLYUWN > > York has claimed to be from a galaxy called > Illyuwn and has said that in > 2003 spaceships are going to descend from the > sky and pick up a chosen > 144,000 people for a rebirth. Most recently, > York has referred to himself as > Chief Black Eagle, a reincarnated leader of the > Yamassee Indians. > > “It’s a constantly opportunistic evolving > ideology,” the sheriff said. > “We’ve gone from an extraterrestrial to a > Christian pastor to an Indian > leader with willful and wanton resistance to > legal authority time and time > again.” > > The group’s spokeswoman, Renee McDade, and > Marshall Chance, who is referred > to as the Nuwaubians’ leader, distance > themselves from the space prophecies > of York, who lives on the compound and refuses > to give interviews. > > “We’re all awaiting the coming of the real > Messiah,” Chance said. “We are a > biblical people. If it’s not in the Bible, then > we’re not concerned about > it.” > > ZONING DISPUTE > > The group moved to Georgia in 1993 from New > York, where it had operated > under other names, including the Ansaru Allah > Community. A 1993 FBI report > linked that group to a myriad of crimes, > including arson and extortion. > > Until recently, the Nuwaubians pretty much kept > to themselves. Then last > year, the county rejected a request to have the > property rezoned from > agricultural to commercial. Since then, the > Nuwaubians have been at odds > with county officials. > > Shortly after the building inspector was denied > access, the sheriff and his > deputies tried to enter. > > “The armed guards literally stood in front of > my car,” Sills said. “It was > obvious to me that this was provocative and > they wanted to provoke some sort > of armed confrontation, so I decided to leave.” > > When the sheriff returned two months later, “we > were served with this > cockamamie lawsuit that said we’d be fined $5 > million if we went onto the > property,” Sills said. > > The Nuwaubians said they have met all the > permit requirements. “We feel > they’re trying to impede us from our progress > here. It feels like they’re > trying to put us out of our land,” Chance said. > > Mediators from the Justice Department’s > Community Dispute Resolution unit > were asked to get involved after the Nuwaubians > leveled charges of racism > against officials in Putnam County, which has > about 17,000 people, more than > one-third of them black. > > “The Nuwaubians felt they were being harassed, > the county officials said > they were being harassed,” mediator Ernie > Stallworth said. “Everyone was > pointing a finger and that has lessened, but I > still believe we have work to > do.” > > © 1999 Associated Press. All rights reserved. > This material may not be > published, broadcast, rewritten or > redistributed. _____________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Free instant messaging and more at http://messenger.yahoo.com
