One More Time—Malay is Not the Land of Promise

Ralph Olsen, a retired chemistry professor at Montana State University, first came up with his Malay Peninsula theory in 1994. His purpose seems to have been to combat John L. Sorenson’s Mesoamerican Model with which he completely disagrees—no doubt, a worthy goal. However, to try and place the Land of Promise in the Malay Peninsula is simply without merit. The reasons are quite simple and all within the scriptural record.

Much has been written here about this theory recently, but people keep sending me information regarding this theory and the outlandish claims, not the least of which is the idea that the Lehi Colony, which settled in the Americas, came from the Malay Peninsula first.

As is written: “In Alma 63:5, it reads: “And it came to pass that Hagoth, he being an exceedingly curious man, therefore he went forth and built him an exceedingly large ship, on the borders of the land Bountiful by the land Desolation, and launched it forth into the west sea, by the narrow neck which led into the land northward.” As Olsen writes, “Traditional Mormon scholars seem to support the idea that Hagoth traveled westward and populated the Pacific Islands (such as Hawaii, Tonga, etc). On the other hand, scholarly consensus indicates that Native Americans came from Asia, hopped across the Pacific Islands, (Hawaii, Tonga, etc.) before arriving in the Americas. The Malay theory seems to be backed up by more scientists.”

First of all, traditional Mormon scholars claim one of Hagoth’s ships sailed WEST and populated the Polynesian Islands. Thor Heyerdahl, a non-LDS archaeologist, adventurer and scholar, showed many years ago that a westward movement into the Pacific from the area of Peru and Ecuador resulted in drift voyages directly to Polynesia. Since traditional Mormon scholars place the Land of Promise in the Western Hemisphere, going east would not reach the Pacific Islands. In addition, the Pacific Islands are typically divided into three groups, from west to east: Melonesia (black), Micronesia (small), and Polynesia (many). LDS scholars do not consider that Nephites populated Melonesia or Micronesia, since those populations have black or negroid descent. However, the Polynesia Islands, which includes Hawaii in the north and New Zealand in the south, are claimed to have been populated by Lehi’s descendants. As Patriarchical Blessings have shown, and Prophets and General Authorities have said, there is a definite Manasseh descent; however, this is not true to the east in Micronesia or Melonesia.

Secondly, as it is written in the following verse, actually, a continuation of the same sentence: “And behold, there were many of the Nephites who did enter therein and did sail forth with much provisions, and also many women and children; and they took their course northward. And thus ended the thirty and seventh year” (Alma 63:5). Northward, after all, is northward. These Nephites, numbering in the thousands, sailed northward—Mormon injects at least two ships that took that course from his West Sea shipyards and docks (vs 6-7). At least one other ship, sailing from the same West Sea shipyards, sailed in a direction unknown to Mormon (vs 8). The only directions sailing from a West Sea port would be north, west or south. Since this one ship did not go north like the others, nor would we assume it went south which was Lamanite lands, it would have gone west. Going west from a Western Hemisphere port would take a ship to the Philippines from Mesoamerica or to Polynesia from South America.

Thirdly, no ship leaving a West Sea port is going to sail east. It simply cannot be done. It could sail north or south and loop around the “isle,” and then go east—but such a fete would be extremely wasteful in time and resources since a ship could be launched on the east side of the narrow neck and sail directly east. But the scriptural record does not suggest this in any way.

As for island-hopping from west to east from the Indonesian area, which is a favorite way the anthropologists claim the South Sea Islands were populated, the winds and currents would argue against such travel in any long term or deep-sea sailing vessels. That small coastal craft could make such voyages is well understood. Captain Cook remarked about the types of double-hulled canoes the natives used with great skill when he first arrived in the islands.

However, Hagoth “built him an exceedingly large ship” (Alma 63:5), not a canoe or raft of later Lamanite construction, but a SHIP of significant size.

(See the next post, “One More Time—Malay is Not the Land of Promise Part II,” for more on Hagoth’s ships and where they went)