Legends of the Book of Mormon – Part I

-->Wherever Lehi landed, we should find, even today, steeped in the lore and legends of the area, semblances of information that dates back to and describes in part, the landing and occupation of the land by Lehi and his party, since they spent a thousand years in that land.

 

     In addition, since Hagoth built exceedingly large ships that carried many immigrants and their families into “a land which was northward,” we should find north of the landing area, and north of the Land of Zarahemla and Land of Bountiful area of the Nephite occupation, another civilization of similar cultural attributes, including building style and capability.

When all else is said and done, any Nephie Book of Mormon legends that exist today in areas should be at the most southern end of their location—that is, wherever the most southern location of these legends exist, that would be the starting point of the Nephite area and from there, the migration would have gone northward.
    Also, since, every theorist believes that the Land of Promise is in the Western Hemisphere (excluding the Malaysia and Africa theories, both of which have little to support their views since Moroni made it clear to Joseph Smith that the Plates contained a record of the people of “this continent,” meaning the Americas), then we need to look to this area for the legends of Lehi’s landing and Nephite occupation. 

Now, in doing so, we have three basic areas of theory locations, i.e., North America, Meso/Central America, and South America. Therefore, where the earliest legends exist, and those furthest south exist, of Book of Mormon activity, should be where Lehi landed.
    It also needs to be clearly understood, that despite where a theorist believes Lehi landed, and no matter how much he can show there was Nephite/Lamanite activity or occupation there, Lehi could only have landed in one location—not multiple ones. Therefore, the Land of First Inheritance can only be in one location with expansion northward from that point since the Nephites never went southward throughout their written history (i.e., 600 B.C. to 385/421 A.D.). Therefore, only one location can be the area of First Landing, not two or three—only one. So once we find the location that satisfies both of these points, i.e., earliest legends and furthest south legends, then we can assuredly know the general location of Lehi’s landing.
    We also have to keep in mind that the entire Western Hemisphere is the focal point of our search for these legends—not just one little corner or location.

So, if Lehi landed in North America, as the Heartland theorists, Great Lakes theorists, and Eastern U.S. theorists claim, we would not find any legend information of Nephites to the south of North America, since the Nephites would not have been in that direction, for they were always to the north of the Lamanites, and always to the north of where they landed as Mormon tells us (Alma 22:27-34).
    Consequently, if we can find Nephite legends to the south of North America, then there can be no question that North America was not the sight of either Lehi’s landing, or of the events described throughout Nephite history. That is not to say Nephites/Lamanites were never in North America, only that the events described on the pages of the Book of Mormon did not take place in North America and we can eliminate North America as the initial landing site and the general land of occupation of the Nephite Nation that is covered and written about in the Book of Mormon.

 On the other hand, if we find legends of the Book of Mormon to the south of North America, that is in Mesoamerica or Central America then we can eliminate both North America as the location of Lehi’s landing. It is as simple as that.
    Now, if we find any Nephite legends to the south of Mesoamerica or Central America, then we can eliminate those two locations as the landing site of Lehi, and the location of the Nephite nation, though once again, that is not to say that Nephites/Lamanites were never in that area, only that is was not the landing site of Lehi and the general occupation of the Nephite nation. 

Consequently, if we find Nephite legend information in South America, then we can eliminate not only North America, but also Mesoamerica and Central America as the landing site of Lehi and the general occupation area of the Nephite nation.
    Once again, let us remember that many Nephite and Lamanite immigrants went northward in Hagoth’s ships (Alma 63:5, 6-7). It can be debated how far north they went, but they did go north of the Land of Zarahemla land the Land of Bountiful to some land “which was northward.” Thus, it should be no surprise that Nephite information would have been to the north of the landing site of Lehi. After all, immigrants take with them records, information, memory, and their early history, so stories (legends) would have gone forward into other lands to the north of Lehi’s landing site.
    It is a simple process. So let’s look for legends.
    In 1735, James Adair lived isolated among the North American Indians for 40 years, had this observation to make: 1) Their division into tribes; 2) Their worship of J-hov-h; 3) Their notions of a theocracy; 4) Their belief in the administration of angels; 5) Their language and dialects; 6) Their manner of counting time; 7) Their prophets and high priests; 8) Their festivals, fasts and religious rites; 9) Their daily sacrifice; 10) Their ablutions and anointings; 11) Their laws of uncleanliness; 12) Their abstinence from unclean things; 18) Their marriage, divorces and punishments of adultery; 14) Their several punishments; 15) Their cities of refuge; 16) Their purifications and preparatory ceremonies; 17) Their ornaments; 18) Their manner of’ curing the sick; 19) Their burial of the dead; 20) Their mourning for the dead; 21) Their raising seed to a deceased brother; 22) Their change of names adapted to their circumstances and times.”

The furthest north legends seem to come from the area of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in Canada

The Mi'kmaq (Micmac) Indians of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in Canada, have an ancient Hebrew belief of a women being unclean during her menstrual period, which they observe still to this day certain ceremonies of which they do not know the origin, giving no other reasons than that their ancestors have always practiced the same thing. The first is this, that the women and girls, when they suffer the inconveniences usual to their sex, are accounted unclean.” They also have the custom that after the death of one’s brother, it is permissible to marry his wife, in order that she may have children of the same blood if she has not had any by her first husband  And Ojibwa history records legends and laws that are either descendants of the tribes of Israel, or they have had, in some former era, a close contact and intercourse with the Hebrews, imbibing from them their beliefs and customs and the traditions of their patriarchs.”

Joseph Smith idenrified reamins of a burial in Illinois curing Zion's Camp, which he identified as Zelph, a white Lamanite who lived during the time of Onandagus, a prophet known from the Rocky Mountains to the East Sea

North America: Bones identified on June 3, 1834, as Zelph, a white Lamanite and “a man of God,” was uncovered by some of the brethren in Zion’s Camp and verified by Joseph Smith, who received a vision of Zelph and his identity as a warrior and chieftain under the great prophet Onandagus, who was known from the Rocky Mountains to the eastern sea.” In a letter he wrote to his wife, Emma, the following day, he referred to the area in which they passed through as “wandering over the plains of the Nephites.” Joseph Smith also told Oliver Cowdery to preach to the Lamanites, and sent missionaries to the Lamanites on the frontier to the west of the Alegehny and Appalacian Mountains in the Indian Territory, and Joseph Smith himself on May 23, 1844, taught the Sac and Fox Indians the Gospel in his back kitchen. Joseph in a letter to John Wentworth in March of 1842, stated “The principal nation of the second race fell in battle towards the close of the fourth century. The remnant are the Indians that now inhabit this country.”
    Consequently, though not Book of Mormon names, there can be no question that Joseph Smith placed Lamanites in the United States in his day and in times past. Therefore we know that the Nephites and Lamanites were this far northward in the Western Hemisphere. However, were they they earliest and the furthest south?

The Creek dominated the aareas of Georgia and Alabama, who outnumbered both European settlers and slaves until the 1760s, and then ceded the balance of their lands to the new state in the 1800s. Before the 1500s, the Creek were part of the larger Southeastern natives who lived thorughout the southeastern area of the present United States

In the Muscogee, also known as the Creek Nation, they have certain words that are the same as Hebrew or so similar it is remarkable. In addition, the area of the Creek was also dominated by the Cherokee who originated in Ohio and moved south reportedly before 1540 when the Spanish arrived. The Cherokee also had connections to the Hebrew language and customs, including a widow could not marry without the permission of her brother-in-aw, a custom only found among the Isralites and some American Indians. Also, like the Hebrews, the Cherokee had their own "Day of Atonement" in which insults were forgiven and all disputes buried. Their totem corresponded in significance to the Ark of the covenant, was carried on poles and could never touch the ground and during wartime, like the Israelites carrying their Ark, the Cherokee carried their totem. Their degree of connection between the New Moon and their ceremonies is also very similar and to the Biblical feast and festivals.

Obviously, then we find Book of Mormon or Hebrew references and legends within the North America native Indian.

Now, let’s take a look further south than North America to see if any such legends or Book of Mormon references exist south of North America.

(See the next post, “Legends of the Book of Mormon – Part II,” for a look into Mesoamerica)