Clarifying Points Being Questioned – Part I

 We have received a lengthy set of comments from a reader whose antagonism is quite obvious, but totally uncalled for:

• Comment: First, there are a couple of things that bolster your wrong-headed notion that the Nephites colonized Chile and Peru. The only places in the Western Hemisphere that Book of Mormon names for landmarks and towns dating to ancient times is South America. In northern South America, there is a Rio Moron in a land of Moron and a city of Moron on the Caribbean coast of Venezuela.

Response: First the Nephites were never in Chile after Nephi left to colonize Peru. As for the name Morón, there are 16 cities or locations world-wide given the name Morón, including including ones in Greece, France, Switzerland, Argentina, Buenas Aires, Cuba, Haiti, Mongolia, Philippines, Taft, Spain and Alaska. In addition, there are varius people world-wide named Morón, and several dishes, including Filipino cuisine, or rice cake similar to Sumin, and called Morón.

In addition, there are the Book of Mormon names found all over the Great Lakes, such as Angola; Jerusalem; Alma, Lehigh for a Lehi; Ogath for Agath; Moron for Morin, Onidah for Oneida, Ramah for Rama; Kishkumen for Kiskiminetas; Jacobugath for  Jacobsburg; Shilom for Siloh.

• Comment: Second is the verifiable and reliable history of chickens. In 2007, American archaeologist Alice Storey and colleagues identified chicken bones at the site of El Arenal (south of Sntiago and Concepcion) on the Arauco Peninsula on Chile's coast. C14 dating place the bones hundreds of years before the arrival the the first Europeans. 

Peruvian chickens (these are roosters). Note the much higher and skinner legs, with an upright stance—different than typical chickens

 

Response: Europeans arriving in the Americas found a continent teeming with native turkeys and ducks for the plucking and eating. Some archaeologists believe that chickens were first introduced into Polyesia by people who reached the western plains of South America. Others believe the opposite—that Polynesians introduced chickens to South America. Still others believe that the Jaradites brought the chickens with them and filled the land when Lehi arrived to a land abounding with chickens in the semirural location that is sort-of country but that is not officially considered country—an out-of-town suburb near farm country is an example of a neighborhood that would be described as semirural. It can be described as the landscape interface between town and country, or also as the rural free-ranging chickens were often found in periurban communities (between high populated urban and low populated rural or developing areas such as Peru, especially in homes of migrants from rural areas

In Mitochondrial DNA sequencing, 12 of the 37 ancient samples and identified markers identical to Polynesian and Southeast Asian chickens. Could it be that Lehi picked up chickens in his travels and brought chickens with them to Chile.

• Comment: The Book of Mormon says that the city of Moróni was by the sea. There also are the Arroyo de Mormon (Stream of Mormon) and the Rio Moróni, which has its headwaters on the Guyana Plateau.

Response: First the word “Aroyyo” does not mean river or stream. Also, the “River Moroni” is actually referred to as an Arroyo, not a river—and there is a specific meaning of “aroyyo.” The confusion arises out of the fact that the Maroni river flows well in the winter months, but dries up in the summer months. The word “arroyo” has a specific meaning in Spanish—it is a steep-sided gully formed by the action of fast-flowing water in an arid or semi-arid region, found chiefly in the southwestern U.S. An arroyo, also called a wash, is a dry creek, stream bed or gulch that temporarily or seasonally fills and flows after sufficient rain. Flash floods are common in arroyos following thunderstorms. 

The Maroni River flowing along as a border between Suriname and Frenh Guyana

 

The “Maroni” River (correct spelling) or “Marowijne,“ pronounced “My-ro-bag-gen,” is the name the river is known by and through which its grants of study have been conducted—it is rarely referred to as the Maroni River other than when it is necessary to separate the three or four waterways emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. It is a Dutch name (Nederlands, Netherlands), and forms the border between French Guyana (Guiana) and Suriname—it is also known as the Lawa, which is formed by the confluence of the Litani and Malani rivers. Downstream from its confluence with the Tapanahon, it is called Maroni. The Maroni runs through the Guianan moist ecoregion. Pronounced “Nā-dross” it originates in the Tumuk Humak Mountains and forms the (disputed) border between France’s region of French Guiana and Suriname. 

In its upper reaches—close to its source, it is known as the Litani. The total length of Litani, Lawa, and Maroni is 380 miles—with the Latani as its source and the Lawa as its mouth and the Maroni in between at about 90 miles in length (Jan Shipper et al., "Northern South America: Guayana, Suriname French Guiana, northern Brazil and eastern Venezuela," Vol.3, The Americas, Foundación Vida Silvestre, Argentina, IUCN Publications Unit, Cambridge, UK).

The Maroni is the most extensively covered arroyo in Suriname

 

Though a secondary level arroyo that is dry in the summer months, the Maroni flows significantly in the winter months, and is the most extensively studied of all the flowing waters in Suriname. In the 16th century, there were already ships exploring the estuary, captained by Lawrence Keymis, Thomas Masham and Antonio de Berrio (Walter Raleigh. Joyce Lorimer (ed.). Sir Walter Ralegh's Discoverie of Guiana, Ashgate Publishing, Surrey, England, Released by Bedford/Saint Martin's Press, 2007, p360).

In the 18th century more extensive excursions took place, by Mentell, Patris, Le Blond and Heneman and in the 19th century by Zegelaar, Jules Crevaux Coudreau, Ten Kate, Joost and others. Of importance in the 20th century were the Gonini and Tapanahony expeditions, and the Tumuk Humak and Southern Border Expeditions. From these arose the research of the Geologisch Mijnbouwkundige Dienst and the Centraal Bureau voor Luchtkartering.

It might be of interest to know that the Minister of Labor, Claudio Omar Moroni, of Argentina is currently serving in that government position—the name Moroni is not limited to rivers. Approximately 26,292 people around the world have this as their surname, and is one of the most common surname in the world that is most prevalent in Italy. It is very popular in the U.S. and certain states in South America, including Brazil, Argentina and Chile.

(See the next post for more information regarding a reader’s critical evaluation of our articles)