Question about Native Americans...

[StudMuff]

LDS doctrine does not say that ALL Native Americans are from Jerueselum, correct? In other words, not all Native Americans are descendants of Lehi? Weren't there already people upon the American continent, prior to Lehis arrival?

Thanks in advance.

[mightynancy]

Well, there were the Jaredites...

And it would be silly to think we have access to the entire history of the world.

[Flyonthewall]

And the Mulekites

[a-train]

Zoramites too.

[Ray A]

Note that the Book of Mormon Intro has been changed:

One word has been changed in the introduction to the Book of Mormon, changing the description of the Lamanites.

The introduction previously said that the Lamanites "are the principal ancestors of the American Indians," and the new edition printed by Doubleday says that the Lamanites "are among the principal ancestors of the American Indians."

The passage in question is not a part of the Book of Mormon itself, but in the introduction, which Bruce R. McConkie wrote in 1981.

"The current Introduction page in the Book of Mormon was not part of the original text translated by Joseph Smith, Jr.," said Mark Tuttle, LDS Church spokesperson in the Salt Lake Tribune on Thursday. "A one-word change was made to the introduction in the latest edition of the Book of Mormon published by Doubleday. That change takes into account details of Book of Mormon demography, which are not known. The change will be included in the next edition of the Book of Mormon printed by the Church."

This change once again places the LDS Church in the middle of disputes about the validity of the Book of Mormon. These disputes have increased due to recent DNA research that suggests that the principal lines of American Indian ancestry link to Asia probably by way of the Bering Strait.

Mormon tradition has long believed that at least some of the Indian's ancestors migrated across the ocean from the Middle East.

"We support the decisions of the first presidency in this matter," said Terry Ball, a dean of the college of religious education. Doubleday, a commercial publisher who began publishing a new hardcover edition of the Book of Mormon, will also have the word change in it.

BYU NewsNet - Church Announces Change in Book of Mormon Intro

[FigBearingThistle]

LDS doctrine does not say that ALL Native Americans are from Jerueselum, correct? In other words, not all Native Americans are descendants of Lehi? Weren't there already people upon the American continent, prior to Lehis arrival?

Thanks in advance.

We aren't told either way, in the BofM. However, consistent with the idea that God would scatter Israel to mingle with the other inhabitants of the earth, it seems logical to me that Lehi, Ishmael, and Mulek, were brought to the Americas in part to do just that.

The sudden appearance of Jeredite names among the Nephites either points to the fact that King Mosiah translated the plates that Limhi's people found, and so people got the idea for new names, or that there were still some disorganized remnants of Jaredites in the Americas.

Finally, if Mulek could be led to the Americas from Jerusalem, why not other groups as well? Even other Israelites whom the Lord led here?

Why not a land bridge from Asia?

[FigBearingThistle]

Note that the Book of Mormon Intro has been changed:

BYU NewsNet - Church Announces Change in Book of Mormon Intro

The trend of many critics to hop aboard the anti BofM DNA Mantra-wagon, by the way, is unfounded, and born of ignorance. DNA doesn't prove or disprove any of the BoM claims.

The power of the Book of Mormon is the testimony from the Holy Ghost. It has always been so.

[Traveler]

Many ancient civilizations were able to navigate the seas. I would point out that when the Europeans emerged from the Dark Ages of Trinitarian Christianity they accidentally ended up in South America within 40 years of their first voyage around Africa. The Phoenicians had ships 3 times larger than Columbus’s and had been making voyages from the Mediterranean to India for a thousand years by the Biblical time of King David. Besides the Phoenicians the Ancient Egyptians, ancient Arabs, and ancient Chinese all had science and technology capable of reaching the Americas. It is also interesting to note that the ancient Mayan in the Americas also had science and technology capable of navigating to and returning from any point on earth.

There is strong evidence that the Phoenicians, Egyptians and Chinese all reached the Americas before during and after the time of the Nephits in America. Most historians accept that the Vikings also reached North America prior to Columbus.

Just a note in passing. Those that purport DNA evidence as disproof of the Book of Mormon must also realize that such also disproves the Bible. Do they really believe that evidence?

The Traveler

[rameumptom]

There's lots of internal evidence that others were here when the Nephites showed up. For example, Nephi states they build a temple, similar to Solomon's. If it were only the Nephites, who would have built it? 50 people are not enough to build a temple in 10-20 years, but thousands of people conquered and made Nephites by cultural adoption could.

The Jaredites were Asian, as the majority of Native American DNA tests agree with. But that doesn't mean others weren't here before the Jaredites, either.

[Ray A]

The power of the Book of Mormon is the testimony from the Holy Ghost. It has always been so.

I agree. I'm only pointing out that some claims are wrong, and the idea that the Nephites were the "principal ancestors" of the America Indians has been shown to be wrong. The Church has acknowledged this by changing the wording.

[Ray A]

Most historians accept that the Vikings also reached North America prior to Columbus.

They do, because there's enough hard evidence that the Vikings left when they landed.

The question was definitively settled in the 1960s, when a Viking settlement was excavated at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland by Helge Ingstad and his wife. The location of the various lands described in the sagas is still unclear, however. Many historians identify Helluland with Baffin Island and Markland with Labrador. The location of Vinland is a thornier question. Most believe that the L'Anse aux Meadows settlement is the Vinland settlement described in the sagas; others argue that the sagas depict Vinland as being warmer than Newfoundland, and therefor that it lay further south. There are still many questions remaining, and only new archaeological findings can supply more information.

Norse colonization of the Americas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Maya]

In Joseph Smiths time they beileved all native Americans were indians... a collective name to all the different tribes in whole America.... likewise they believed they all came from Lehis family... Church has NEVER had any doctorinal point on this thing as it really has NOTHING to do with our salvation, which is the most important thing.

I also was thinking that all indians were from Lehi.... but now I have been searching a bit more as have the antropologists aso...

Anyway I think that when Lehi came in the Americas there already was a lot of others. Jaraedites, Mulekites, vikings... and many others. Mayas have an old story about how they came to the land... it started with a man that came over the seas in aboat. His sons had each a tribe that was called by each sons name, except one of them (Sam had no sons so there was no Samites). Later the story tells that the brothers become enemies and the lowland mayas moved away from the mountain Mayas. Hmm soundslike I heard that before... also Olmecs came over the sea in boats that were like ... long melons...

Interesting is also taht the lowland Mayas dissapeared from the river Ushimate around 250 they seem to have moved nortward... build a big city or two and then dissapearted completely.

I think that Nephities alike Laamannities were joined by other people, people that already lived in the country. Lamanities as they did not keep the jewish laws were first mixed with the usual population by mixed marriages, this may also be a reason why their skin become darker. I also believe that cince the Nephites were drept almost to the last man, except for a handfull that escaped to south (Interesting how Inkas in south later reached to such rich kingdomlater.... they had quite a lot of Mayas know how).

Anyway all this is assumptions by someone who does not know so much ...

I find these sites interesting: Mormon Sites - rising from the dust... Lawrence Poulsen's Book of Mormon Geography FARMS Journal of Book of Mormon Studies

[Dale]

It is proposed that the Temple was smaller in size, so a few individuals could have built it.

[rameumptom]

Actually, Sam did have children. Check the blessings that Lehi gives his children. He tells Sam that his children would be adopted into Nephi's line. I would suppose that Sam had some mental or physical handicap(s) that prevented him from easily raising his own children, and so Nephi stepped in and did a lot of it.

[rameumptom]

It is proposed that the Temple was smaller in size, so a few individuals could have built it.

But that isn't what Nephi says. he said he built it like unto Solomon's temple, just with fewer gemstones, because they didn't have many to use.

[THIRDpersonviewer]

Actually, Sam did have children. Check the blessings that Lehi gives his children. He tells Sam that his children would be adopted into Nephi's line. I would suppose that Sam had some mental or physical handicap(s) that prevented him from easily raising his own children, and so Nephi stepped in and did a lot of it.

Nephi's line was the covenant people. Sam being adopted into Nephi's line would have put him into the covenant so that he could have the full blessings of the Lord.

[Hemidakota]

We aren't told either way, in the BofM. However, consistent with the idea that God would scatter Israel to mingle with the other inhabitants of the earth, it seems logical to me that Lehi, Ishmael, and Mulek, were brought to the Americas in part to do just that.

The sudden appearance of Jeredite names among the Nephites either points to the fact that King Mosiah translated the plates that Limhi's people found, and so people got the idea for new names, or that there were still some disorganized remnants of Jaredites in the Americas.

Finally, if Mulek could be led to the Americas from Jerusalem, why not other groups as well? Even other Israelites whom the Lord led here?

Why not a land bridge from Asia?

Agreed...as we approached that hour of all truth made manifested, we will see our Lord's work among all the 'families' of the world.

When Lehi arrived in the land of the americas, he met others already in the land.

[Hemidakota]

But that isn't what Nephi says. he said he built it like unto Solomon's temple, just with fewer gemstones, because they didn't have many to use.

Are we looking for a similar architectured building?