Ancient Jewish, Mayan and Hopi Ceremony Correlations (continued)

(Video of 1913 Hopi Snake Ceremony, the Kisi is the tree looking object to the right of the video that the dancers pass by and gather around as well)


So a few months ago I put together a blog post about ancient Hebrew ceremonies with similar correlations that are found in Mesoamerica.  The focus of this post was centered mainly on Sukkot or the feast of the tabernacles an ancient Hebrew ceremony and what seems to be its new world equivalent in the Mayan Cha Cha'ac ceremony still practiced to this day in the Yucatan in southern Mexico.  In this post I wanted to continue with the a Hopi practice that also has similarities to Sukkot. This is the use of the Hopi Kisi.  Here is a link to the first half of this post.

 http://inthecavityofarock.blogspot.com/2012/10/ancient-hebrew-ceremonies-in-mesoamerica.html
  

Although the Kisi is involved in ceremonies that differ from Sukkot or the Cha Cha'ac to some degree, it is the use and structure of the Kisi that is reminiscent of the alters from both of the previously mentioned ceremonies. According to Tom Cryers in his book Visual Testament he states the Kisi is the most prominent Hopi setting, and the one most available to the public eye, and the one most widespread in the Americas, and the one used in both the Flute and Snake festivals or ceremonies which take place in the full moon of the fall.  The Kisi is a bower made of leafy cottonwood branches.  Kissay in Hebrew means "covered throne".  According to Hugh Nibley all over the ancient world , the King sat in a Kissay of green bowers at the New Year. (Nibley 1975:170).  Keh' seh, in Hebrew, means "full moon festival, appointed time."  The Hopi kisi is a little booth with its opening facing east and is sometimes walled and carpeted inside with buffalo robes.  The leaves are left on the branches that cover it on the outside.  The entrance is covered with a buckskin or a wedding robe.  Cryers also noted that the construction of such a leafy structure was practiced by the children of Israel in Moses' day as part of the "feast of tabernacles," which is also called the Feast of booths or the Fest of Ingathering (Sukkot). 

Hopi Antelope Dancers with Kisi (tree looking structure to
the left of the picture)

So you may ask what is the importance of finding similarities between the Jewish Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles), the Mayan Cha Cha'ac ceremony and the use of the Hopi Kisi?  The religious use of these as noted in the above noted blog post have a lot in common as well.  With the Hopi Kisi we can also see a similar reason for the use of the structure.  The ceremonies in which the Kisi is used all have a surrounding theme of the need for rain.  This was also an important part of the previous two examples.  These seem to have roots in Sukkot which was done for the same reason as noted in Zechariah 14:16-17 which states,

"And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. 

And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain."

This is also important to the relevance of the Book of Mormon which claims to be the record of a group of Jews who were commanded to leave Jerusalem around 600BC and were lead by the Lord into the new world where they became a great civilization that divided amongst itself and were known as the Nephites and Lamanites.  We know that during their existence (from 600 BC to at least 400AD) that the Law of Moses was practiced by the Nephites and more than likely apostate forms by the Lamanites.  These were practiced until the law was fulfilled and a new law given by the resurrected Savior Jesus Christ which appeared to the Nephites and Lamanites in 33AD.  Many of these old law practices and new practices can be found in the religious ceremonies of the indigenous around Mesoamerica and the Native Americans of the Southwest of the United States mainly the ancient Maya and Ancient Pueblo (Anasazi and Hohokam) who are the descendants of our modern day Hopi, Zuni, Pima, Gila River and many other tribes .  So if links between these civilizations and their religious ceremonies and beliefs can be tied together with those of the Jewish old world they stand as evidence of the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. 

The Popul Vuh and its Relation to The Book of Mormon

Wheat and Barley in The Book of Mormon

More Mesoamerican Influence in Hohokam Society (Casa Grande Arizona)

The Big House (Casa Grande) in Casa Grande, AZ
Hohokam 1350AD

Here are a few pictures form my families recent visit to some more ruins found in Casa Grande, AZ.  This is known as the "Big House" or "Casa Grande".  The ruins here date to around 1300-1400 AD.  Some date back earlier such as the unexcavated ball court which dates back to 900 AD.  Inside the ball court they found a ball but many of these ancient rubber balls have been found.  These ball courts differ in size at most locations. Although this one is unexcavated it is easy to see it is a bit smaller than the one at Pueblo Grande Museum in Phoenix although similar in shape.  In between these two is a larger square ball court much more reminiscent of the Mayan and Aztec ball courts.  This is the Snaketown ball court that was reburied shortly after excavation on the Gila River Reservation.  The last picture is a piece of shell artwork used in a bracelet that is a snake and bird which archaeologists state may have been influenced by the art from the Southern Mesoamerican tribes (the Mayans).  The purpose of these last two blog posts is to show that the direction of migration made by many of the civilizations found in Mesoamerica (mainly the Mayans) was to relocate to the north.  This is consistent with what the Book of Mormon teaches of the various groups that migrated north (Helaman 3:3,7)

3. And it came to pass in the forty and sixth, yeah , there was much contention and many dissensions; in the which there were an exceedingly great many who departed out of the land of Zarahemla, and went forth unto the land northward to inherit the land.

7. And there being but little timber upon the face of the land, nevertheless the people who went forth became exceedingly expert in the working of cement; therefore they did build houses of cement, in the which they did dwell.

Thus we see that the Pueblo people (the Hohokam and Anasazi) were more than likely ancestors of those Nephite/Lamanite people who migrated northward.  This also matches with many of the migration stories held by the tribes still in the American Southwest today. The use of cement or what is known as caliche (cuh-LEE-chee), a concrete like mix of sand, clay and calcium carbonate (limestone) was used to build whole permanent settlements throughout the southwestern Sonoran desert.  The book of Helaman in the Book of Mormon also speaks about the use of wood.  I took over 200 cedar and other types of trees that were carried from more than 60 miles away used to make the roofs of the Big House.

Casa Grande Hohokam Ruins

Me in front of the west side of Casa Grande

Unexcavated ball court at Casa Grande that dates to 900 AD.
There was a ball found in this court when first discovered.

Mesoamerican influence on shell fragments for bracelet.

Follow up to Zelph Post Evidence of Mesoamerican Influence in NorthAmerica

I decided to show some evidence of Mesoamerican influence from Mayan times found here in North America. The following pictures I took less than a half hour from my house in Phoenix Arizona. The last picture is less than 10 minutes from my house in Chandler Arizona on the Gila River Indian Reservation. These are pictures of ancient Hohokam ball courts that were influenced by the Mayan ball courts although the rules of play may have differed. The time frame for these ball courts is estimated at 500AD-1200AD. Archaeologists and anthropologists assume that the ball courts probably date to the earlier dates on that spectrum because they appeared to be unused around 1200 AD and this may be due to changes in religious practices. I will be adding future influences that show travel and influence up to and through the Heartland theory lands of Michigan and Ohio Valley.

Me infront of Ancient Hohokam ball court in Phoenix AZ.



Me and my crew at ancient Hohokam ball court panorama view.



Artists depiction of Hohokam ball game at Pueblo Grande
in modern day Phoenix AZ.



Ancient Hohokam ball court in Snaketown Gila River Indian Reservation
showing Mesoamerican (Mayan) influence.   This ball court has been buried
by Pima/Gila River Indian Government for preservation. (South of Chandler AZ)

Zelph and the Lands of the Book of Mormon

Zion's Camp group at Zelph Mound

One of the main stories that always seems to surface when speaking to Heartlanders or those who think that the Book of Mormon took place in North America is the story of Zelph.  The story goes something like this.  During the Zion's Camp march to Missouri a handful or so of the members came upon what is known as Naples Mound 8 or now more commonly known as Zelph mound and discovered the remains of a skeleton about a foot underneath the surface of the mound.  We know of the experience because we have the noted stories or journals of seven of the members who were there. In an article by Tyler Livingston (no relation) in April of 2010 entitled "Zelph in relation to Book of Mormon Geography" he noted that each of the recorded experiences of the 7 members differed in details.  He then noted that John Lund in citing Kenneth Godfrey, notes what the accounts do agree upon. 

1. On June 2, 1834 members of Zion's Camp, traveling through Illinois, unearthed skeletal remains of a man near the top of a large burial mound.
2. Joseph Smith learned what he knew about the skeletal remains by way of a vision after the discovery.
3. The man was a white Lamanite named Zelph, a man of God and a great warrior who served under a known leader named Onandagus.
4. Zelph was killed in a battle with the Lamanites by the arrow found with his remains.

It must be noted that we do not have an official statement from Joseph Smith in relation to this story but he did comment in a letter to his wife Emma the next day and stated something to the effect of "wandering the plains of the Nephites" and noted that picking up skulls as an authentication of the Book of Mormon but for some reason never mentions Zelph or Onandagus.  It is because of this statement that many state that the Book of Mormon must have taken place in North America for Joseph Smith to note that they were "wandering the plains of the Nephites" while they were in Illinois.  There is more to this story though as we look a bit deeper.

Tyler also notes that John A. Widtsoe a member of the Quorum of the twelve apostles stated: "This is not of much value in Book of Mormon geographical studies, since Zelph probably dated from a later time when Nephites and Lamanites had been somewhat dispersed and wandered over the country."  Tyler than hammers the nail in the coffin with the account of Levi Hancock which he noted was the longest and most detailed of the accounts.  Levi stated that in his version while Joseph was under inspiration he stated that "This land was called the Land of Desolation."  If Joseph Smith were speaking about the same "Desolation" mentioned in the Book of Mormon, this statement would place Zarahemla, Bountiful, Manti and most of the Book of Mormon cities too far south for a Heartland/Great Lakes geography. If we accept the story of Zelph as fact we must also accept the implications. Thus if the land of Desolation is in fact in Illinois this displaces the whole North American  Heartland geography.



Ancient Hohokam Ball Court on Gila River Reservation
(now buried for preservation)

So where does this take us with the story of Zelph and the revelation by Joseph Smith?  Well there a few different options.  One is that this group of Nephites or Lamanites found in North America were part of (or ancestors of) the many different migration groups mentioned in the Book of Mormon. In Alma 63 it speaks of multiple migrations including Hagoth building a large ship and sailing "into the land northward".  We also read in Helaman 3 of many people including most of the "People of Ammon" migrating to the land north.  If the Book of Mormon did take place in Mesoamerica (Southern Mexico/Guatemala area) than these travels northward by migrating groups could be the reason that Nephite and Lamanite bones are found as far north and north east as Illinois or farther. But is there any evidence of these migrations?

We know that long before the Book of Mormon times (600b.c.-400a.d.) there were trade routes between North and South America. As I have noted in many of my other blog posts we know that the People of Ammon were a covenanted peaceful people.  Interestingly enough if they did indeed travel northward as noted in Helaman 3 than we could expect to find a peaceful people north of Mesoamerica which is exactly what we find with the Hopi Indians in northern Arizona (Hopi actually means "peaceful little ones".  There is a lot of correlation between the Hopi and the Nephite and Lamanites found in the Book of Mormon which I have already covered in other blog posts so we will just chalk this up as the first sign of evidence for now.  Also in Phoenix and  south east Phoenix (Casa Grande) Arizona we have remains of the Hohokam people part of which is now on the Gila River Indian Reservation.  These remains include  ball courts which without doubt would be a direct influence from the Mayans and Olmecs from Mesoamerica. 

Cahokia Mound in Illinois/Missouri

There are many other signs of influence of Mesoamerica found in North America and these include the building structure of many of the larger mounds in the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys one in particular is Cahokia who bears a resemblance to many of the Mayan Temples only Cahokia is made of earth.  Other signs include copper ear spools and pottery found among the remains of the Hopewell civilization that could be considered markers of southern influence.  Also of note is that in 1870's and 1880's further excavations in the Zelph mound were made with bore relics with connections to both Michigan and Mexico. 

If these signs of southern influence are indeed the case of Mesoamerican influence and migrations than Joseph Smith would still be correct in stating that remains of Book of Mormon people are had among North America.  They just wouldn't have been the same groups that we read directly about in the Book of Mormon, instead we would be dealing with satellite groups and or their ancestors. 


 

The Nibley Challenge

This is the challenge that Dr. Hugh Nibley used to give his students.

Tribute Drawing of Hugh Nibley

Since Joseph Smith was younger than most of you and not nearly so experienced or well educated at the time he copyrighted the Book of Mormon, it should not be too much to ask you to hand in by the end of the semester (which will give you more time than he had) a paper of , say , five to six hundred pages in length. Call it a sacred book if you will, and give it the form of a history. Tell of a community of wandering Jews in ancient times; have all sorts of characters in your story, and involve them in all sorts of public and private vicisitudes [daily activities]; give them names -- hundreds of them -- pretending that they are real Hebrew and Egyptian names of circa 600 B.C.; be lavish with cultural and technical details -- manners and customs, arts and industries, political and religious institutions, rites, and traditions, include long and complicated military and economic histories; have your narrative cover a thousand years.

Keep a number of interrelated local histories going at once; feel free to introduce religious controversy and philosophical discussion, but always in a plausible setting; observe the appropriate literary conventions and explain the derivation and transmission of your varied historical materials. Above all, do not ever contradict yourself! For now we come to the really hard part of this little assignment. You and I know that you are making this all up -- we have our little joke -- but just the same you are going to be required to have your paper published when you finish it, not as fiction or romance, but as a true history! After you have handed it in you may make no changes in it...What is more, you are to invite any and all scholars to read and criticize your work freely, explaining to them that it is a sacred book on a par with the Bible. If they seem over-skeptical, you might tell them that you translated the book from original records by the aid of the Urim and Thummim -- they will love that! Further to allay their misgivings, you might tell them that the original manuscript was on golden plates, and that you got the plates from an angel. Now go to work and good luck! [the Prophetic Book of Mormon, F.A.R.M.S., 221-222]

Teancum and the Times for Battle - Book of Mormon Evidence

Answers to Mormon Reformation (Mormonthink.com's) 95 Theses Questions

Martin Luther

Recently a blog called Mormon Reformation posted a list of 95 Theses questions that they suggested should be posted on the doors of every LDS chapel on the 16th of Feb in the spirit of Martin Luther's 95 Theses questions.  There are many reasons in spirit why Martin Luthers questions or concerns differ form these posted by Mormon Reformation.  The spirit behind these have a lot of the same old Anti-Mormon rhetoric that has been cycling for years.  I have put together a pretty lengthy document (219 pages) that goes over these concers and gives answers to each of them.  Now I admit in putting these together my answers to these concerns that over 90% of my answers have been copy and pasted from FAIR (The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research) and the rest from other websites including my blog or my own opinion.  I hope you enjoy them as they were put together pretty quick in order to meet the deadline.



Click here to download the answers to the 95 Theses questions

Or here is another link if the above post doesn't work.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/126661516/Answers-to-the-95-Theses-Questions-doc

Hebrew DNA among Mayan populations?