Was the Nephite Civilization in North America?
As I grew up in the Church, it was commonly accepted (and generally still is) that Lehi's family probably arrived somewhere in Central America, or in the northern part of South America (and the Nephites migrated north to Central America).
But, there were times when I wondered if that was correct.
And, over the last several years I've come to believe that it isn't correct.
That's not to say there aren't those of Lamanite descent in Central and South America, because there certainly are.
Most people tend to think that the Nephites stayed in a region, but the truth is they traveled and had commerce all over. And, we have no idea how long it took them to travel. We assume that a day's travel for them was the same as it it for us.
I believe Lehi's family most likely arrived somewhere in the southeastern United States. It may have been along the Gulf coast, but I think it's more likely to have been along the south eastern shores. It had to be an area where the seeds they brought "did grow exceedingly" (1 Nephi 18:24), and where they found "beasts in the forests of every kind, both the cow and the ox, and the ass and the horse, and the goat and the wild goat, and all manner of wild animals, which were for the use of men" (verse 25).
And, gold, silver and copper (1 Nephi 18:25) were abundant enough that they were also easily found.
I won't go into the various evidences that support whether the Nephites were in Central or North America.
What I will mention is scripture related.
Of course, we don't have exact locations identified in the scriptures.
Instead of locations, let's go with what we know.
Joseph Smith was permitted to take the Gold Plates, some of which he was given the gift to translate into what we know as the Book of Mormon, from a place called the Hill Cumorah.
In Joseph's time, that was not the name of the hill. I don't think the hill even had a name. But Moroni told Joseph, and from that the hill got its name.
In the Book of Mormon, we know that the Nephite's last great battle was in the land of Cumorah, "by a hill which was called Cumorah" (Mormon 6:2).
After the great battle, Moroni took the record that his father, Mormon, had compiled and spent many years evading the Lamanites.
Some people believe when Moroni finally hid the records he decided to name the hill after the hill where the last battle of the Nephites was made.
First, why would anyone do that? That is, why would you name a new hill after the location where the most tragic event in your history occurred? Would a better name have been given? I think Moroni might've chosen "Mormon" as a better name. After all, his father was a great prophet, leader, and had spent years of his life reading ancient records and compiling them into a single sacred text.
In a non-scriptural reference, Joseph Smith (and some others) went into a cave in the Hill Cumorah, where there were a lot of other ancient records.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1360&context=jbms
If that is true, and if the accounts of how much stuff was in that room are true, there is no reasonable explanation why Moroni, a man on the run, would be trying to haul--even on multiple trips--so much stuff. It would've been better to just leave it in its original location.
But, if the Hill Cumorah is the original location, then Moroni would have been evading capture and discovery by the Lamanites simply by moving around the region, and frequently returning to the hill to work on more compilation (including the Book of Ether).
Regarding the Jaredites, where were they?
Moroni gives us the answer in Ether 1:1 where he states:
Moroni was in the north country writing the account.
The Jaredites had also lived, and were destroyed, in "this north country."
So, if we suppose that Moroni was writing in the records room of Cumorah--or even in the general area of Cumorah--then "this north country" would refer to not only North America, but also the northern parts of North America.
In section 54 of the Doctrine and Covenants, verse 8, the Lord, through Joseph Smith said:
In case you're wondering, the Hopewell culture best matches the time period (and location) for the Nephites.
So, where does this leave Lamanites in Central and South America?
I don't believe the Nephites (and previously the Jaredites) were the only groups led to the Americas.
It is entirely possible that other groups were led to Central and South America.
It is also possible that there were exclusive (and secret) trading routes to certain places in the American continents, and small groups of settlers colonized those areas. And, over time, these routes were lost.
As the Lamanites expanded south, they likely encountered other groups and began trade and correspondence with these groups. Over time, the groups probably mingled and joined. This is a plausible explanation as to why the Lamanites were always so much more numerous than the Nephites.
The joining of the Lamanites with other groups could also be a reason they later adopted such degenerate traditions as human sacrifice.
Anyway, I think it's narrow-minded to believe that Lehi's family (and previously, the Jaredites) were the only groups led to the Americas.
We also know there were splinter groups that broke off from the Nephites, and never heard of again--or at least not mentioned again in the Book of Mormon. The Nephite civilization lasted for about 1,000 years.
So, it's entirely reasonable to assume that a number of splinter groups broke off from the Jaredite civilization during its 2,000 or so years of existence. We really don't know because we only have a single book that covers that time frame.
If we consider the Jaredites as having come to North America sometime around 2200 B.C., then they would have had well over a thousand years for groups to spread across North America, and then down into Central and South America.
It would take awhile for foot migration, but we know they were familiar with boats. So, it's likely (similar to Hagoth with the Nephites) there were those who built ships to sail and colonize areas much further away.
So, as for the Lamanites, many would have migrated to other parts. Some would join with other groups. And, after over 1,000 years (400 to 1800 AD), the blood of Israel could easily have mingled throughout a lot of cultures and across much of the Americas.
But, where they originated from in the Americas was most likely in the south-eastern part of North America. And, as such, the borders of Missouri in Joseph Smith's time would have been Lamanite country.
But, there were times when I wondered if that was correct.
And, over the last several years I've come to believe that it isn't correct.
That's not to say there aren't those of Lamanite descent in Central and South America, because there certainly are.
Most people tend to think that the Nephites stayed in a region, but the truth is they traveled and had commerce all over. And, we have no idea how long it took them to travel. We assume that a day's travel for them was the same as it it for us.
I believe Lehi's family most likely arrived somewhere in the southeastern United States. It may have been along the Gulf coast, but I think it's more likely to have been along the south eastern shores. It had to be an area where the seeds they brought "did grow exceedingly" (1 Nephi 18:24), and where they found "beasts in the forests of every kind, both the cow and the ox, and the ass and the horse, and the goat and the wild goat, and all manner of wild animals, which were for the use of men" (verse 25).
And, gold, silver and copper (1 Nephi 18:25) were abundant enough that they were also easily found.
I won't go into the various evidences that support whether the Nephites were in Central or North America.
What I will mention is scripture related.
Of course, we don't have exact locations identified in the scriptures.
Instead of locations, let's go with what we know.
Joseph Smith was permitted to take the Gold Plates, some of which he was given the gift to translate into what we know as the Book of Mormon, from a place called the Hill Cumorah.
In Joseph's time, that was not the name of the hill. I don't think the hill even had a name. But Moroni told Joseph, and from that the hill got its name.
In the Book of Mormon, we know that the Nephite's last great battle was in the land of Cumorah, "by a hill which was called Cumorah" (Mormon 6:2).
After the great battle, Moroni took the record that his father, Mormon, had compiled and spent many years evading the Lamanites.
Some people believe when Moroni finally hid the records he decided to name the hill after the hill where the last battle of the Nephites was made.
First, why would anyone do that? That is, why would you name a new hill after the location where the most tragic event in your history occurred? Would a better name have been given? I think Moroni might've chosen "Mormon" as a better name. After all, his father was a great prophet, leader, and had spent years of his life reading ancient records and compiling them into a single sacred text.
In a non-scriptural reference, Joseph Smith (and some others) went into a cave in the Hill Cumorah, where there were a lot of other ancient records.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1360&context=jbms
If that is true, and if the accounts of how much stuff was in that room are true, there is no reasonable explanation why Moroni, a man on the run, would be trying to haul--even on multiple trips--so much stuff. It would've been better to just leave it in its original location.
But, if the Hill Cumorah is the original location, then Moroni would have been evading capture and discovery by the Lamanites simply by moving around the region, and frequently returning to the hill to work on more compilation (including the Book of Ether).
Regarding the Jaredites, where were they?
Moroni gives us the answer in Ether 1:1 where he states:
"And now I, Moroni, proceed to give an account of those ancient inhabitants who were destroyed by the hand of the Lord upon the face of this north country."Did you read it? That last three words. This. North. Country.
Moroni was in the north country writing the account.
The Jaredites had also lived, and were destroyed, in "this north country."
So, if we suppose that Moroni was writing in the records room of Cumorah--or even in the general area of Cumorah--then "this north country" would refer to not only North America, but also the northern parts of North America.
In section 54 of the Doctrine and Covenants, verse 8, the Lord, through Joseph Smith said:
"And thus you shall take your journey into the regions westward, unto the land of Missouri, unto the borders of the Lamanites."Missouri is hardly Central America. Yet, it's clear that the Lamanites are in that area. And this isn't the only reference to Lamanites in North America that was made by Joseph Smith.
In case you're wondering, the Hopewell culture best matches the time period (and location) for the Nephites.
So, where does this leave Lamanites in Central and South America?
I don't believe the Nephites (and previously the Jaredites) were the only groups led to the Americas.
It is entirely possible that other groups were led to Central and South America.
It is also possible that there were exclusive (and secret) trading routes to certain places in the American continents, and small groups of settlers colonized those areas. And, over time, these routes were lost.
As the Lamanites expanded south, they likely encountered other groups and began trade and correspondence with these groups. Over time, the groups probably mingled and joined. This is a plausible explanation as to why the Lamanites were always so much more numerous than the Nephites.
The joining of the Lamanites with other groups could also be a reason they later adopted such degenerate traditions as human sacrifice.
Anyway, I think it's narrow-minded to believe that Lehi's family (and previously, the Jaredites) were the only groups led to the Americas.
We also know there were splinter groups that broke off from the Nephites, and never heard of again--or at least not mentioned again in the Book of Mormon. The Nephite civilization lasted for about 1,000 years.
So, it's entirely reasonable to assume that a number of splinter groups broke off from the Jaredite civilization during its 2,000 or so years of existence. We really don't know because we only have a single book that covers that time frame.
If we consider the Jaredites as having come to North America sometime around 2200 B.C., then they would have had well over a thousand years for groups to spread across North America, and then down into Central and South America.
It would take awhile for foot migration, but we know they were familiar with boats. So, it's likely (similar to Hagoth with the Nephites) there were those who built ships to sail and colonize areas much further away.
So, as for the Lamanites, many would have migrated to other parts. Some would join with other groups. And, after over 1,000 years (400 to 1800 AD), the blood of Israel could easily have mingled throughout a lot of cultures and across much of the Americas.
But, where they originated from in the Americas was most likely in the south-eastern part of North America. And, as such, the borders of Missouri in Joseph Smith's time would have been Lamanite country.
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