What does the Book of Mormon say about early inhabitants in the Americas?

Question

...and does it correspond at all, to any archaeological/anthropological evidence?

Answer 1

something about lost tribe of israel...there was some division/dissension among them...god turned the 'bad' ones red so they would be identified...and no it has not been justified by any anthropological research.  common sense alone makes a good argument against it.

Answer 2

I watched this documentary a few weeks ago.  Go to the site and scroll down to 'Christianity versus Mormonism'...

Answer 3

They were a lost tribe of Israel is one of the beliefs of many Mormons.  That is obviously not supported.

Answer 4

There are two main groups talked about in the Book of Mormon...Jaredites and Nephites/Lamanites.  The Nephite/Lamanite peoples started around 590 B.C.E. with a very small group of people.  The civiliation grew and for the most part collapsed in the 5th century A.D.  The Book of Mormon is not as specific about the dating of the Jaredite civilization, but its progenitors were people that left the old world at the time of the Tower of Babel event, and the Jaredite civilization collapsed at roughly the time the Nephite civilization was beginning to grow (perhaps between 600 B.C.E. and 300 B.C.E).  Some LDS scholars speculate that the Mayans (or at least a part of the Mayans) may match with the Nephites/Lamanites and the Olmecs may match with the Jaredites.  

But this is just speculation.  We don't know.  There are some things that fit about the Mayans/Nephite comparison, including their geographic location, the rise and fall of the Mayan classic period ROUGHLY lines up with the rise and fall of the Nephites, and both the Mayans and Nephite peoples had a temples, a market economy and a central government.  But there are also things about the Mayans that don't fit either.  According to the Book of Mormon, the Jaredite lands were north of the Nephite lands.  This also fits with the Olmec/Maya theory as the Olmec civilization was located north of where the Mayan civilization was.  Also the decline of the Olmec civilization (400 B.C.E.) fits roughly with the decline of the Jaredite civilization.  There is some support and evidence, but there isn't enough to even come close to making any conclusions.  

Whoever the Nephites/Lamanites were, their civilization most likely did not cover a huge amount of territory.  The Book of Mormon also does not preclude the possibility of other civilizations in the Americans, i.e., it doesn't claim that every early inhabitant of American must either fit into the Jaredite or Nephite/Lamanite "camp."

You may the find the article linked below interesting.

I didn't really get into specific archaeological support, but the second link will direct you to such information. =)

EDIT:  The following is in answer to your additional questions.

-According to the Book of Mormon, both groups came by ship.

-You said this isn't a religious question, but I can't adequately answer your remaining questions without implicating religion.  The Book of Mormon purports to be a record kept by prophets of the people I talked about above and their dealings with God.  It follows their history, but includes a lot of doctrinal teachings as well.  We consider it to be a book of scripture, along with the Bible.  As I mention above, the Nephite civilization collapsed around the 5th century A.D.  A Nephite that had been entrusted with this record, hid the record (engraven on plates crafted from gold) after this collapse.  In the 19th century, we believe God led Joseph Smith to find these plates and through divine inspiration, translate them.  Eleven other people signed affidavits stating they had seen these plates.  The Book of Mormon was published in 1830.  Joseph Smith, as I'm sure you know, was the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which has since been given the nickname "Mormon church."  We consider ourselves Christian, and the Book of Mormon's central theme relates to Jesus Christ.  So, our acceptance of the Book of Mormon is principally a matter of faith, just with the Bible.  Though, as I've explained and as the links below explain, there is some independent support for the Book of Mormon...but no honest Mormon could call it conclusive.  

-It's not really a re-kindling, assuming I understand what you meam by that.  In reality, we consider our church to really be a re-kindling of the church originally established by Jesus in the old world, but that's another discussion.  The Book of Mormon is a book that contains the teachings of an ancient civilization about God and Christ; but we don't consider ourselves a "continuation" of that civilization.  

-The ancient language is not known to present day Mormons.  

I hope I've adequately answered your questions.  If not, let me know and I'll try to clarify what isn't clear.

EDIT #2:  

The Book of Mormon tells of a group that left Jerusalem around 600 BCE.  In about 590 BCE (this isn't exact), they crossed the Pacific.  These people later grew into the Nephite/Lamanite civilization I identify above.  LDS scholars believe they landed somewhere near Mesoamerica.  Off the top of my head, I don't remember the jumping off point...it might be the south-eastern coast of the Arabian peninsula, but I'd need to double-check on that.  Some interesting legends have been found from some early American inhabitants of ancestors that came accross the sea (see third link).  There's no way to know if these are based on any ACTUAL ocean crossings, but it's interesting nonetheless.   And if you're interested, the fourth link discusses evidences for transoceanic voyages from the old world to the new world.

Answer 5

it says that before there were 2 main groups: you can find archaeological evidence here

www.the-book-of-mormon.com

Answer 6

World Book Encyclopedia, in the section on Ohio, says:

"Indian days.  Thousands of years ago, prehistoric Indians lived in what is now Ohio.  These Indians were the ancestors of peoples called Mound Builders, some of whom had high forms of civilization.  The Mound Builders left more than 6,000 burial mounds, forts, and other earthworks throughout the Ohio region.  The Indians included the Adena and Hopewell peoples, who lived there from about 600 B.C. to about A.D. 500."

This corresponds with the Book of Mormon time frame.  One of the groups which left Jerusalem landed in what is referred to as "the land north" and the other in the "land south".  The northern group did not bring scriptures which preserved their language and culture, and therefore, over time, they were less civilized than their southern counterparts.

Eventually, the southern group was forced to migrate northward, found the other group, and merged with and dominated them.  The end result was that the northern group's civilization was now increased.

I don't know much about the Hopewell culture, but one of our scholars, Hugh Nibley, made this statement:

"Counterparts to the great ritual complexes of Central America once dotted the entire eastern United States, the most notable being the Hopewell culture centering in Ohio and spreading out for hundreds of miles along the entire length of the Mississippi River. These are now believed to be definitely related to corresponding centers in Mesoamerica."

Answer 7

I read this recently. Apparently all the DNA evidence about the origin of native Americans contradicts their belief, and has been a factor in some people leaving the Church.

The belief is that Native Americans are somehow related to a lost tribe from Israel who emigrated to the Americas 2,600 years ago. They were cursed with dark skin, apparently, but not as cursed as black folks.

Edit..

Bugger all evidence to support it Eternal. Plenty to contradict it though.