The ancient Adena and Hopewell cultures created pipes in the images that they saw and experienced. Ancient cultures respected all that the Great Spirit created, animals, birds, people, and nature. The Adena culture represents the same time frame as the Jaredites (1500 BC – 200 AD) and the Hopewell culture (200 BC – 400 AD) parallels the time frame of the Nephites.
“There is a bowl for the tobacco in their pipes in the top, and there is a small hole at one end to breathe in the smoke. The pipe was made by Native Americans living in what is today the US state of Ohio. These Native Americans were small-scale farmers who built large burial and ceremonial mounds. There were over 200 pipes buried in a collection of mounds known as the ‘Mound City Group’. The pipe was not simply smoked for pleasure but probably had a religious function. A shaman may have smoked it to evoke the otter as a representative of his clan, or as a spirit guide who would then accompany the shaman on a spiritual journey. Tobacco has been smoked in North America for at least 2300 years and pipe smoking still remains an integral part of modern Native American culture. Tobacco was first brought to Europe in the early 1500s, where it quickly spread across Europe, Africa and Asia.” A History of the World BBC
“On the authority of some older inhabitants of Onondaga, it is stated that on a ledge of rocks, about a mile south of Jamesville, (Near Syracuse and Oneida Castle) is a place which used to be pointed out by the Indians as a spot where the Great Spirit once came down and sat and gave good advice to the chiefs of Onondagas. That there are the prints of his hands and his feet, left in the rocks, still to be seen. In the former years the Onondagas used annually to offer, at this place, tobacco and pipes, and to burn tobacco and herbs as a sacrifice to the Great Spirit, to conciliate his favor and which was a means of preventing diseases.” Author L. Taylor Hansen He Walked the Americas
“Native accounts tell of his arrival [Christ] from the direction of the rising sun, after which he set up his priesthood among his followers known as the “Wau-pa-nu” (the spelling phonetic). They were said to have healed the sick and instituted new laws. Blood sacrifice was forbidden and replaced by the use of tobacco, today an important element in all traditional Native American ceremonies. Among many eastern tribes, East Star Man is regarded as the son of Great Spirit, the Creator.” Wayne May, Christ in North America.
Woodland Animal Effigy Pipes
“During the Woodland period, artisans crafted many ceremonial pipes into the shapes of various animals and sometimes people. The remarkable animal effigy platform pipes of the Hopewell culture are among the most delicate and naturalistic of these sculpted effigies. Archaeologists have found them mainly in ceremonial deposits at two sites, Mound City and Tremper Mound.
The examples shown in the image include an owl, a toad, and a raccoon. The animals may represent the spirit guides of shamans who smoked the pipes to induce a trance state to assist with rituals of healing. Notice how the animal generally would be facing the shaman as he or she smoked the pipe.
It used to be thought that the Ohio effigy pipes had been made from Ohio pipestone, which occurs in Scioto County just across the river from Tremper Mound. Chemical studies of the Tremper Mound pipes, however, have shown that most of these are made from a pipestone found Illinois.” http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Woodland_Animal_Effigy_Pipes
Smoking Pipes and Tobacco
“The earliest archaeobotanical evidence of the use of tobacco in eastern North America comes from the central Mississippi Valley between AD 100 and 200 (uncalibrated RCYBP) (Asch 1991, 1994; Haberman 1984; Wagner 2000; Winter 2000), with dates for the rest of eastern North America falling several centuries later (Haberman 1984; Wagner 2000). These dates indicate that tobacco was a major intoxicant from the Early Woodland onward. However, ethnohistoric accounts indicate that a variety of plants were smoked in addition to tobacco, including Cornus sp. (Dogwood), Juniperus species (Juniper), Rhus glabra (Sumac), and Arctostaphylus uva-ursi (Bearberry) (Brown 1989; Hall 1977; Springer 1981; Yarnell 1964).
Although there remains much to be learned about the evolution of smoke plant use, what can be said is that smoking pipes were the primary means of intoxicant ingestion in prehistoric eastern North America…
The Early Woodland Period and Adena (ca. 1000 BC–AD 200) Tubular smoking pipes’ are widely known as characteristic Early Woodland period artifacts (Rafferty 2002, 2006, 2008; Rafferty et al. 2012; Salkin 1986). The typical morphology is that of a 1–2 cm wide cylinder with a wide hole at one end and a
narrower opening at the other. The narrow opening could be blocked with a pebble to prevent inhalation of tobacco (Gehlbach 1982; Meuser 1952; Stephens 1957) (Fig. 2.1). Earlier shapes of pipes are more conical in form. Alongside “plain” tubes, we also see during this early period tubes with beveled ends, compound forms with right angle bore extensions, as well as the early forms of platform and elbow pipes, though these are minority types. Pipes at this period are made from several different materials, including clay or soft stone, but iconic specimens are made of a soft limestone from the central Ohio River Valley (Stewart 1989; Thomas 1971, p. 77). These earliest pipes tend to be interred in burials, and often show signs of intentional destruction. Webb and Snow (1974, p. 86) suggested that not all “pipes” were used for smoking, and that some may have been sucking or pigment tubes for shamanic rituals (Frison and Van Norman 1993; Howes 1942). At least one researcher has even proposed
that pipes may have served as primitive telescopes (Schoolcraft 1845), though this seems unlikely. I do not dispute the fact that some Early Woodland tubes may have had other uses besides smoking, but specimens in museum collections have sooting and sometimes carbonized residues, indicating a smoking function (Jordan 1959). As discussed in other published papers, there is chemical evidence that further supports a smoking function for early tube pipes (Rafferty 2002, 2006; Rafferty et al. 2012). Residues from five tubular pipes dating to between 500 and 300 BC have been analyzed by the author; three showed clear mass spectra for nicotine or related metabolites…
While early pipes have often been associated with Adena mound builder sites of the Ohio Valley and their local contemporaries (Bense 1994, p. 129), smoking pipes predate the Early Woodland (pre-ca. 1000 BC) and were more widely distributed geographically. Pipes have been recovered from Late Archaic Period (ca. 4000– 1000 BC) burials as well, indicating that smoking’s connection with burial rituals had an earlier origin than has been hypothesized for the entirety of Early Woodland mortuary practices (Concannon 1993, p. 74; Custer 1987, p. 42; Dragoo 1963, p. 241, 1976; Walthall 1980, p. 77). One of the earliest pipes documented in eastern North America was recovered from the Eva Site in Tennessee and dates to ca. 2000 BC (Lewis and Kneberg Lewis 1961, p. 66). Webb and Baby (1957, p. 22) reference tubular pipes from Late Archaic shell mounds in Alabama and Kentucky, which were also, at least in part, functioning as burial contexts (Claassen 1991, 1996). These early examples suggest that the ritualistic function of pipes has a long history in eastern North America…
I have attempted to briefly summarize the history of smoking pipes in the eastern half of North America from their earliest evidence to the eve of European contact. This is the merest scratch on a vast surface. Even so, several trends are clear. Smoking pipes were used quite early in the East, though not so early as in western regions of North America. As early as they were adopted, they became important artifacts for a range of significant social practices, including burial rituals and intersocietal trade and exchange. The earliest pipes were made of stone, and tended towards tubular or platform types, while late prehistory was dominated by numerous plain clay pipes with occasionally more elaborate, often effigy, specimens as well. Tobacco smoking likely began as a specialized practice associated with ritual practices, but over time became more ubiquitous and widespread. Smoking pipes remain socially significant artifacts to Native American traditional cultures to the present day. As always, more research is necessary into the earliest origins, chronological development, and cultural significance of smoking pipes from across the
Ohio History Central
Ohio History Central is an evolving, dynamic online encyclopedia that includes information about Ohio’s natural history, prehistory, and history. Ohio History Central is perfect for anyone wanting to learn more about Ohio! Ohio History Central was researched and written by staff at the Ohio History Connection. Pictures and descriptions below are from Ohio History Connection.
Description: Effigy of a dog with a long muzzle and pointed ears is depicted chewing on the remnant of human head, which he holds between his front paws. Paws are very blocky and stylized. Left front leg is broken, missing and restored. Part of right rear leg is broken and missing. Tail is tightly curved over the back and attached, forming a ring. Pipe bowl is a roughly rectangular projection in the middle of the dog’s back. Hole for pipe stem is in the dog’s posterior. Stylized human head is upside down. The nose is high relief. The lower jaw is missing. Dog is chewing on occipital region of the head. The artistic style is typical of the Copena Culture from Tennessee region. The effigy is made of dark grayish-brown steatite. Item was excavated from Seip Mound in Paxton Township, Ross County, Ohio.
Description: Large effigy pipe is in the shape of a male dog. It is made of steatite or granite that is mottled very dark grayish-brown and dark gray. The dog’s face has two deep eye sockets and a mouth with indication of teeth carved in the stone. There is a 7-mm hole drilled in the chin. Triangular ears fall forward. The tail curves up over the body and meets the pipe bowl. There is an oval-shaped space carved out between the tail and the body of the dog. The front legs are thinner (24 mm in diameter) than back legs (40.5 mm in diameter) and show distinctive joints. There are holes drilled from front to back in both front legs near the ends. Large chunks are missing from the back legs. There is a hole measuring 21.3 mm at the base of the tail that slopes upward toward the opening of the pipe bowl. Item was excavated from Seip Mound in Paxton Township, Ross County, Ohio.
Description: Front view of an effigy pipe in the form of a dog eating a human head that is grasped between its front paws. The pipe was created by the prehistoric Hopewell people during the Middle Woodland period. It was excavated from Seip Mound in Ross County, Ohio, and is part of the Archeology collections of the Ohio Historical Society.”
As we stated before, It seems the ancient Adena and Hopewell Cultures created pipes in the images in nature that they saw and experienced. Ancient cultures respected all that the Great Spirit created, animals, birds, people, and nature. In the Book of Mormon there are some amazing verses that indicate why the Native Americans may for example created pipes after the image of dogs eating humans.
Alma 16: 9-11 81-77 BC
“And thus ended the eleventh year of the judges, the Lamanites having been driven out of the land, and the people of Ammonihah were destroyed; yea, every living soul of the Ammonihahites was destroyed, and also their great city, which they said God could not destroy, because of its greatness. But behold, in one day it was left desolate; and the carcasses were mangled by dogs and wild beasts of the wilderness.Nevertheless, after many days their dead bodies were heaped up upon the face of the earth, and they were covered with a shallow covering. And now so great was the scent thereof that the people did not go in to possess the land of Ammonihah for many years. And it was called Desolation of Nehors; for they were of the profession of Nehor, who were slain; and their lands remained desolate.”
Mosiah 12:1-3 148 BC
“And it came to pass that after the space of two years that Abinadi came among them in disguise, that they knew him not, and began to prophesy among them, saying: Thus has the Lord commanded me, saying—Abinadi, go and prophesy unto this my people, for they have hardened their hearts against my words; they have repented not of their evil doings; therefore, I will visit them in my anger, yea, in my fierce anger will I visit them in their iniquities and abominations. Yea, wo be unto this generation! And the Lord said unto me: Stretch forth thy hand and prophesy, saying: Thus saith the Lord, it shall come to pass that this generation, because of their iniquities, shall be brought into bondage, and shall be smitten on the cheek; yea, and shall be driven by men, and shall be slain; and the vultures of the air, and the dogs, yea, and the wild beasts, shall devour their flesh. And it shall come to pass that the life of king Noah shall be valued even as a garment in a hot furnace; for he shall know that I am the Lord.”
Description: This pipe in effigy (a likeness or representation) of a dog was excavated from Tremper Mound, a Hopewell culture site located five miles north of Portsmouth in Scioto County. The dog is seated with its head pointed upward and mouth partially open. A narrow section of bowl (from top edge nearly to the bottom of bowl just behind dog’s left shoulder) and the left forepaw have been restored. The effigy pipe measures approximately 1.5″ x 3.5″ x 1.25″ (3.81 x 8.89 x 3.18 cm). This pipe is part of a large collection of pipes found at Tremper Mound. The pipes were carved of Ohio pipestone, a silica-based material that can be easily carved when freshly quarried from the hills east of the Scioto River. The pipes represent a variety of animals significant to the Hopewell, including owls, wolves, deer and beaver. Skilled Hopewell craftsmen carved the pipes with flint knives and some are embellished with pearls or copper. In Ohio, the Hopewell Indians (100 B.C.-A.D. 500) built burial mounds and large earthen enclosures in geometric shapes (circles, squares, and octagons) to mark the places where the people gathered periodically to participate in many social and ceremonial events. Some of these sites were quite large–the Newark Earthworks complex extends over a 4-square-mile area. The Hopewell people also maintained a large trade network extending as far as the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, the Florida coast and Appalachians, and northern Lake Superior.
Description: This is a plaster cast of an effigy pipe known as the Mound City Horned Head. There is a human face with ears on either side. A knob on the forehead and two knobs equidistant on the back of the head represent a headdress. The pipe base is slightly convex in shape. This piece is from Hopewell Culture. Skilled Hopewell craftsmen carved pipes with flint knives and some are embellished with pearls or copper. In Ohio, the Hopewell Indians (100 B.C.-A.D. 500) built burial mounds and large earthen enclosures in geometric shapes (circles, squares, and octagons) to mark the places where the people gathered periodically to participate in many social and ceremonial events. Some of these sites were quite large – the Newark Earthworks complex extends over a 4-square-mile area. The Hopewell people also maintained a large trade network extending as far as the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, the Florida coast and Appalachians, and northern Lake Superior.
Description: This pipe in effigy (a likeness or representation) of a gray wolf was excavated from Tremper Mound, a Hopewell culture site located five miles north of Portsmouth in Scioto County. The animal is seated with all four legs incised in bas relief on bowl; only the front toes are indicated. Its facial features consist of an incised mouth and drilled eyes. The right eye is inset with copper. A section of the upper part of the bowl on the right side and small sections of anterior platform are restored. The effigy pipe measures approximately 1.5″ x 3.5″ x 1.25″ (3.81 x 8.89 x 3.18 cm). This pipe is part of a large collection of pipes found at Tremper Mound. The pipes were carved of Ohio pipestone, a silica-based material that can be easily carved when freshly quarried from the hills east of the Scioto River. The pipes represent a variety of animals significant to the Hopewell, including owls, wolves, deer and beaver. Skilled Hopewell craftsmen carved the pipes with flint knives and some are embellished with pearls or copper. In Ohio, the Hopewell Indians (100 B.C.-A.D. 500) built burial mounds and large earthen enclosures in geometric shapes (circles, squares, and octagons) to mark the places where the people gathered periodically to participate in many social and ceremonial events. Some of these sites were quite large–the Newark Earthworks complex extends over a 4-square-mile area. The Hopewell people also maintained a large trade network extending as far as the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, the Florida coast and Appalachians, and northern Lake Superior
Description: This pipe in effigy (a likeness or representation) of a mink was excavated from Tremper Mound, a Hopewell culture site located five miles north of Portsmouth in Scioto County. The body of the mink winds around the top of the bowl with the animal’s head and tail facing the smoker. Parts of the platform have been restored. Made of dark olive gray stone, the pipe measures approximately .88″ x 1.67″ x 3.75″ (2.2 x 4.1 x 9.5 cm). This pipe is part of a large collection of pipes found at Tremper Mound. The pipes were carved of Ohio pipestone, a silica-based material that can be easily carved when freshly quarried from the hills east of the Scioto River. The pipes represent a variety of animals significant to the Hopewell, including owls, wolves, deer and beaver. Skilled Hopewell craftsmen carved the pipes with flint knives and some are embellished with pearls or copper. In Ohio, the Hopewell Indians (100 B.C.-A.D. 500) built burial mounds and large earthen enclosures in geometric shapes (circles, squares, and octagons) to mark the places where the people gathered periodically to participate in many social and ceremonial events. Some of these sites were quite large–the Newark Earthworks complex extends over a 4-square-mile area. The Hopewell people also maintained a large trade network extending as far as the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, the Florida coast and Appalachians, and northern Lake Superior.
Description: This pipe in effigy (a likeness or representation) of an American crow was excavated from Tremper Mound, a Hopewell culture site located five miles north of Portsmouth in Scioto County. Effigy consists of the head and neck of the bird. Eyes are drilled. The pipe has been restored. Made of dark gray stone, the pipe measures approximately 1.5″ x 1.5″ x 3.4″ (3.6 x 3.6 x 8.7 cm). This pipe is part of a large collection of pipes found at Tremper Mound. The pipes were carved of Ohio pipestone, a silica-based material that can be easily carved when freshly quarried from the hills east of the Scioto River. The pipes represent a variety of animals significant to the Hopewell, including owls, wolves, deer and beaver. Skilled Hopewell craftsmen carved the pipes with flint knives and some are embellished with pearls or copper. In Ohio, the Hopewell Indians (100 B.C.-A.D. 500) built burial mounds and large earthen enclosures in geometric shapes (circles, squares, and octagons) to mark the places where the people gathered periodically to participate in many social and ceremonial events. Some of these sites were quite large–the Newark Earthworks complex extends over a 4-square-mile area. The Hopewell people also maintained a large trade network extending as far as the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, the Florida coast and Appalachians, and northern Lake Superior.
Description: This pipe in effigy (a likeness or representation) of a raccoon, made of gray and brown mottled pipestone, was excavated from Tremper Mound, a Hopewell culture site located five miles north of Portsmouth in Scioto County. The animal is shown crouched on bowl of pipe with legs flexed, and its tail extends to the platform. The details of the face–“mask”, mouth, and nostrils–were carefully carved in low relief. The left front leg and adjoining section of bowl, right side of bowl, and right shoulder of effigy are restored, as is the section of the tail that is completely in the round and a small section of the platform. This pipe is part of a large collection of pipes found at Tremper Mound. The pipes were carved of Ohio pipestone, a silica-based material that can be easily carved when freshly quarried from the hills east of the Scioto River. The pipes represent a variety of animals significant to the Hopewell, including owls, wolves, deer and beaver. Skilled Hopewell craftsmen carved the pipes with flint knives and some are embellished with pearls or copper. In Ohio, the Hopewell Indians (100 BC-AD 500) built burial mounds and large earthen enclosures in geometric shapes (circles, squares, and octagons) to mark the places where the people gathered periodically to participate in many social and ceremonial events. Some of these sites were quite large–the Newark Earthworks complex extends over a 4-square-mile area. The Hopewell people also maintained a large trade network extending as far as the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, the Florida coast and Appalachians, and northern Lake Superior.
Description: This pipe in effigy (a likeness or representation) of a porcupine was excavated from Tremper Mound, a Hopewell culture site located five miles north of Portsmouth in Scioto County. The animal stands with head extended forward and tail extending backward. Some restoration work has been done to the platform. The pipe measures approximately 1.25″ x 1.25″ x 3.75″ (3.1 x 3.1 x 9.5 cm). This pipe is part of a large collection of pipes found at Tremper Mound. The pipes were carved of Ohio pipestone, a silica-based material that can be easily carved when freshly quarried from the hills east of the Scioto River. The pipes represent a variety of animals significant to the Hopewell, including owls, wolves, deer and beaver. Skilled Hopewell craftsmen carved the pipes with flint knives and some are embellished with pearls or copper. In Ohio, the Hopewell Indians (100 B.C.-A.D. 500) built burial mounds and large earthen enclosures in geometric shapes (circles, squares, and octagons) to mark the places where the people gathered periodically to participate in many social and ceremonial events. Some of these sites were quite large–the Newark Earthworks complex extends over a 4-square-mile area. The Hopewell people also maintained a large trade network extending as far as the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, the Florida coast and Appalachians, and northern Lake Superior.
Description: This pipe in effigy (a likeness or representation) of a saw-whet owl was excavated from Tremper Mound, a Hopewell culture site located five miles north of Portsmouth in Scioto County. The eyes of this owl are set are drilled and set with pearls. Some restoration work has been done to the pipe, which measures approximately 1.15″ x 2″ (2.8 x 4.9 x 7.2 cm). This pipe is part of a large collection of pipes found at Tremper Mound. The pipes were carved of Ohio pipestone, a silica-based material that can be easily carved when freshly quarried from the hills east of the Scioto River. The pipes represent a variety of animals significant to the Hopewell, including owls, wolves, deer and beaver. Skilled Hopewell craftsmen carved the pipes with flint knives and some are embellished with pearls or copper. In Ohio, the Hopewell Indians (100 B.C.-A.D. 500) built burial mounds and large earthen enclosures in geometric shapes (circles, squares, and octagons) to mark the places where the people gathered periodically to participate in many social and ceremonial events. Some of these sites were quite large–the Newark Earthworks complex extends over a 4-square-mile area. The Hopewell people also maintained a large trade network extending as far as the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, the Florida coast and Appalachians, and northern Lake Superior.
Description: This pipe in effigy (a likeness or representation) of a duck was excavated from Tremper Mound, a Hopewell culture site located five miles north of Portsmouth in Scioto County. Archaeologist William C. Mills identified this as a Buffelhead duck. Made of mottled dark olive gray stone, the pipe measures approximately 1.75″ x 1.5″ x 3.25″ (4.2 x 3.6 x 8.25 cm). Some parts of the pipe have been restored. This pipe is part of a large collection of pipes found at Tremper Mound. The pipes were carved of Ohio pipestone, a silica-based material that can be easily carved when freshly quarried from the hills east of the Scioto River. The pipes represent a variety of animals significant to the Hopewell, including owls, wolves, deer and beaver. Skilled Hopewell craftsmen carved the pipes with flint knives and some are embellished with pearls or copper. In Ohio, the Hopewell Indians (100 B.C.-A.D. 500) built burial mounds and large earthen enclosures in geometric shapes (circles, squares, and octagons) to mark the places where the people gathered periodically to participate in many social and ceremonial events. Some of these sites were quite large–the Newark Earthworks complex extends over a 4-square-mile area. The Hopewell people also maintained a large trade network extending as far as the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, the Florida coast and Appalachians, and northern Lake Superior.
Description: This pipe in effigy (a likeness or representation) of a mountain lion was excavated from Tremper Mound, a Hopewell culture site located five miles north of Portsmouth in Scioto County. Mountain lions are also known as pumas, cougars, catamounts, or panthers. The animal stands on platform with its tail extended onto the platform. Mouth is slightly open and ears extend from head. Parts of the pipe have been reconstructed. Made of mottled red and brownish-gray stone, the pipe measures approximately 1.34″ x 1.33″ x 3.6″ (3.3 x 3.25 x 9 cm). This pipe is part of a large collection of pipes found at Tremper Mound. The pipes were carved of Ohio pipestone, a silica-based material that can be easily carved when freshly quarried from the hills east of the Scioto River. The pipes represent a variety of animals significant to the Hopewell, including owls, wolves, deer and beaver. Skilled Hopewell craftsmen carved the pipes with flint knives and some are embellished with pearls or copper. In Ohio, the Hopewell Indians (100 B.C.-A.D. 500) built burial mounds and large earthen enclosures in geometric shapes (circles, squares, and octagons) to mark the places where the people gathered periodically to participate in many social and ceremonial events. Some of these sites were quite large–the Newark Earthworks complex extends over a 4-square-mile area. The Hopewell people also maintained a large trade network extending as far as the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, the Florida coast and Appalachians, and northern Lake Superior.
Description: This pipe in effigy (a likeness or representation) of a black bear was excavated from Tremper Mound, a Hopewell culture site located five miles north of Portsmouth in Scioto County. Only the front quarters of the bear are represented. Eyes are drilled and inset with copper. Ears extend from head. Some parts of the pipe have been damaged and other parts have been restored. Made of light olive gray stone, the pipe measures approximately 1.87″ x 1.4″ x 3.33″ (4.8 x 3.6 x 8.5 cm). This pipe is part of a large collection of pipes found at Tremper Mound. The pipes were carved of Ohio pipestone, a silica-based material that can be easily carved when freshly quarried from the hills east of the Scioto River. The pipes represent a variety of animals significant to the Hopewell, including owls, wolves, deer and beaver. Skilled Hopewell craftsmen carved the pipes with flint knives and some are embellished with pearls or copper. In Ohio, the Hopewell Indians (100 B.C.-A.D. 500) built burial mounds and large earthen enclosures in geometric shapes (circles, squares, and octagons) to mark the places where the people gathered periodically to participate in many social and ceremonial events. Some of these sites were quite large–the Newark Earthworks complex extends over a 4-square-mile area. The Hopewell people also maintained a large trade network extending as far as the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, the Florida coast and Appalachians, and northern Lake Superior.
Description: This composite photograph is a front, side and back view of the Adena Pipe. The Adena Pipe is carved out of Ohio pipestone into the likeness of an ancient American Indian man, and was discovered by William C. Mills in 1901 during an excavation of the Adena Mound in Chillicothe, Ohio. Tubular pipes such as this one were common in the Adena culture (800 B.C. – A.D. 1), although effigy pipes are unusual, rendering this particular pipe very unique. As of 2013, it is now recognized as the state artifact of Ohio.
Description: This pipe in effigy (a likeness or representation) of a deer was excavated from Tremper Mound, a Hopewell culture site located five miles north of Portsmouth in Scioto County. Effigy consists of the upturned head of a deer resting on a platform. The bowl for tobacco is between the ears and eyes. Parts of the platform have been restored. Made of dark gray stone, the pipe measures approximately 1.25″ x 1.25″ x 3.33″ (3.2 x 3.3 x 8.5 cm). This pipe is part of a large collection of pipes found at Tremper Mound. The pipes were carved of Ohio pipestone, a silica-based material that can be easily carved when freshly quarried from the hills east of the Scioto River.
The pipes represent a variety of animals significant to the Hopewell, including owls, wolves, deer and beaver. Skilled Hopewell craftsmen carved the pipes with flint knives and some are embellished with pearls or copper. In Ohio, the Hopewell Indians (100 B.C.-A.D. 500) built burial mounds and large earthen enclosures in geometric shapes (circles, squares, and octagons) to mark the places where the people gathered periodically to participate in many social and ceremonial events. Some of these sites were quite large–the Newark Earthworks complex extends over a 4-square-mile area. The Hopewell people also maintained a large trade network extending as far as the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, the Florida coast and Appalachians, and northern Lake Superior. View on Ohio Memory.
Is the above picture a Deer or a Horse? The Ohio History Connection lists this as a deer. I agree with Rod Meldrum and think it looks more like a horse.
“And it came to pass that we did find upon the land of promise, as we journeyed in the wilderness, that there were 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. And we did find all manner of bore, both of gold, and of silver, and of copper.” 1 Nephi 18:25
For information about horses found in North America see our blog article here:
Native American Tobacco
Tobacco has long played a significant role in the American Indian culture (Paper, 1988; Seig, 1971). Tobacco provides American Indian people a connection between their own culture and the spirit world (Flannery, Sisk-Franco, & Glover, 1995; Hirschfelder & Molin, 1992; Paper, 1988; Winter, 2000). Historically, tobacco was used in medicinal and healing rituals, in ceremonial or religious practices, and as an instructional or educational device. Sacred tobacco was seen as a gift of the earth. It was burned, and the rising smoke was used to cleanse and heal. Often, sacred tobacco was sprinkled around the bed of the ailing individual to protect and to act as a healing agent. Tobacco was also used for social and peaceful purposes to promote well-being and good thoughts (Linton, 1924). Prior to important meetings, sacred tobacco was smoked as a ritualistic exchange and was also used as a powerful teaching tool. Elders, healers, and tribal leaders used tobacco leaves in their storytelling. Symbolically, smoke from sacred tobacco was called “spirits paths” (Linton, 1924, p. 1). It served as a channel to the evil or bad spirits.
Specific rules are to be followed when smoking sacred tobacco, which are just as important as the act of smoking itself. Small puffs of smoke were taken and held in the mouth. Deep inhaling was not encouraged because the smoke was not to be enjoyed but was a symbolic gesture meant to cleanse the air, the heart, and the mind. It became a facilitator to the spirits so that peaceful exchange could be obtained and prayers could be heard (Hodge, 2001).
The Origin of Sacred Traditional Tobacco
“The key informants on the three Ojibwe reservations talked about the origin of sacred traditional tobacco among their people. Tobacco was described as “one of the first things that the Creator [higher being] gave us to talk to him, was that spirit of tobacco.” All key informants could pinpoint the origin and the actual story of how tobacco came to Anishinabe (Ojibwe) people. However, due to oral tradition, the story or stories could not be told in an interview session like this one and could traditionally be articulated only during approved times of the year. All key informants agreed that a long time ago the original sacred tobacco the Anishinabe used was red willow (kinnikinnick). One key informant shared the following: I know a story that relates to Waynaboozhoo and when in the beginning the Creator told Waynaboozhoo that we wouldn’t be able to communicate directly with the Creator. And so he gave Waynaboozhoo a seed to plant the kinnikinnick, which is the red willow. And he said to go and tell the Anishinabe people to plant the seed and that is where they would get the kinnikinnick. Then that is the way we would talk to the Creator. That is the way we would communicate with him by smoking our pipes and whatever message we had to convey to the Creator, that the smoke would relay that message. And to put that tobacco, asemaa, on the ground also, near a tree, and this would serve the purpose also of communicating with our Creator.
Also, the Creator said that when we come into this world we have nothing. We come naked and we have nothing to offer. So that is why he gave Waynaboozhoo that seed to give to the Anishinabe people for that offering. Waynaboozhoo refers to the spirit of Anishinabe or original man (Benton-Benai, 1988). To obtain the original sacred tobacco, kinnikinnick has to be gathered: “Get the bark off, then shave it down and dry it.” However, when commercial tobacco became available, because it was grown readily, it was easier for many Anishinabe people to just smoke it rather than gather and prepare the kinnikinnick. “People just started using it [commercial tobacco] because it was a lot easier.” One key informant added that some quit gathering, preparing, and utilizing the traditional kinnikinnick tobacco because “I think they eventually got addicted. So, the nicotine that is in here is the prime reason why they switched over. So that is what I feel like, that eventually this [commercial tobacco] just wiped out the original tobacco.”
Even though Winter (2000) speculated that tobacco may have been the first plant to be domesticated in the New World, one spiritual leader disagrees: I’ve been out in the woods for many years and I have never come across a tobacco plant other than red willow….I never heard my grandparents, they are the ones who raised all of us, ever talk about tobacco like that [commercial tobacco]. But they talked about kinnikinnick. They taught us how to make it. I never heard them talk about tobacco or leaves. We never used it [commercial tobacco] or passed it on to the next generation. It is not our way. . . . I think the tobacco that we have nowadays, that started when they did the big tobacco farms. Another added that it seemed “if tobacco was natural, they would be perennials” that would not have to be “replanted every year, because our medicines and sacred plants grow in the bush [the woods] naturally.” There are a few Ojibwe who still harvest kinnikinnick.
My husband will gather that kinnikinnick for me again this summer. That is what we give to the ceremonies then, when we have ceremonies.” Another said that you will see right here on our reservation “that there is a lot of the elderly people that actually go out and make a daily offering of that original tobacco, kinnikinnick. It is still used among the people.” Another key informant added that sacred tobacco “is pretty good tobacco, what the Indians make. They have varieties of tobaccos, too, that they made their own ways.” There are different mixes of sacred tobacco; one said dogwood may also be used. “I used to smoke pipe and my ma used to make a certain type of tobacco. That really smelled good and tasted good. I don’t remember what she used. It was some of the old stuff.”
Irwin, Lee & Hirschfelder, Arlene & Molin, Paulette. (1993). The Encyclopedia of Native American Religions: An Introduction. The Western Historical Quarterly.
The Hopewell and Adena people had a strong religious affinity. The way they lived may seem unlike what we think of today, but in their own way they believed in “One God” or the “Great Spirit” and He was a central role in their lives. We know the Jaredites lived the gospel in righteousness for many years, as did the Nephites and Lamanites. In Ether 20 we read, “so great was his faith in God, that when God put forth his finger he could not hide it from the sight of the brother of Jared, because of his word which he had spoken unto him, which word he had obtained by faith.”
Ammon converted many of the Lamanites as we read in Alma 19:35-56, “And it came to pass that there were many that did believe in their words; and as many as did believe were baptized; and they became a righteous people, and they did establish a church among them. And thus the work of the Lord did commence among the Lamanites; thus the Lord did begin to pour out his Spirit upon them; and we see that his arm is extended to all people who will repent and believe on his name.”
The Ancient Hopewell and Adena utilized the pipe and tobacco as a way to worship the Great Spirit.
For example, in Rough Stone Rolling, Richard Bushman observes that “Indian relics turned up in newly plowed furrows, and remnants of old forts and burial mounds were accessible to the curious, but none was known in Palmyra or Manchester…Burial mounds, supposedly a stimulus for investigation of the Indians, receive only the slightest mention [in the Book of Mormon, Alma 16:11].”
Sunday, 20.—This day was spent by our company principally at Adam-ondi-Ahman; but near the close of the day, we struck our tents, and traveled about six miles north and encamped for the night with Judge Morin and company, who were also traveling north.
“Elder Dyer also has gathered reports of early brethren and residents of Daviess county which describe 
The Answer: I have often pondered the holy significance of Far West, and even more so since President McKay’s visit. The sacredness of Far West, Missouri, is no doubt due to the understanding that the Prophet Joseph Smith conveyed to the brethren, at these early times, that Adam-ondi-Ahman, 
“And it came to pass, when the Lord had spoken with Adam, our father, that Adam cried unto the Lord, and he was caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and was laid under the water, and was brought forth out of the water.
Because Adam and Eve had complied with these requirements, God said to them, “Thou art after the order of him who was without beginning of days or end of years” (Moses 6:67). [“What I Hope You Will Teach Your Children About the Temple,” Ensign 15 (August 1985): 8]
Then Adam in his aged condition rose up and, being filled with the spirit of prophecy, predicted “whatsoever should befall his posterity unto the latest generation.” All this is recorded in section 107 of the Doctrine and Covenants (verses 53-56).
Cowdery
“We all agree that the message is more important than the geography, but people don’t read the book when they think it is fiction, as most of the world does. Plus, no one leaves the Church while still believing the Book of Mormon is a true history. That’s why anti-Mormons attack the historicity of the Book of Mormon.
Our friend Jonathan Neville has just posted an eye opening article. Why are more and more people of the world claiming that Noah’s flood was fictional or just a good story? More people are saying that Adam wasn’t the first man on this earth. Why are more and more members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claiming that the Book of Mormon contains a lot of great parables that aren’t real stories, but just parables that can teach us good things? Is the Bible the Word of God? We answer yes as far as it is translated correctly. We do know however that the stories in the Bible are actual accounts of real people in real places, just as the Book of Mormon is.
Why would we believe anything else? Because Satan’s plan is in full force. Remember this is Satan’s world right now. It won’t be Christ’s until the second coming. The craftiness of man is constantly being mixed with scripture and folklore. The “Great and Spacious building” is truly coming from the halls of academia. Many intellectuals continue pointing their fingers at humble followers of God from the heights of those house’s of cards. “Who’s on the Lord’s side who?” There are “save two churches”, one that speaks the truth of the Savior and all others who teach of man and his so-called wisdom.
The de-literalizing of the Book of Mormon became apparent to me when I took a closer look at the lesson manuals, the CES/BYU curriculum, the Saints book, the visitors centers, etc. These all repudiate the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah. I attribute all of those to the M2C Church employees.
An Apostle of the Lord, Elder L. Tom Perry, has proclaimed, “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is truly a world-wide Church. Nevertheless, it is important to realize that the Church could never have become what it is today without the birth of a great nation, the United States of America. The Lord prepared a new land to attract the peoples of the world who sought liberty and religious freedom…
David W. Allan has spent 58 years researching time and related topics. He helped develop the nation’s official atomic-clock timing system during his 32 years in Boulder, CO, at the National Bureau of Standards (now National Institute of Standards and Technology). For 25 of those years, his research group was responsible for generating official time for the United States and helping with official time for the world. During that time he spent several man years helping in the development of GPS. Atomic clocks are the heart of GPS, and the folks developing GPS came to Boulder to learn how to best use them being taught by Allan and his colleagues at NBS.
Most of us in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints love the Wentworth Letter that Joseph Smith wrote in 1842 to John Wentworth, editor and proprietor of the Chicago Democrat. It outlined the history of the Church and included the 13 Articles of Faith. 
Joseph Smith during his lifetime more than likely knew about many of the Indian Chiefs below, who were from the same vicinity as him. Some lived at the same time as Joseph Smith and he may have also spent time with many of them. I share some unique articles below that you may find interesting in understanding young Joseph and his opportunities to learn from Native Americans.
Early Mormon Lamanism, Forgotten Apocalyptic Visions, and the Indian Prophet
“You’re a Mormon?” Nicholas said to me. “Oh, boy, do I have a good story to tell you.”
The year following the destruction of the second Holy Temple was the first year of a seven-year Sabbatical cycle. In the Jewish calendar, counting from Creation, this was the year 3829, 68–69 CE on the secular calendar. By counting sevens from then, we see that the next Shemittah year will be the year 5782 after Creation, which runs from September 7, 2021 – September 25, 2022.
At the end of seven years you will make a release. And this is the manner of the release: to release the hand of every creditor from what he lent his friend; he shall not exact from his friend or his brother, because the time of the release for the L‑rd has arrived. (Deuteronomy 15:1–2)
Speaking about the earth just after creation, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said, “
”We must remember that the whole earth was paradisiacal before the Fall. The Garden of Eden was a center place. After the Fall, there was no Garden of Eden or paradisiacal status on earth. Yet relative to the locale of the site of the Garden of Eden, the Prophet Joseph Smith learned through revelation (D&C 57) that Jackson County was the location of a Zion to be and the New Jerusalem to come. The Prophet first visited Jackson County, Missouri, in the summer of 1831. The Prophet visited Jackson County again in April and May 1832. On one of the occasions, or perhaps both, the Prophet Joseph apparently instructed his close associates, and perhaps even a general Church gathering, that the ancient Garden of Eden was also located in Jackson County.” 
TWO LANDS OF PROMISE
In spite of such grief and despair the Lord of the vineyard determined to “spare it a little longer” (
Elder Holland continues, “Thus in one final moment worthy men and righteous principles came together for the restoration of heavenly things. With his center stake in America, God began stretching the cords of his tabernacle to all the world… 
“While serving as Mission President in Central Florida Brother Murray Rawson had the responsibility to work on the Seminole Indian reservation. While there he had numerous visits with the chief. While attempting to present the Book of Mormon the chief interrupted his message by saying: “We had a war long ago with the light skinned people around the Great Lakes. We conquered them but we had so much respect for 
“I will give you a lesson today that the Lord has taken great pains to bring to us… In the western part of the state of New York near Palmyra is a prominent hill known as the “hill Cumorah.” (Mormon. 6:6.) On July twenty-fifth of this year, as I stood on the crest of that hill admiring with awe the breathtaking panorama which stretched out before me on every hand, my mind reverted to the events which occurred in that vicinity some twenty-five centuries ago—events which brought to an end the great Jaredite nation… Thus perished at the foot of Cumorah the remnant of the once mighty Jaredite nation, of whom the Lord had said, ‘There shall be none greater … upon all the face of the earth’ (Ether 1:43). “As I contemplated this tragic scene from the crest of Cumorah and viewed the beautiful land of the Restoration as it appears today, I cried in my soul, How could it have happened?… This second civilization to which I refer, the Nephites, flourished in America between 600 B.C. and A.D. 400. Their civilization came to an end for the same reason, at the same place, and in the same manner as did the Jaredites. “I bear you my personal witness that I know that the things I have presented to you today are true—both those pertaining to past events and those pertaining to events yet to come.” President Marion G. Romney of the First Presidency, 145th Semiannual Conference, Saturday Morning Session, October 4, 1975.
Dr. John C. Lefgren lives in Pennsylvania and owns his own business. He has a PhD in economics, served as a Foreign Service Officer with the US Department of State and was an officer with a major bank in New York. In 1980 his book April Sixth was published by Deseret Book. Since his youth he has had an active interest in Church History. He has developed a property in Vermont near the Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial and has a business producing maple syrup. (It’s called “Land of Joseph” syrup, available in Utah grocery stores)
The harvesting of maple sugar is extremely temperature dependent. Maple sugar comes only from the northeast of North America and is part of our early history. The English settlers learned maple syrup and sugar production from the Native Americans.[9] The harvest of maple sugar occurs in the early spring. For hundreds of years farmers in New England have tapped millions of trees and have observed that the flow of maple sap is governed by a cycle of freezing and thawing temperatures. In recent years scientists have developed a theory to explain a mechanism by which sap runs. Their investigation includes the measurement of negative and positive pressures in the tree’s sapwood. When the temperature is below freezing the cells have a negative pressure relative to the atmosphere. The negative pressure causes water in the ground to move into the roots. The incoming water becomes sap as enzymes in the roots convert starch into sugar. When the temperature rises above freezing the cells develop positive pressure which causes the sap to rise up the tree. Over this cycle the pressures in the sapwood fluctuate from a low of twenty pounds to a high of forty-five pounds per square inch. Thus, negative pressure brings water into the root system and positive pressure pushes sap up the tree.
In an effort to understand the pump effect of a maple tree’s negative and positive pressures, scientists measure the dissolution rate of carbon dioxide. When temperatures are below freezing, carbon dioxide has a high dissolution and causes negative pressure. When temperatures are above freezing the dissolution rate falls releasing gas into the sap which produces positive pressure. Sometimes the release of carbon dioxide is so quick that the sap becomes a carbonated “spring tonic”. (It is pressurized carbon dioxide which is used to carbonate soft drinks.) This cycle of freezing and thawing temperatures is required for the sap to continue its flow. If temperatures stay above freezing for more than thirty hours, positive pressures fall as the sapwood literally runs out of gas. When this happens farmers are happy to take a break.
Sugar makers in 1820 gathered maple sap in wooden buckets. They boiled the sap in a series of iron kettles which hung over an open fire. At one end, where the fire was highest, water boiled off. As the sap thickened into syrup they ladled it into the second kettle, where the fire was lower, and added fresh sap to the first kettle. In this way, they removed the water without burning the sugar. In the last kettle they stirred liquid sugar until it crystallized and then poured it into wooden molds to form blocks.
“In a revelation given through Joseph Smith Jr., the Prophet, to Oliver Cowdery (Second Elder of the
I remember that beautiful land and the wonderful saints of Fiji very well, as I served a mission from 1975 to 1977. I was privileged to meet President Spencer W. Kimball the prophet who called me on my mission to Fiji. There in 1976 he visited Fiji with Elder Russell M Nelson as his personal Doctor along with Elder David B. Haight as a newly called Apostle. The picture on the left is Pres Kimball in Fiji in 1976 with District President Yee on his left and Sister Yee on his right. Over his left shoulder is Mission President Kenneth M. Palmer from New Zealand and over his right shoulder is Elder Rian W. Nelson. What an honor it was to be there that day. At that time in Fiji we only had about 600 members and today (2019) we have over 22,000. As part of the Fiji Suva Mission we also opened the missionary work in the Gilbert Islands (Kiribati today). My companion Richard Evans and I were the first to baptize the Gilbertese people, and today there are over 15,000 members there. The Church growth among Hagoth’s blessed people is growing.
*The expression that Hagoth was an “exceedingly curious man” meant that his skills and knowledge in ship building were extremely good and was beyond the ability of common men. To those who could not comprehend how he could have constructed the ship, they used the term “curious” to describe his skills, similar to Nephi’s skill referred to in 1 Nephi 18:1.341 Hagoth’s Travels Alma 63:6 (55 B.C.) (Picture right, Phoenician ship Carved on the face of a sarcophagus. 2nd century AD.:
“The Spaniards were amazed by the size of Etzanoa,” Blakeslee said. “They counted 2,000 houses that could hold 10 people each. They said it would take two or three days to walk through it all.” But for four centuries, the story of a big Native American town in Kansas made no sense to historians…. Onate sent armed patrols into the empty town.
Another way to say this:
Meridian Magazine has an agenda of teaching members of the Church that the prophets and apostles are wrong about Cumorah, so they published this article to reinforce that agenda.
As if the reader can hardly imagine a number as great as 30,000.
2. “…This modernistic theory of necessity, in order to be consistent, must place the waters of Ripliancum and the Hill Cumorah some place within the restricted territory of Central America, notwithstanding the teachings of the Church to the contrary for upwards of 100 years. Because of this theory some members of the Church have become confused and greatly disturbed in their faith in the Book of Mormon. It is for this reason that evidence is here presented to show that it is not only possible that these places could be located as the Church has held during the past century, but that in very deed such is the case… It is known that the Hill Cumorah where the Nephites were destroyed is the hill where the Jaredites were also destroyed. This hill was known to the Jaredites as Ramah. It was approximately near to the waters of Ripliancum, which the Book of Ether says, “by interpretation, is large, or to exceed all… It must be conceded that this description fits perfectly the land of Cumorah in New York, as it has been known since the visitation of Moroni to the Prophet Joseph Smith, for the hill is in the proximity of the Great Lakes and also in the land of many rivers and fountains. Moreover, the Prophet Joseph Smith himself is on record, definitely declaring the present hill called Cumorah to be the exact hill spoken of in the Book of Mormon. Further, the fact that all of his associates from the beginning down have spoken of it as the identical hill where Mormon and Moroni hid the records, must carry some weight. It is difficult for a reasonable person to believe that such men as Oliver Cowdery. Brigham Young, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, David Whitmer, and many others, could speak frequently of the Spot where the Prophet Joseph Smith obtained the plates as the Hill Cumorah, and not be corrected by the Prophet, if that were not the fact. That they did speak of this hill in the days of the Prophet in this definite manner is an established record of history.” Doctrines of Salvation Joseph Fielding Smith Chapter 12
4. “Both the Nephite and Jaredite civilizations fought their final great wars of extinction at and near the Hill Cumorah (or Ramah as the Jaredites termed it), which hill is located between Palmyra and Manchester in the western part of the state of New York. It was here that Moroni hid up the gold plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated. (Morm. 6; Ether 15.) Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and many of the early brethren, who were familiar with all the circumstances attending the coming forth of the Book of Mormon in this dispensation, have left us pointed testimony as to the identity and location of Cumorah or Ramah.” (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 3, pp. 232-241.) (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine “CUMORAH,” 1966, p. 175)
7. “Millennia ago he declared: “There shall none come into this land [he was speaking of America] save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord… In the western part of the state of New York near Palmyra is a prominent hill known as the “hill Cumorah.” (Morm. 6:6.) On July twenty-fifth of this year, as I stood on the crest of that hill admiring with awe the breathtaking panorama which stretched out before me on every hand, my mind reverted to the events which occurred in that vicinity some twenty-five centuries ago—events which brought to an end the great Jaredite nation… Thus perished at the foot of Cumorah the remnant of the once mighty Jaredite nation, of whom the Lord had said, “There shall be none greater … upon all the face of the earth.” (Ether 1:43.)… This second civilization to which I refer, the Nephites, flourished in America between 600 B.C. and A.D. 400. Their civilization came to an end for the same reason, at the same place, and in the same manner as did the Jaredites… The tragic fate of the Jaredite and the Nephite civilizations is proof positive that the Lord meant it when he said that this “is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity.” (Ether 2:9.) This information, wrote Moroni, addressing himself to us who today occupy this land, “cometh unto you, O ye Gentiles” (now, Gentiles is the term used by the Book of Mormon prophets to refer to the present inhabitants of America and to the peoples of the old world from which they came)… Now my beloved brethren and sisters everywhere, both members of the Church and nonmembers, I bear you my personal witness that I know that the things I have presented to you today are true—both those pertaining to past events and those pertaining to events yet to come. The issue we face is clear and well defined. The choice is ours. The question is: Shall we of this dispensation repent and obey the laws of the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, or shall we continue to defy them until we ripen in iniquity That we will repent and obey and thereby qualify to receive the blessings promised to the righteous in this land, I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. Amen.” America’s Destiny Marion G. Romney Oct 1975
10. [Heber C. Kimball] “prophesied that when the final last struggle came to this nation it would be at the Hill Cumorah where both of the former Nations [Jaredite and Nephite] were destroyed” (abt. Heber C. Kimball) Wilford Woodruff’s Journal 6:305, December 17, 1866
14. McGavin and Bean explain their point of view concerning the identity of the Hill Cumorah as an ancient battlefield. The authors conclude that the scholars “need not search for [Cumorah] in Mexico or Yucatan” E. Cecil McGavin and Willard W. Bean “Cumorah-Land, An Ancient Battlefield,” in The Improvement Era 44, September 1941, 526, 571-72.
21. “On the title page I read that it is “written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of Israel; and also to Jew and Gentile.” In the introduction to the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, it says that the Lamanites “are among the ancestors of the American Indians.” As I read the Book of Mormon, it seemed to me that it was about my American Indian ancestors. It tells the story of a people, a part of which were later described as “Lamanites,” who migrated from Jerusalem to a “land of promise” (1 Nephi 2:20) about 600 B.C.” “Come unto Me, O Ye House of Israel” By Elder Larry Echo Hawk of the Seventy Ensign Oct 2012
23. “From the time Father Bosley located near Avon, he found and plowed up axes and irons, and had sufficient to make his mill irons, and had always abundance of iron on hand without purchasing. In the towns of Bloomfield, Victor, Manchester, and in the regions round about, there were hills upon the tops of which were entrenchments and fortifications, and in them were human bones, axes, tomahawks, points of arrows, beads and pipes, which were frequently found; and it was a common occurrence in the country to plow up axes, which I have done many times myself. I have visited the fortifications on the tops of those hills frequently, and the one near Bloomfield I have crossed hundreds of times, which is on the bluff of Honeyoye River, at the outlet of Honeyoye Lake. In that region there are many small deep lakes, and in some of them the bottom has never been found. Fish abound in them. The hill Cumorah is a high hill for that country, and had the appearance of a fortification or entrenchment around it. In the State of New York, probably there are hundreds of these fortifications which are now visible, and I have seen them in many other parts of the United States. Readers of the Book of Mormon will remember that in this very region, according to that sacred record, the final battles were fought between the Nephites and Lamanites. At the hill Cumorah, the Nephites made their last stand prior to their utter extermination, A. D., 385. Thus was Heber preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles, above the graves of the ancients of Israel, whose records with the fullness of that Gospel, and the relics of their prowess and civilization, were now whispering from the dust.” Life of Heber C. Kimball by Orson F. Whitney Mounds at Cumorah