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[structurecop]

Here's a little teaser of things to come:

Yoruba â??Exodus:â?

In the old times a vision of Eango came to our Great Father Yah-el, one of the patriarchs of the Yillaweh [Levite?] tribe when our people were in the stewardship of the Egyptians. A stirring was happening and many villages were becoming uninhabited.

The vision of Eango came by the Iya Nla as our Great Father sat dwelling [meditating] on the welfare of his people. The vision opened up to him and he heard Eango speak: â??Yah-el, son of Yillaweh, take unto you the elders and prepare to leave for more plentiful lands. Your foreign masters have become harsh and you have outlived the stay which I intended for you. Not since your forefathers left their homeland for this place, has there been such a journey as I have prepared for you.â?

Straightway Yah-el fled the place of his dwelling and called together the elders, telling them of his vision. â??Eango has revealed to me that our time has come,â? he said. Our masters have become harsh. Our wives and children are in danger. Eango has prepared a place of our own and we must leave with haste.â?

Many of the elders laughed at Yah-el and mocked his vision. â??There is no more fertile soil than we have here. Our wives and children enjoy the best things of the world. We are free to trade and the soldiers of Egypt protect us. We have nothing to fear here. Beyond Egyptâ??s borders are the wild things and the untamed land of Agayu [the desert god]. Your vision is an invention to lead us away from our homes and families so you can take them!â?

Yah-el pleaded with the elders. â??Do not do such an unholy thing as refuse the will of Eango.â? The elders turned Yah-el out of their meeting place. Late that night, a few elders came to Yah-el in secret. â??We have seen the attacks of the Egyptians on our people. They are suspicious of our growing numbers. You truly had a vision from Eango. Let us flee with you to the place he has prepared for us.â?

Yah-el and his household, Benissachr and his household, Chutub and his household, Lea-yah and his household, Barabb and his household all prepared their beasts of burden for the journey. Together they numbered one-hundred and thirty-four. They strapped sandals to their feet and departed south-ward, bringing with them only as much as they could carry.

Each morning Yah-el consulted the shells and he was guided where they should go. After several days of walking, the members of the camp became fearful. â??We have journeyed long and found nothing. Is your vision real or a delusion of Agayu?â?

Yah-el quieted his fellow journeyers. â??Let us offer a sacrifice here to Eango, that he may bless our journey.â? One of the household of Benissachr objected loudly, â??We have barely enough live beasts to carry our belongings and now we must make a sacrifice? What madness of Agayu has got a hold of you?â?

Yah-el answered saying, â??Only by sacrificing our best will Eango show us the the way to safety and prosperity. Our time in Egypt has made our people forget but soon you will remember.â? Yah-el commanded that the most pure and healthy of his oxen be brought forth. He gathered stones for an altar and slew the ox and drained its blood. He prepared a pyre to burn the offering and as the smoke ascended heaven-ward all gathered saw a vision in the flames. Eango had judged harshly the masters of Egypt and those who mocked Yah-elâ??s vision. The water became bitter and the food was full of insects. Many were dying. Now they understood the purpose for their flight.

[Chris Smith]

There's a five element chiasm in there. That said, I must admit to a bit of skepticism.

[structurecop]

There's a five element chiasm in there. That said, I must admit to a bit of skepticism.

Perhaps if I had released this information in the "Burned Over" district in the 1820's it might have attracted some more attention.

[Severian]

Seeing as how they are in Africa, it seems unlikely unless you assume trans-Atlantic movement went both ways (which would explain the cocaine mummies).

Without getting into the drug trafficking by mummies, perhaps one of the Nephite Boats sailed west, rather than east and ended up in Africa during their initial voyage.

[No Touch]

Without getting into the drug trafficking by mummies, perhaps one of the Nephite Boats sailed west, rather than east and ended up in Africa during their initial voyage.

My memory of that part of the BoM is a bit sketchy, so that may be possible. But even then, I don't think the Nephites at that point had been so well developed organizationally (with a group of 12 leading them & such). I mean I suppose nothing is impossible. I just don't see the idea of them as Nephites (maybe should actually be Lehites considering when we are talking about this split) being highly probable or making much sense.