A Boy Who Would Dream of Sacred Things
In the Anishinaabe seven fires prophecy is an additional prophecy about a boy that would be shown where the records were hidden.
“In the confusing times of the Sixth Fire, it is said that a group of visionaries came among the Anishinabe. They gathered all the priests of the Midewiwin Lodge. They told the priests that the Midewiwin Lodge was in danger of being destroyed. They gathered all the sacred bundles. They gathered all the Wee’-gwas scrolls that recorded the ceremonies. All these things were placed in a hollowed-out log from Ma-none’ (the ironwood tree). Men were lowered over a cliff by long ropes. They dug a hole in the cliff and buried the log where no one could find it. This the teachings of the elders were hidden out of sight but not out of memory. It is said that when the time came that Indian people could practice their religion without fear that a little boy would dream where the ironwood log full of sacred bundles and scrolls was buried. He would lead his people to the place.” The Mishomis Book, Edward Benton-Bandai, p. 91
This practice of sacred records being buried and recorded by the Ojibway author, George Copway, in his book The Traditional Hostory and Characteristic Sketches of the Ojibway Nation, p. 128-142
The thing I find striking about the pattern of buried records and a boy dreaming of their location and restoring them to knowledge is that this pattern exists in the history of Joseph Smith also.
I recently reread through Joseph’s account of what happened to him as a youth that led him to the Book of Mormon, and was surprised to recognize symbols that relate to Native American knowledge, and not to That of European colonists. Three is acknowledged as a grand holy number in Christianity, while four appears to be recognized as more holy to Native tribes. When the angel appeared to Joseph, he appeared four times. Before Joseph was permitted to remove the plates from their hidden location, he was required to return to that location on the Autumnal equinox for the next four years for instruction. The cycle of four would be recognized by those familiar with the medicine wheel. It makes me wonder if the material he was taught each time also followed the themes that each part of the wheel represents. The plates were buried on the West side of the hill, a direction associated with Autumn and decline, much like the decline of the people the Book of Mormon recorded. Their decline was the reason for its burial, so that what was known and sacred to that people, would be preserved for a future day, before it could be lost entirely. This sounds similar to the plight of those described in the quote from The Mishomis Book. Another interesting thought about the decline of the Book of Mormon people and Joseph’s recovery of it, is that the book Joseph recovered was buried in the very hill of their last great battle. That battle, like the Battle of Gettysburg for the American Confederates, was the deciding event of their decline, their last stand as a people. A western burial of their sacred records on that hill would have been a very symbolic and appropriate placement to someone with an understanding of the importance and symbolism of directions. This also occurred on the very day of each year that the direction West symbolizes, one of the four corners of the year/earth, consisting of the equinoxes and solstices. That appears to me to be two witnesses testifying of a decline, three if you count the angel, four if you include the record itself.
The cool thing about this otherwise depressing subject, is that, like the Autumn which gives way to Winter, which gives way to Spring, the book testifies of a restoration of truth and righteousness for a remnant of that same people, along with other people. Another witness of this is in the Seven Fires prophecy. The winter for what remains of that people was hard. But it looks like the Spring is here, for those that can see it for what it is, and who choose the grab hold of it.
Like the similarities of these two things, one a prophecy, and the other a record of the past, there is another thing that ties these things together in similarity. Just shy of a year before Joseph would die, there is an account of some chiefs of the Potawatomi, and later individuals from the Sac and Fox tribes (both groups belonging to the Algonquian language family, the Potawatomi are specifically an Anishinabe tribe) visiting him. In these accounts he identifies their fathers as the ones that “made” the Book of Mormon. Although some obvious differences exist, if this is not similar to the prophecy of the boy who would be shown the location of sacred records, and later on would return this sacred knowledge to the intended people... then I truly don’t know what would be similar.
The Indian orator arose and asked the Prophet if the men who were present were all his friends. Answer—"Yes."
He then said—"We as a people have long been distressed and oppressed. We have been driven from our lands many times. We have been wasted away by wars, until there are but few of us left. The white man has hated us and shed our blood, until it has appeared as though there would soon be no Indians left. We have talked with the Great Spirit, and the Great Spirit has talked with us. We have asked the Great Spirit to save us and let us live; and the Great Spirit has told us that he had raised up a great Prophet, chief, and friend, who would do us great good and tell us what to do; and the Great Spirit has told us that you are the man (pointing to the Prophet Joseph). We have now come a great way to see you, and hear your words, and to have you to tell us what to do. Our horses have become poor traveling, and we are hungry. We will now wait and hear your word."
The Spirit of God rested upon the Lamanites, especially the orator. Joseph was much affected and shed tears. He arose and said unto them: "I have heard your words. They are true. The Great Spirit has told you the truth. I am your friend and brother, and I wish to do you good. Your fathers were once a great people. They worshiped the Great Spirit. The Great Spirit did them good. He was their friend; but they left the Great Spirit, and would not hear his words or keep them. The Great Spirit left them, and they began to kill one another, and they have been poor and afflicted until now.
The Great Spirit has given me a book, and told me that you will soon be blessed again. The Great Spirit will soon begin to talk with you and your children. This is the book which your fathers made. I wrote upon it (showing them the Book of Mormon). This tells what you will have to do. I now want you to begin to pray to the Great Spirit. want you to make peace with one another, and do not kill any more Indians: it is not good. Do not kill white men; it is not good; but ask the Great Spirit for what you want, and it will not be long before the Great Spirit will bless you, and you will cultivate the earth and build good houses like white men. We will give you something to eat and to take home with you."
When the Prophet's words were interpreted to the chiefs, they all said it was good. The chief asked, "How many moons would it be before the Great Spirit would bless them?" He [Joseph] told them, Not a great many.
At the close of the interview, Joseph had an ox killed for them, and they were furnished with some more horses, and they went home satisfied and contented. History of the Church Volume 5, p. 480-481
Address of the Prophet to the Indians.
At one P.M., had a talk with the Sac and Fox Indians in my back kitchen. They said—"When our fathers first came here, this land was inhabited by the Spanish; when the Spaniards were driven off, the French came, and then the English and Americans; and our fathers talked a great deal with the Big Spirit." They complained that they had been robbed of their lands by the whites, and cruelly treated.
I told them I knew they had been wronged, but that we had bought this land and paid our money for it. I advised them not to sell any more land, but to cultivate peace with the different tribes and with all men, as the Great Spirit wanted them to be united and to live in peace. "The Great Spirit has enabled me to find a book [showing them the Book of Mormon], which told me about your fathers, and Great Spirit told me, 'You must send to all the tribes that you can, and tell them to live in peace;' and when any of our people come to see you, I want you to treat them as we treat you."
At 3 P.M., the Indians commenced a war dance in front of my old house. Our people commenced with music and firing cannon. After the dance, which lasted about two hours, the firing of cannon closed the exercise, and with our music marched back to the office. Before they commenced dancing, the Saints took up a collection to get the Indians food. History of the Church Volume 6, p. 402
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