SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION

Office of Anthropology

Washington, D. C. 20560

STATEMENT REGARDING THE BOOK OF MORMON

The Smithsonian Institution has received hundreds of inquiries in recent years regarding the use of the Book of Mormon as a guide to archaeological research. Answers to questions most commonly asked are as follows:

1. The Smithsonian Institution has never used the Book of Mormon in ay way as a scientific guide. Smithsonian archaeologists see no connection between the archaeology of the New World and the subject matter of the Book.

2. The physical type of the American Indian is basically Mongoloid, being most closely related to that of the peoples of eastern, central, and northeastern Asia. Archaeological evidence indicates that the answers of the present Indians came into the New world--probably over a land bridge known to have existed in the Bering Strait region during the last Ice Age--in a continuing series of small migrations beginning around 30,000 years ago.

3. Present evidence indicates that the first people to reach this contingent from the East were the Norseman who arrived in the northwestern part of North America around A. D. 1000. There is nothing to show that they reached Mexico or Central America.

4. There is increasing evidence of the spread of cultural traits to MesoAmerica and the northwestern coast of South America across the Pacific, beginning several thousand years before the Christian era. However, these appear to be the result of accidental voyages originating in eastern and southern Asia and show no relationship to ancient Egyptian or Hebrew cultures.

5. We know of no authentic cases of ancient Egyptian or Hebrew writing having been found in the New World. Reports of findings been published in newspapers and magazines from time to time, but thus far no reputable Egyptologists have been able to discover any relationship between Mexican remains and those in Egypt.

6. There are two copies of the Book of Mormon (and part of a third copy) in the United States National Museum, and another copy was sent by the Smithsonian library to the Library of Congress for deposit. Two of these were gift copies, and one was received by transfer from another government agency. One or two members of the staff have personal copies that were presented to them by Mormons.