Missouri Cherokee Tribes proclaim Jewish Heritage

Christians Unite dot com ^ | February 7, 2003 | Editorial Staff

[vannrox]

Missouri Cherokee Tribes proclaim Jewish Heritage

by Staff
February 7, 2003

The Northern Cherokee Nation of the Old Louisiana Territory has recently shocked the world by claiming their ancient Oral legends tell of a Cherokee migration made to America from the area known as Masada.

This startling evidence is being offered to the public by Beverly Baker Northup whom is the spokesperson for their organization. The evidence offered in support of this connection to Cherokees escaping the mountain fortress of Masada is based in part of what Northup claims is stories passed down from elders and the similarity between ancient words.

Beverly Baker Northup believes there is a connection between these two peoples based on evidence of Jews of the region around Masada during Roman times wearing braided hair and the similarities that the spokesperson attributes to Hebrew language.

In explaining this connection Beverly Baker Northup is quoted as saying:

"The story has been kept alive among our Cherokee people that the Sicarii who escaped from Masada, are some of our ancestors who managed to cross the water to this land, and later became known as Cherokees. (Please note the phonetic resemblance of Si'cari'i and, Cherokee or Tsa'ra-gi'.)"

Northup claims that the famous scholar Josephus wrote that there were escapees from Masada in which the spokesperson for the Northern Cherokee states that this is evidence that gives credence to this connection between the Cherokee Indians and the Jews.

In addition to other startling claims, there is also the belief by the Northern Cherokee that a rock that was uncovered in Tennessee in 1889 that is named the Bat Creek Stone, proves a transatlantic connection to Jews.

Northup believes that the scratched writings on the rock indicate that the stone is evidence of a first century Atlantic Crossing to America by these escaped Jews that later became known as the Northern Cherokee Indians.

The Northern Cherokee attempted to gain full legislative recognition in the State of Missouri in 1985 that was eventually vetoed by Governor John Ashcroft. Governor Ashcroft made the following statement concerning his decision to veto the recognition of the Northern Cherokee:

"The Federal Government has traditionally exercised authority with respect to Indian Affairs. I am not persuaded that the state has such a substantial interest in this area that it should become involved in the recognition of Indian tribes."

Sources among some federally recognized Indian Tribes have stated that Mr. Ashcroft's comments were 100% correct and should be referred to from time to time.

[fishtank]

Bill, I gotta log off. We will probbaly keep discuss this on the Religion forum in one thread or another..... if the threads don't get yanked, that is.

[Jim Noble]

There is a "Y" chromosome marker that should tell the tale.

The Lemba tribe of Zambia, indistinguishable from their African neighbors, are indisputably Jewish by genetic analysis.

Our history is much more complex than we know.

[tracer]

"....since I have seen NO EVIDENCE for the LDS theories."

And there is less evidence that your parents are not siblings......

[Quix]

They already have Israel as a homeland . . .

I suppose it depends on the meaning of "have."

They don't have all the covenant lands quite yet.

And they certainly don't have global acceptance of their title claim.

Then there's those nasty Philestines.

And the French, Saudi's, Ben Laden, Boxer, Dilldo, Shrillary, the AntiChrist . . . et al.

Thankfully, one man and God is more than enough on the other side.

[Quix]

That's what I've been thinking for 35+ years.

About time we found out about the rest of the tribes.

[Quix]

I'm skeptical of the Masada thing because it seems too recent. But hey, what do I know. I wasn't there.

[Centurion2000]

interesting ....

[fishtank]

Hey, Jackson, there's DNA evidence for MY parentage, which is more than you can say for the Mormon cult deceptions.

[Just mythoughts]

WOW touched a nerve. So you wouldn't object then if a little study was commissioned on the origin of the stone?

Would be nice to know if it is native of TN., wouldn't it?

If the stone was not native to TN then maybe the "scratching" might need an second opinion, right?

Or would this raise questions you don't want raised?

So let's hide it away, point to a totally "unbiased" study and insult everyone who asks questions.

[Quix]

Here:

FROM: HERE: http://www.econ.ohio-state.edu/jhm/arch/batcrk.html

The Bat Creek Stone was discovered in 1889 in an undisturbed burial mound in Eastern Tennessee by the Smithsonian's Mound Survey project.

In 1971, Cyrus Gordon identified the letters inscribed on the stone as Paleo-Hebrew of approximately the first or second century A.D. According to him, the five letters to the left of the comma-shaped word divider read, from right to left, LYHWD, or "for Judea."

In 1988, wood fragments found with the inscription were Carbon-14 dated to somewhere between 32 A.D. and 769 A.D. These dates are consistent with the apparent date of the letters.

Today the stone resides out of sight in a back room of the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

--------------------------------------------

References
Cyrus Thomas, "Mound Explorations," in Twelfth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1890-91 (Washington, GPO, 1894), pp. 391-4.

Cyrus Gordon, Before Columbus (New York, Crown, 1971), Appendix.

Lowell Kirk, "The Bat Creek Stone," a webpage of The Tellico Plains Mountain Press, undated.

J. Huston McCulloch, "The Bat Creek Inscription -- Cherokee or Hebrew?," Tennessee Anthropologist 1988(2), pp. 79-123. See also comment by Robert C. Mainfort, Jr. and Mary L. Kwas, TA 1991(1), pp. 1-19, reply by JHM TA Spring 1993, pp. 1-16, rejoinder by M&K, TA Fall 1993, pp. 87-93.

J. Huston McCulloch, "The Bat Creek Inscription: Did Judean Refugees Escape to Tennessee?" Biblical Archaeology Review July/August 1993, pp. 46-53 ff. See also comment by P. Kyle McCarter, BAR July/August 1993, pp. 54-55 ff., reply by JHM BAR Nov./Dec. 1993, pp. 14-16, and numerous letters, esp. those by Robt. R. Stieglitz and Marshall McKusick, in the Nov./Dec. 1993 and Jan./Feb. 1994 BAR .

[blam]

"The 'Bearded Ones,' eh? I think they accompanied the Olmecs, as the Olmecs lacked facial hair. Strangers from across the sea?"

The Olmecs (1200BC-300BC) in Mexico are an enigma. They appeared 'full blown' as a civilization, no record or history leading up to their culture. Their statues and frescoes show clear representations of the three racial groups, Negroid, Oriental and Caucasian. A lot of controversy surrounding this group. They are cited as the oldest 'civilization' in the new world.

[Quix]

My understanding is that the Cherokees are divided on such. I don't know which side is objectively more studied in the issues. But so far, my impression is that those who agree with the contention that they are Jewish have done their homework much better than the other side.

[Quix]

DITTO

[RightWhale]

I don't know. My poll was limited to one respondee.

[blam]

"The Lemba tribe of Zambia, indistinguishable from their African neighbors, are indisputably Jewish by genetic analysis."

Yup. That analysis was fairly recent. The Lemba have retained some of the Jewish religious customs.

[Quix]

He also taught that some people's sins are soooooo bad that even Christ's blood isn't good enough to cover them [WHAT BLASPHEMY!].

And that therefore, the super guilty people have to shed their own blood for their own sins. And that a devout Mormon is doing the person a favor by killing them. I guess that was the doctrine operating at the White What/White River--forget the exact title--the massacre on the Colorado River border area between AZ and UT in the late 1800's. Jim Jones would have loved Joseph.

[blam]

[Quix]

It's based on a lot more than a couple of words.

[Just mythoughts]

Thanks, if this is a fraud then why does the National Museum of Natural History, hang on to it. I can't believe the reaction to asking question about a stone receives.

I don't know where it came from, but when one demands that I believe a thing, based upon a study that did not study the stone, raises more questions. Especially when the purpose of the study was to discredit someone. Anyone can get a group of so-called educated people to say anything.

So I am curious.

[Quix]

Now that's an interesting idea--quite plausible.

Except that my friend's ancestry back to Norway is well known.