“The Hopi People were converted to the Great Spirit before the Great Star appeared in the sky. After they were converted, they took all the weapons they had used for the shedding of human blood and buried them deep in the earth. After burying their weapons, the faced their enemies, but would not take up weapons to fight against them. Rather than do this they would gladly die, and many of them were killed. This made their enemies ashamed and some of the aggressors would join the peaceful Hopi and bury their weapons also.

The Hopi people were great farmers who planted and harvested their crops so that they could feed the starving people in battle around them. They stayed in that country for a long time–feeding and caring for their people and theh people of other tribes that were hungry. After many years, the Hopi left the place where they were living when they were converted to the Great Spirit to migrate to another land where they could be alone and live in peace. Their greatest desire was to find a place that was peaceful.

They tied their food supplies and seeds around their waists and over their shoulders and began their migration. Many times they would not take off their supplies to rest at night because they knew they must go on–they had a long journey ahead of them. During their migration the Great Spirit spoke to them from the clouds above and directed their course, much the same as he did in the day of Moses. One day He said, “When a Great Star appears in the sky that is brighter than all other stars wherever you are at that time STOP and build houses from one to four stories high, like the homes your people lived in before they came to this country.”

…When the Great Star appeared in the sky, the Hopi stopped and built their homes as they were instructed to do by the Great Spirit. They named their first village “Shongopavi.” When they built their first village, they lived there until the babies had grown to adulthood and were having children of their own. Then they decided it was time to search for a suitable location for their second village. They were on top of a mesa looking for the proper location when they saw two huge rocks that looked like they had fallen together to form a TEPEE. Sitting within the shade of the rocks, a WHITE MAN was dropping pebbles down a squirrel hole. Looking up He arose and walked toward them with outstretched arms and said, “I am your True White Brother that has come to lead you forward and to teach you of my ways.” He stayed with them for several days and taught them things they must do to be saved…

…The White Brother said, “You are Hopi, which means ‘peaceful’ or ‘righteous people.’ You have proven faithful to the Great Spirit. Now you must cut your hair a certain way and never change it.” The Hopi haircut represents a window that their face looks out of watching and waiting for the return of the White Brother…They were told to leave their hair long in back because their long hair must be used in sacred ceremonies to veil their faces when praying to the Great Spirit…

…When the White Brother told them he must leave, the Hope begged Him to stay and be their leader. But He said, “Choose the man who led you to this country to be your leader at this time, and always follow my teachings and I will return to you in the last days and I will be your leader then. Now I must go back to my Father.”

…He then blessed the babies healed the sick and performed many miracles among them. When leaving, He started at the place where the Hopi first met Him by the “TEPEE ROCKS” and walked eastward to the end of the mesa ascending into the heavens until he faded out of sight…” Source: Chapter One, “God’s Chosen People of America” by Z. Brinkerhoff

I snatched this book from Amazon.com as soon as I learned about it and have begun studying the Hopi and their origins. It is over 250 pages and I can’t wait to finish reading it. Anybody who has carefully studied the Book of Mormon knows that the people of Ammon, who called themselves the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi after their king’s son, Anti-Nephi-Lehi, as we read in Alma chapter 24. This is also the chapter where we read about this people burying their weapons of war for peace.

Later they migrate to Zarahemla and lived in Jershon for a time. After the Nephite/Lamanite civil wars, many people migrate by the thousands. In Helaman Chapter three, the following verses forever remains etched in my mind:

1 And now it came to pass in the forty and third year of the reign of the judges, there was no contention among the people of Nephi save it were a little pride which was in the church, which did cause some little dissensions among the people, which affairs were settled in the ending of the forty and third year.
2 And there was no contention among the people in the forty and fourth year; neither was there much contention in the forty and fifth year.
3 And it came to pass in the forty and sixth, yea, there was much contention and many dissensions; in the which there were an exceedingly great many who departed out of the land of Zarahemla, and went forth unto the land northward to inherit the land.
4 And they did travel to an exceedingly great distance, insomuch that they came to large bodies of water and many rivers.
5 Yea, and even they did spread forth into all parts of the land, into whatever parts it had not been rendered desolate and without timber, because of the many inhabitants who had before inherited the land…
12 And it came to pass that there were many of the people of Ammon, who were Lamanites by birth, did also go forth into this land.

It was approximately 45 years B.C. when they departed. Mexico is a land of many bodies of water and rivers. I believe that this people traveled northward, through Mexico and continued until they reached what is now Arizona where they finally settled down after seeing the “Great Star” appear. There is another book, which I plan on reading called, “Book Of The Hopi” by Frank Waters. Apparently, this White Brother’s name is Pahana and He promised to return again from the east. They were instructed to keep their way of building houses and also their hair style. Their way of building houses is similar to the construction of the western wall of the temple at Jerusalem. Their haircut is similar to that of the ancient Egyptians at the time that Joseph, son of Jacob, helped Pharaoh govern Egypt. Because of these instructions, many people believe that the Hopi are a remnant of the tribe of Joseph. Again, we know from the Book of Mormon that Lehi was a descendant of Joseph, as we read in 1 Nephi chapter 5:

14 And it came to pass that my father, Lehi, also found upon the plates of brass a genealogy of his fathers; wherefore he knew that he was a descendant of Joseph; yea, even that Joseph who was the son of Jacob, who was sold into Egypt, and who was preserved by the hand of the Lord, that he might preserve his father, Jacob, and all his household from perishing with famine.
15 And they were also led out of captivity and out of the land of Egypt, by that same God who had preserved them.
16 And thus my father, Lehi, did discover the genealogy of his fathers. And Laban also was a descendant of Joseph, wherefore he and his fathers had kept the records.