VIKING SHIP

Native burial grounds near Tisch Mills may include Viking ship

A 200-acre wooded site west of Tisch Mills guards its secrets well. Maybe that's what its original inhabitants intended.But for historian Bruce Vandervest and several other investigators, the site, confirmed to be a sacred Native American burial ground, continues to draw them back in their determination to find out more: a Viking ship also may be part of the find.

More questions than answers

What investigators have unearthed is "more questions than answers," says
Vandervest of Luxemburg.

The grounds were used for burials as late as the 1930s, but their history could be prehistoric going back 1,000 to 3,000 years or more, according to researchers who have studied it. One dating estimate goes back 10,000 years.

Currently deeded to five landowners, a 40-acre portion owned by Tommy
Prucha is of particular interest to Vandervest, who first laid eyes on it 20 years ago.

Meticulously placed boulders and mounds of earth are dispersed throughout the woods. A limestone-boulder wall — 100 feet long by 4 feet wide by 4 feet tall — is positioned in the middle of the woods and not likely the work of early farmers, Vandervest says.

Similar stone structures and mounds in Michigan's Upper Peninsula have been photographed in a book by Betty Sodders of Sault Ste. Marie, so Vandervest called her. Sodders put him in touch with Colfax-based Wayne May, editor of Ancient American magazine. May visited the site with Merlin Redcloud, a Ho-Chunk shaman and historian. Several archaeologists, as well as surveyor Jim Scherz of the Ancient Earth Society, Dale Reimer of Two Rivers and historians from a half dozen tribes, also have studied it.

May "knew right away it was important," says Vandervest, adding that Redcloud recognized it as a burial site. Of special interest is the wall's pipestone, a soft red rock found in Minnesota.

But something else also intrigues May. About 100 feet from the wall are limestone boulders in the shape and size (25 feet wide by 100 feet long) of an ancient Viking ship, which he believes could be buried beneath the rock. A similar Viking ship was found in England, but was buried in dirt, not stone, Vandervest says.

Vikings may have come to North America 1,000 years ago.

The structure is not far from a once-navigable branch of the East Twin River. It's rumored, Vandervest says, that Vikings regularly came to North America 800 to 1,000 years ago and made it to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. A Ho-Chunk legend tells of Native Americans meeting tall red-haired men, Vandervest says.

"(Historians) suspect it had to do with the copper trade, that thousands and thousands of tons of copper were removed. It's possible there was a village in this area where they would process it into manageable-sized ingots they called oxides," Vandervest says.

He hopes that if wood is found beneath the stone, it could be carbon-dated to determine age. If it turns out to be a Viking ship, a Smithsonian-type dig could result. A 3-foot-wide trench already dug has revealed a smoky smell and still more large rocks under the "ship."

"We're kind of at a standstill," says Vandervest, whose studies so far have resulted in the article, "Alive With Spirits," published in Ancient American.

Radar proves this is a burial ground.

Ground-penetrating radar was used a year ago to prove there are grave sites. Near the graves are stones said to have mystical significance, including a sacred rock having healing powers, a ceremonial pit and an eternal fireplace for the keepers of the fire to furnish a ready flame. Also present is a medicine wheel used in sacred Native American rites.

Potawatomi, Winnebago (Ho-Chunk) and Menominee are believed to have lived near the site and buried their dead there, including Potawatomi chief War Thunder, who fought in the Revolutionary War and War of 1812.

Effigy mounds include prehistoric creatures

There are several effigy mounds at the site, including life-size dirt mounds of buffalo, snakes, martens and bears, even life-size mounds of prehistoric animals such as mastodons, a short-faced bear and a whale.

Vandervest thinks it's likely caves are present in the limestone beneath the site. Native Americans, he says, have been particularly interested in a stone igloo and marker trees.

Guardian of the woods

And, there's evidence the site has a guardian who checks on it regularly. Vandervest has found artifacts and set them aside in a conspicuous place. When he has returned, they're gone.

Vandervest would like the guardian to come forward to talk with him. He says he and others have been careful not to unnecessarily disturb the site. Although he's determined to find out what the site is all about, he has respect for the dead and the sacredness of the area.

"The spirits are watching," he says. 

SOURCE:

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AUTHOR: Lee Lawrenz
This article first appeared in the Green Bay Gazette

NEW UPDATE of SMITHVILLE RUNE STONE

Friday, July 30, 2010

The SMITHVILLE RUNE STONE

This big picture to the right shows the Smithville (AK) Rune Stone.

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The two smaller pictures show the people on the Trip to FAR. From left to right on the left picture are Lee, Charlie, Larry and Freda. The right picture shows Denny, Freda, Lee, and Rick.

The big picture Above shows the rune stonewith my rune to alphabet translations.

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The following quote comes from Larry Shroud’s article in the Batesville Daily Guard, February 14-20, 2004.

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“The late Barry Fell, widely regarded as one of the best epigraphers of all time, investigated and translated the runic inscription from a drawing the Nicholsons [original discovers] sent to the Epigraphic Society of Arlington, MA.

“After an intensive two year investigation into the carvings on the stone, Fell concluded the stone is an American Indian copy of a gravestone. In a letter to the Nicholsons following his investigations he wrote:

‘The inscriptions found on the stone were in use up to 1000 AD. There fore this stone here (Fell means the original gravestone) was cut before, or not too long after this date.

The letters and characters on the stone are of early Swedish type, and apparently were engraved in an S shaped arrangement, a common serpentiform gravestone style found in hundreds of examples in the Upland Provence of 

Southern Sweden.

‘The letters, when read in sequence in which they appear on this interpretation translates as: ‘This stone was cut for son Nicholas.’’

When Larry and I looked at the Smithville rune stone in 2008, we came to the opinion that we were looking at the original rune stone.

My belief is that Barry Fell was misled by only the inscription on paper.

After that 2008 viewing I had translated the runes to the alphabet letters as shown in the second big picture above.

The “E” rune identifies the rune set as the Futhark, the earliest known rune set.

There are a few doubtful translations on the Smithville rune stone. Two runes, the “F” and the “L” seem to have marks on the left side. Those marks should be on the right side according to the Futhark's rune set.

The engraver may have been away from Norse areas for so long that he was using a really old Futhark set no longer in existence. Or the engraver, Ari, may not have worked runes for so long that he forgot which side of the stem the marks belonged. My guess is the latter.

Also the rune for “R” is inverted. Somewhere in my studies I picked up the belief that an inverted rune expressed sorrow, so I accepted the inverted rune, although I acknowledge that the “R” symbol in the Futhork rune set is shown inverted. Ari may have been ahead of the rest.

I wondered about “the sequence” Barry Fell used. I finally decided that the “H” looking symbol was really a pictorial drawing of a grave and headstone. That would account for Fell’s words “This stone.”

 But how did Fell get the rest of the sentence?

The rune stone was made in the era when a symbol recalled the memory of the whole word. So words are not spelled out for us. We are supposed to remember the whole words the letters represent.

So how are we to remember words we never have heard spoken? Well Sherwin in the foreword of chapter four of the Viking and the Red Man wrote that the “Algonquin Indian Language is Old Norse.”

Sherwin also arranged his eight volumes alphabetically by the best Algonquin word of a set of many similar Algonquin words.

 Then he wrote down the Old Norse words to match the Algonquin words. The Old Norse words have a better English definition than the brief statements of the original Algonquin translators.

If Sherwin was correct, we should be able to take the English letter representing the rune and look up all the Algonquin words matching that letter. Then we should be able to pick the words that might match concepts put on gravestones. Then we might use the Old Norse to English definitions to get a more definitive understanding.

We can translate words we have never spoken if Sherwin did his homework right!

“Ari” has to be the “A” symbol on the upper right. Then the reading has to move from right to left. So what does “T E” represent?

There are so many Old Norse words starting with “T” that the “E” must be the second letter of the intended Old Norse word. In the Viking and the Red Man (VRM) on page 198, the word with the best fit to the context is “Telja” which means “to tell,” but the words could mean “to consider” Barry apparently used the words “cut for” as being more precise for a gravestone made “to tell or to consider” Nicholas.

Then on the next line down is the “N” for Nicholas. Things seem to fit this far.

Suddenly Barry Fell’s interruption is complete. Ari could be either father or son, but we have runes left over.

Off to the left, rather like a side note, is the symbol for “F.” There are few “F” words in Old Norse. But “Paafa” is the word for father. Using the familiar form “fa” for father would avoid having to add more runes to define a “P” word.

Below the “F” is an “A”. Now we know who the Father was. We know why Barry put “son” into his statement. There is yet one more “A” on the side of that pointer on the lower left. It appears to be a signature that says, “I, Ari, did the side note above.”

The rune in the center below the “N” is “R.” Barry did not appear to mention that rune. The rune is inverted.

An inverted rune signifies sorrow. He should have known that. Barry should have known that there are only a few Old Norse words that start with “R” and the best one to fit the context is “roodha,” which means “crucifix.” (VRM V.1 p.170)

A CRUCIFIX?!

In ARKANSAS?!

ONE THOUSAND years ago?!

The crucifix implies that Nicholas was a Christian! Did Barry really not know the implications of the inverted rune for “R.?” Or did he not believe what he was seeing himself. Or did he think, “My critics are trying to burn me at the stake. Better not add more fuel for the fire.

Proclaiming Norse runes in Arkansas is bad enough. Saying that they were a memorial for a Christian man 1000 years ago is much worse!

 Nobody in their right mind would even imply the possibility.”

But there are four other runes off to the right. The “T” rune is probably “Taa” (VRM. V1. p.193). “Taa” is a little like the word “the.” In this context it probably means “by.” The inverted rune for “R” probably means the Christian service of Nicholas.

The “L” rune probably stands for “lyysa,” which means “to light up.” (VRM v1, p83) The “U” rune probably stands for “UKCHE, a.k.a. hoegst,” (VRM V1 p.211) which means God!

Wait a minute!

The four runes on the right side may mean Nicholas’ service as a Christian was a glory to God!

 In 2000 we might expect a phrase like that, but I did not expect to find that message on a gravestone made 1000 years ago inArkansas!

Barry Fell may have translated the phrase differently. If he had a similar translation, he would have been very cautious about a trap. He was working from a piece of paper, which had runes that seemed valid.

But that paper was also an easy way for someone to set up a trap for him up to be greatly ridiculed. If Fell had advocated a Christian in Arkansas in the year 1000, well--is there any way the academic society could have treated him worse.

What about me? Am I obsessed with Christians inAmerica to the point of finding spirits where there are none?

I do not think so. When Freda explained how stone mason's work could look like Ogam, I accepted the lesson.

I hope that someone can explain where and how I made the incorrect choices of runes to letters and letters to words. When you do, all of us will be wiser.

You can even challenge the Reider T. Sherwin VTM comparisons, but before you can reject his efforts totally, I think you need to show that eight thousand comparisons are not correct. 

Be fore warned, Sherwin took at least eight years to compile eight thousand comparisons. To discredit his eight thousand comparisons may take longer.

Meanwhile, I think the Smithville rune stone appears to be an authentic gravestone of a Christian whose life, 1000 years ago in Arkansas, glorified God.

The SEA PEOPLE

Why is it important for readers of early American history to think about an ancient culture called the SEA PEOPLE "?

The NILE MOSAIC

There may have been an ancient culture of people who rowed boats on the sea (See crew-rowed boat at the lower right).
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That culture existed when the land cultures of Asia, Asia Minor and Europe were developing warfare so they could control agricultural land.
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The SEA PEOPLE lived by different principles than the people on land.  The SEA PEOPLE believed in trade, non-violent resolution of conflicts, respect for women, and equality.
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This detail of the Nile Mosaic is evidence that the cultures of the SEA PEOPLE and the people of the land existed side by side for a long, long time.
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The Mosaic may be a composite history of the world.  The corn stalks shown growing on rocks, which may be copper, could be a depiction of  the copper country near Lake Superior in America. 
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[NOTE: This post was written on Wed. June 8, 2011.  On July 11, 2011, National Geographic Magazine published a picture of the complete "Nile Mosaic" on pages 50-51.
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The widely known "detail of Nile Mosaic," shown above, is an edited version.  It is a segment of about 1/3 of the entire mosaic.
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The segment appears to be taken out of the lower right side with some of the right border missing.
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The details edited out of the mosaic are animals from the jungles of central africa, and a large snake, which may have come from central America,  The entire mosaic is evidence that ancient man knew features of most of the world at the time of Christ's birth.
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The editing of the mosaic may show the power of the Eurocentric paradigm in action.
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When the European Pope wrote the Doctrine of Discovery Bull in 1493, the Kings and their historians, who wrote history in the newly developing universities of Europe, may have suppressed most of the information of the world beyond Europe so they could "discover" and claim the land.]
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The people of America may have been descendants of the people of the sea culture, which was based on oral communications, freedom of movement, adjusting life to the food supply, and strong sustaining
 principles that,
 eventually, included the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Christ.
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 But most of the other histories of the world have been written by Eurocentric historians, who came from land cultures.  The European justification for the invasion of America was the “Right of [first] Discovery.”
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This mind set of the Eurocentric historians, who wrote the histories of Europe, did not consider any knowledge of prior voyages. Thus, the knowledge of the “other side,” may have died when the land based histories denied contact with the other side before the “first discovery.”
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The Pope was the original cause of the "no contact before Columbus" MYTH. 
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Spain and Portugal claimed the land they were "first" to discover.  The Conquistadors claimed the land had no Christians living upon it.  A few modern historians debate that claim.
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Evidence reveals that, when Columbus sailed, sea voyages to America had been a continual process for at least 3,700 years.
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Privacy (secrecy) was one of the strongest principles of the people, who rowed on the sea.
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So, based on evidence, the following hypotheses are probably valid.
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Communications between America and Europe and Asia were only a matter of months by men in a small crew-rowed boat.
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The Ten Commandments and Christ’s messages were incorporated into the American cultures, because Christ's message was what the Americans, who were People of the Sea, already believed.
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Religion among the Americans was taught by the parents as a code of conduct and enforced by the villagers.
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The source of religious information was validated oral transmission via people of the sea traders.
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Many American tribes called the sun, "Jesus, the light of the world."
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One religious concept of the "Light of the World" belief is that God shines on everyone, friend and foe, alike.
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Most modern Americans believe their ancestors were more faithful to the code of conduct taught by Christ than are most people from the land culture.
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The adherence of America people to the first commandment, "You shall have no other gods before Me.” would become a stumbling block for Europeans in America for four centuries.
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The tragic irony is that the God the Americans would not accept from the Europeans may have been the Great Spirit they already had.
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The Americans based their judgment on the conduct they saw used by the European invaders.  The invaders came with guns, germs, and steel.
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The Eurocentric invaders used an intimidation code of conduct to optimize the use of weapons to secure food, wealth, and land.
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Thus the conquering of the American people may be best understood from the view point that the Americans lived the Ten Commandments. The Americans were more faithful in following Christ’s code of conduct.

The Americans were more faithful to their ethics than were most European invaders, who represented a religion that most had not learned.
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The invaders lusted for wealth or land so much that they were willing to use their warfare capabilities to kill millions of people in order to conquer two continents.
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Do you believe that there was a People of the Sea culture?
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Do you believe that most Americans were in the People of the Sea culture?
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Do you believe the People of the Sea culture is known as the "Mississippi culture" in Archaeology textbooks?

The Sea People Mosaic is the most important artifact at this time in the LENAPE Migration.
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The
Copper trade
follows the Sea People in history and the
 BORNE STONE
isan artifact showing that the Pan North Antlantic Sea People was still viable in historic times.
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I recommend that you view the information in both of these links.
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GO TO:
MILWAUKEE

Trees paddled to MER RICA

The trees "Paddled"

to MER RICA

well before Columbus was a passenger on Pinning and Pothorst's boats.

SEMESTER 2, WEEK 2A, STRONG MAN

1372-1373

STRONG MAN

After him, the Strong-Man was chief, who was useful to the chieftains.

 Sakinawtenk alkosohit sakimachik apenda
____________________
alkosohit

chik

apenda  

SEMESTER 2, WEEK 1, PART 3A, SHIVERS-WITH-COLD

1370

SHIVERS-WITH-COLD

After him, 

Shiverer-with-Cold was chief,

 who went south 
to the corn land.

Sagimawtenk taguachi 

shawaniwaen minihaking.

__DECIPHERMENT__

taguachi

DAGOTSCHI

cold, freezing

TANV5135

shawaniwaen

SOWANNIHEN

The South wind

SOWV5040

minihaking

MINNI

MINV2082a.jpg

SMALL

HA

?memory from past?

lapping of waterfall

 KING

?memory from past?

PLACE

___COMMENTS___

This stanza is interesting.  The three recorded phases do NOT mention corn, unless the Monrovian recorders thought the word "minni" meant grain.  The suffex -min often implied grain, nuts, or berries.

The syllable "ing" denotes that the "Miniha" is a place.  There is a Minnihaha Falls at Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The LENAPE History describes the coming to Minnihaha and the rapid fleeing from the falls, caused by some perceived threat.

The Sioux, who also fled from a preceived threat and later came into the area after the LENAPE moved through.

Once again I have convinced myself and, I hope, some of you that Sherwin's 15,000 words can decipher the LENAPE History and offer fresh insight to the history.

But until we can get university professors and their students to believe that when the English Invaded, most Americans were LENAPE, who spoke Norse, this decipherment activity is not likely to survive.

The evidence, to date, is that the faculty and students of universities chose not to discuss the paradigm of Norse in America.  That choice continues suppression of American history by omission.

The issue is not that the Americans spoke Norse--that fact is well proven by Sherwin-- or that the LENAPE history is valid--too many places, artifacts and words prove that.

The issue is the university faculty and students decisions to continue  suppression by omission of valid knowledge.

The university faculty and students are suppressing the past by ignoring the remaining knowledge of the past.

Soon that remaining knowledge will be suppressed forever.

In you are not in favor of that fate, YOU must DO SOMETHING.

One thing to do is encourage an university to study the LENAPE history by using Sherwin's volumes of the VIKING and the RED MAN.

SEMESTER 2, WEEK 1, PART 2A. SNOW FATHER

1368-1369

SNOW-FATHER

After him,

Snow-Father was chief,

 he of the big teeth.

Sagimawtenk gunokeni, sagimawtenk mangipitak.
SHOULD  BE
SNOW KIN
WERE LIKE GOD FOLKS.
_ _ _ _ _ _
Sagima (Judge)

wtenk (after)
guno keni
guhn    ken  
Snow   ken

GUHV6030  (TBD)

So, once again, Sherwin's Norse words collected in 1940-50 agree with the words of the LENAPE history, spoken verbally about 1400 and recorded about 1831 by German speaking missionaries.

The word "Ken," which is the English "kin" implies that there were one or more "ken," from the snow country, maybe Greenland, but no priest or "Father."

The fact that Sherwin's words are Old Norse and both documents mean the same thing is evidence that the Americans were speaking Norse when the English invaded. 

____________________

Sagima (Judge)

wtenk (then)
mangipitak
man gi    pi    tak
   MANN   I   TTO WOCK
God                      folk
MAKV7043
_______________

Mangipitak appears to be sounds that were written down incorrectly.  The "gi" for "i" is understandable.  "P" and "tt" are often exchanged.  The final "k" often means "folks."

In this case the inorrect spelling of the sounds appears to have masked the meaning of the word.

If the original sounds had been "Mannitowock" then we might assume the "Father" word in the previous phrase might have meant meant for the SNOW KEN who were like GOD FOLKS.

Notice the pictograph  sketch of what might be the ice pack on Greenland.

We have no other historical record of people from Greenland going to America about AD 1369.  The effects of the Little Ice Age were becoming more severe.  Communications between America and the east side of the Atlantic were effectively stopped.
Also the English may have deliberately suppressed any known communication.

But we have learned a few things.

1.  The original translators missed the apparent doubling of years onto one stick.

2.  The original translators appear to have made errors in translation.  I.e. "mo blood" may have meant "not telling."

  "Mangipitak" may have been "MANNITTOWOCK."  People from the North who are ken but behave like Gods makes a better message to save than a chief with big teeth.

3.  Decipherment takes much longer than I have allowed.

The best course of action is for me to revise the "second semestor" schedule. 

I will post pictographes and stanzas, when I am comfortable with the translations.  I am using only words from the VIKING and the RED MAN.  If I cannot find a resonable word in the VIKING and the RED MAN, I do not use or publish a translated phrase.

Based on past experience, I will be able to do about one Stansza per week.

Our progress will be slower but our understanding may be better.