The (Scattered) Hebrews: Tribe of Asher

Asher is most blessed of sons; let him be favored by his brothers, and let him dip his foot in oil. Your sandals shall be iron and bronze; as your days, so shall your strength be.
-Deuteronomy 33:24, 25

Note: It is recommended to read the House of Israel before reading this article

Asher was the 8th son of Jacob, after Leah’s maid gave birth, she was elated that the Hebrew daughters would see how blessed she is and so named him Asher meaning: happy. The tribe of Asher also was a tribe of the House of Israel that migrated into the Americas from Assyrian captivity, they populated a large portion of South America (Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, Guyana, Paraguay, Uruguay) and are now more recently known as the Incas. They established a powerful Kingdom throughout South America. As it says in the title subtext, Asher would be blessed with many children, the Inca State spanned from Northern Ecuador into central Chile and consisted of more than 12 million inhabitants, in modern times Brazil has the largest population of children. Unfortunately many Brazilian children are left to fend for themselves on the street due to lack of welfare, orphanages and foster-care (the 2002 movie City of God went into the way of life for these children). Some 2000 years ago, well before the Inca State, the Nazcas were engineering subterranean aqueducts for their civilization to thrive in Peru.

Dotting the surface of these underground aqueducts were dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of spiral-shaped wells known as puquios. Thirty-six of these unique structures still exist today as proof of their intricate hydraulic system, with many still serving as a source of freshwater for the local population.

South American Resources

Large quantities of oil and gas can also be found within South America, Venezuela alone is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of oil and produces up to 135 million tons of oil each year. South America contains about one fifth of the world’s iron ore reserves, the most important beds being in Brazil and Venezuela and Cerro Verde (Peru) is one of the top 5 copper producing mines in the world today. It is for these reasons that Moses said their sandals would be iron and bronze and that Asher would dip his foot in oil. Overall South America is very rich in many mineral resources from the ground, even the Hebrew word for iron is “barazal,” which is very similar to Brazil. It was not lost on the European explorers when first coming into contact with these Natives that there were associations linked to Hebrews according to their customs, language and clothing:

Both the Mexicans and the Peruvians were accustomed to take off their sandals whenever they trod upon holy ground or entered the places of their kings. This agreement is an arbitrary custom between two Indian nations so remote from each other would seem to argue a common acquaintance on their part with the history of God's appearing to Moses in the burning bush, and commanding him to take off his shoes because the place on which he stood was holy … VIII 217
-Lord Kingsborough, Antiquities of Mexico 1830

Inca Kings

It is certainly very extraordinary to find from the "Oronco Illustrated" of Gumilla, and Coreat's Voyages to the West Indies, that Indian nations so remote from each other as those of the Oronco and the tribes who lived on the confines of Peru on the banks the La Plata, as well, as the Chalchaques, a people situated between Peru Tucuman, all used circumcision, and strictly abstained from the flesh of the swine. VI 392

-Lord Kingsborough, Antiquities of Mexico 1830

Machu Picchu (Peru)
- Jewish Expositor and Friend of Israel, Volume V, J. Duncan 1820

More Hebrew Influence in Central/South America

This last journal is very interesting as it talks about the Incas often exclaiming “hallelujah” (meaning praise Yah), using Hebrew lettering, celebrating Jewish festivities as well as bringing up that Mexicans (Issachar) could recount the flood story centuries later in the Americas as it was written by Moses! Jacob had this to say about Asher:

Bread from Asher shall be rich,
And he shall yield royal dainties.

-Genesis 49:20

These dainties (exquisite foods) are never on display more than at festivities, the biggest of them being the South American Carnaval (Mardi Gras) and is highly celebrated throughout Latin America. Carnaval is derived from Latin “carnem levare” meaning ‘removal of flesh.’ The festival ends at the beginning of Lent so there are many meat-free recipes including an abundance of sweet treats and other tasty foods.

Sources:

http://sonsofjacob.com/site-content/the-foundation/item/280-asher

https://lynnesfamilies.wordpress.com/2015/01/16/tongataboo/

http://www.israeliteliving.com/israelites-in-the-new-world

https://www.history.com/topics/inca

https://ancientarchives.wordpress.com/tag/inca-malta/

https://books.google.com/books?id=bZVCAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA88&lpg=PA88&dq=malvenda+natives+observed+a+year+of+jubilee&source=bl&ots=r6MVwp-dMh&sig=SacM8QXG8HsF53WrsaoBZQAkNeU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwig_-e2m73cAhXBA5oKHXjyDoYQ6AEIKTAA#v=onepage&q=malvenda%20natives%20observed%20a%20year%20of%20jubilee&f=false

http://www.beefissuesquarterly.com/beefissuesquarterly.aspx?id=4094

http://www.voyagesphotosmanu.com/mineral_resources_south_america.html

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/top-oil-producing-countries-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean.html

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/89410/a-copper-megamine-in-south-america

https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/climate-weather/blogs/mystery-ancient-nazca-spiral-wells-solved

http://aglobalworld.com/holidays-around-the-world/carnival-south-america/