The Book of Mohmeht Ahkehkt

[NARRATOR — SPOKEN VOICE ONLY] [DO NOT SING] Today we continue through the Nemenhah Sacred Records with The Book of Mohmeht Ahkehkt, son of Maymihts Ahkehkt. Thirty-seven years had passed since the people left Maynteenah. Their old city was gone. But the Way of the Peacemaker was not. At Mihnihsahohrit, the people had begun again. They built homes. They planted crops. They continued their sacred ordinances and celebrations. And as their community grew, they faced an important question. How should Zion be governed? The answer found in Mohmeht's record is remarkable. The people gathered in council... and they called upon the Mothers to make an election. The Mothers nominated those who might serve. Then... the people elected them. And look at the people chosen for the council. A potter. A fisher. A weaver. A husbandman. Healers. Hunters. Carpenters. Craftsmen. These were not professional rulers. They were ordinary people whose work already served the community. Then the people called Mohmeht Ahkehkt to serve as Tiwehkthihmpt and Talking Feather of the council. Notice the pattern. The Mothers nominated. The people elected. The council served. And the Talking Feather did not become a king. He became another steward. That may be one of the great lessons of Mohmeht's record. Zion is not built through power over others. It is built through service to one another. Their communities were intentionally kept small enough that the land would not be overburdened. Families worked. Children were taught. Records were preserved. Strangers were welcomed. Differences were settled in council. And each person contributed according to his or her gifts. The potter made vessels. The fisher brought food. The farmer worked the earth. The healer cared for the sick. The carpenter built. The Mothers counseled. The record keeper remembered. Everyone had a stewardship. And together... they built Zion. But Mohmeht's story also carries a warning. Whenever people forgot the Way... whenever they stopped listening to counsel... whenever pride replaced stewardship... trouble followed. So the answer was not simply better government. The answer was always the same. Return to the Peacemaker. Teach the children. Preserve the records. Care for the land. Listen to one another. Serve rather than rule. And remember that Zion is not something one powerful person builds for everybody else. Zion is something we build together. [MUSIC GENTLY BUILDS] [BEGIN SINGING — VERY SHORT] We walk the Way... We love the good... Hand in hand... As Zion should... Serve one another... Peace our guide... Peacemaker... Walk beside. [END]