Hagoth: He Being an Exceedingly Curious Man

Ashly Weight has always been fascinated with the story of Hagoth in the Book of Mormon. In the last chapter of Alma it says that Hagoth was a curious man who built large ships. The last line written about him and the people he sailed with says this: “and it came to pass that they were never heard of more. And we suppose that they were drowned in the depths of the sea.” That's all it says. So, you might ask, what really happened to the people of Hagoth? Modern prophets have hinted that the people of Hagoth may be among the principle ancestors of New Zealand, where the artist served her mission. In the dedicatory prayer for the Hamilton New Zealand temple, David O. McKay spoke about the people of Hagoth and their eventual settlement in New Zealand. Ashly was so impressed when she first landed in New Zealand, that she wanted to depict how awe-inspiring it must have been for the people of Hagoth to land in such a beautiful place. 

Ashly Weight is from Kansas City Missouri, and has been painting for her whole life. Her grandma is a painter, and remembers fondly spending Sunday afternoons sitting on the couch with her grandmother watching Bob Ross. She loves trying new things with her painting, and depicting what she sees in her mind, especially as she reads the Book of Mormon. 

Submitted to the 2020 Book of Mormon Central Art Contest.