Who Are The Lamanites?

[_Infymus]

Now that the LDS Corporation has changed the Book of Mormon heading from "the principal ancestors" to "among the ancestors", I wanted to know which of the native Indian tribes from North and South America the LDS Corporation considers as Lamanites.

The 'Limited Geography' Theory, and the claim that Lehites and Mulekites were genetically assimilated into much larger populations of already-long-extant-Asian-immigrants, has NO basis in Mormon scriptures, revelations, or doctrines.

Mormon scriptures, 'revelations' and doctrines -- as continually taught by Joseph Smith himself and by subsequent Mormon prophets/apostles -- all clearly indicate that the Lehite party (and secondarily, the Mulekite party) populated the entire western hemisphere; and it is long-standing Mormon prophetic pronouncement that AmerInds from all over this hemisphere are 'Lamanites', and 'Jews' / Semites.

While the Book of Mormon goes into considerable detail in making explicit mention of encountering the sole survivor of the Jaredites (Coriantumr), and of the Lehite party's descendants encountering the descendants of the parallel-immigrating-Mulekite party, yet the Book of Mormon offers a deafening silence when it comes to these FARMS-purported "much larger populations of Asian-immigrants into which the Lamanites were entirely assimilated." Strange that the Nephites/Lamanites would take the effort to mention so many trivial things in their record (such as the mysteriously disappeared 'cureloms' and 'cumoms'), and yet NEVER make ANY mention of ever having encountered any other 'Outsider' populations throughout the 1,000 year [Lehite] period.....

No, not strange -- because Joseph Smith and subsequent prophets all clearly believed, and taught, that all AmerInds were Lamanite descendants.

FARMS explicit rejection of the "classical view" (namely, hemispheric Jaredite/Lamanite settlement of an empty continent) was necessary in order for Mormon scholars [sic]to have any plausible loophole at all given the current DNA, linguistic, anthropometric, and archeological evidence; now F.A.R.M.S. would hope to have us believe that the classical view was merely 'tradition' or 'Mormon folklore' and never doctrinal, or at least never officially so.

In their frantic, desperate retreat to this last remaining [weak] position on DNA evidence, Mopologists have unwittingly committed the heresy of explicitly repudiating Joseph Smith (and other church presidents) as a Prophet.

But they cannot escape the DNA (or linguistic, or anthropometric) problems with this attempted Houdini maneuver: the paper trail is just too long -- and too damning.

1. JOSEPH SMITH:

A) Joseph Smith described the Book of Mormon as "the history of ancient America . . . from its first settlement by a colony that came from the tower of Babel [the Jaredites]" - see the early Mormon publication, Times and Seasons, (March 1, 1842) III:707.
B) In 1833 Joseph Smith wrote to Rochester, New York, newspaper editor N. C. Saxton that "[t]he Book of Mormon is a record of the forefathers of our western Tribes of Indians... By it we learn that our western tribes of Indians are descendants from that Joseph that was sold into Egypt…"

C) Joseph Smith wrote in the March 1, 1842 Times and Seasons that, ". . . the principal nation of the second race [i.e., the Nephites and Lamanites] fell in battle towards the close of the fourth century [A.D.]. The remnant are the Indians that now inhabit this country."

D) In June 1834, Joseph Smith recounted the discovery of the skeleton of the now-notorious 'Zelph, the white Lamanite' [sic] in a mound in Illinois, referring to "the mounds which had been thrown up by the ancient inhabitants of this country - Nephites, Lamanites, etc., ….subsequently the visions of the past being opened to my understanding by the Spirit of the Almighty, I discovered that the person whose skeleton was before us was a white Lamanite, a large thick-set man, and a man of God. His name was Zelph. He was a warrior and chieftain under the great prophet Onandagus, who was known from the Hill Cumorah, or eastern sea to the Rocky mountains...He was killed in battle by the arrow found among his ribs, during the last struggle of the Lamanites and Nephites." (B. H. Roberts, 'Documentary History of the Church', II:79-80; Manuscript History of the Church, Book A-1:482-83, LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City.)

2. GOD CLEARLY ALSO AGREES THAT TODAY'S NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS ARE LAMANITES (to Joseph Smith, via the Doctrine & Covenants):

a) D&C 3:20
b) D&C 10:48
c) D&C 19:27
d) D&C 28:8-9,14
e) D&C 30:6
f) D&C 32:2
g) D&C 49:24
h) D&C 54:8
i) D&C 57:4 (See also the heading information for this section, which provides contextual expansion.)
j) D&C 101:70-71
k) D&C 109:65-66.

3. The Book of Mormon:

A) The Introduction to the Book of Mormon explains that the Lamanites, the last surviving Book of Mormon people, are "the principal ancestors of the American Indians." [Note: This line was inserted by a 3-man committee of modern-day Apostles: McConkie, Monson, Packer. I guess they don't know their own church's doctrine as well as FARMS does???] THIS HAS NOW BEEN CHANGED!

B) The Jaredites came "into that quarter where there never had man been." (Ether 2:5) The Nephites likewise came to a land "kept from all other nations" (II Nephi 1:9-11).

C) The footnotes of the editions of the Book of Mormon from 1876-1921 indicate Lehi & company landed in Chile; the description of Helaman 3:8 is explicated in the [officially sanctioned] footnotes in editions of the Book of Mormon from 1880-1920: "And it came to pass that they [the Nephites] did multiply and spread, and did go forth from the land [g] southward to the land [h] northward, and did spread insomuch that they began to cover the face of the whole earth, from the sea [i] south, to the sea [j] north, from the sea [k] west, to the sea [l] east." The footnotes provide the following identifications of these lands and bodies of water: "g, South America. h, North America. i, Atlantic, south of Cape Horn. j, Arctic, north of North America. k, Pacific. l, Atlantic."

These footnotes indicate the official Church interpretation of Helaman 3:8 was that the Lamanites/Nephites covered BOTH continents of the entire western hemisphere.

4. THE APOSTLES & PROPHETS OF THE LDS CHURCH HAVE BEEN CONTINUALLY TEACHING THE CLASSICAL / HEMISPHERIC DOCTRINE SINCE 1830:

See the excellent article compiled by Kevin Mathie - with extensive documentation - titled "Who Are the Lamanites?" at http://home.comcast.net/~zarahemla/lamanites.pdf

5. OTHER OFFICIAL CHURCH SOURCES:

A) Prophet-to-be Joseph Fielding Smith, while an Apostle in the Quorum of the Twelve (and official church historian), published: "Within recent years there has arisen among certain students of the Book of Mormon a theory to the effect that within the period covered by the Book of Mormon, the Nephites and Lamanites were confined almost within the borders of the territory comprising Central America and the southern portion of Mexico; the Isthmus of Tehuantepec probably being the "narrow neck" of land spoken of in the Book of Mormon rather than the Isthmus of Panama...This modernistic theory of necessity, in order to be consistent, must place the waters of Ripliancum and the Hill Cumorah some place within the restricted territory of Central America, notwithstanding the teachings of the Church to the contrary for upwards of 100 years... In the light of revelation it is absurd for anyone to maintain that the Nephites and Lamanites did not possess this northern land... In the face of this evidence coming from the Prophet Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer, we cannot say that the Nephites and Lamanites did not possess the territory of the United States and that the Hill Cumorah is in Central America." ('The Deseret News', Church Section, Feb. 27, 1954, pp. 2-3).

B) In the book Gospel Principles -- the Church's own official handbook of basic doctrine: "The Lamanites Will Become a Great People - The Lord said that when his coming was near, the Lamanites would become a righteous and respected people. He said, 'Before the great day of the Lord shall come, . . . the Lamanites shall blossom as the rose' (D&C 49:24). Great numbers of Lamanites in North and South America and the South Pacific are now receiving the blessings of the gospel."

C) In General Conference, 1960 (and the ensuing published official Conference Reports), Spencer W. Kimball said: "I saw a striking contrast in the progress of the Indian people today.... The day of the Lamanites is nigh. For years they have been growing delightsome, and they are now becoming white and delightsome, as they were promised. In this picture of the twenty Lamanite missionaries, fifteen of the twenty were as light as Anglos, five were darker but equally delightsome The children in the home placement program in Utah are often lighter than their brothers and sisters in the hogans on the reservation. At one meeting a father and mother and their sixteen-year-old daughter were present, the little member girl--sixteen--sitting between the dark father and mother, and it was evident she was several shades lighter than her parents--on the same reservation, in the same hogan, subject to the same sun and wind and weather....These young members of the Church are changing to whiteness and to delightsomeness."

D) Here's a listing of articles published in the Ensign -- many of which were written / spoken by General Authorities (some were First Presidency Messages); all of which were approved by Apostles and Prophets -- that clearly refer to modern Indians of various specific tribes of North / Central / South Aamerica, as being LAMANITES......

from: "A SPECIAL LAMANITE ISSUE" (July 1971)

'The Lamanites (Introduction)', Ensign, July 1971, 5

Spencer W. Kimball, 'Of Royal Blood', Ensign, July 1971, 7 - adapted from an address delivered at the Lamanite Youth Conference in Salt Lake City on April 24, 1971. (Peter MacDonald, chairman of the Navajo Tribal Council, was also one of the speakers at the conference.)

M. Dallas Burnett, 'Lamanites and the Church', Ensign, July 1971, 11 (Associate Editor)

Lawrence E. Cummins, 'Hope for the American Indian?' Ensign, July 1971, 14 (Editorial Associate)

LeRoi Smith, 'The Vanished American', Ensign, July 1971, 20

Barbara Tietjen Jacobs, 'Awakening Guatemala', Ensign, July 1971, 24

'People and Places', New Era, Aug. 1971, 46 ["From the ends of the Western Hemisphere they came to Salt Lake City, Church headquarters, for the All-Lamanite Youth Conference."]

Harold Brown, 'What Is a Lamanite?' Ensign, Sept. 1972, 62

'L Is for Indian - And Other Family Projects', Ensign, Aug. 1973, 63

'News of the Church: Lamanite Self-Help Programs: A Status Report', Ensign, Sept. 1973, 88

'A Conversation with Dallin H. Oaks, President of Brigham Young University', Ensign, Oct. 1975, 17

ANOTHER 'SPECIAL LAMANITE ISSUE' (December 1975)

Spencer W. Kimball, 'Our Paths Have Met Again', Ensign, Dec. 1975, 2 (First Presidency Message)

Dean L. Larsen, 'Mingled Destinies: The Lamanites and the Latter-day Saints', Ensign, Dec. 1975, 8

'The Church in the Lamanite World: Scanning the Special Programs Created to Meet Lamanite Needs', Ensign, Dec. 1975, 16

Lane Johnson, 'When Schools Are Few', Ensign, Dec. 1975, 20 (Assistant Editor)

Chris L. Jones, 'Seminary for Six-Year-Olds', Ensign, Dec. 1975, 21

Harold C. Brown, 'Learning the Best of Both Worlds' Cultures', Ensign, Dec. 1975, 22

Janice Clark, 'Combating the Life-Shorteners', Ensign, Dec. 1975, 24 (Assistant Editor)

Jerry Lee Turley, 'I Saw My Counselors Walk In', Ensign, Jan. 1976, 55

President Spencer W. Kimball, 'A Report and a Challenge', Ensign, Nov. 1976, 4 [Friday Morning Conference Session, October 1, 1976] see: "Lamanite Work - Our Lamanite work has been going forward. The American Indians…"

Max H Parkin, 'Missouri's Impact on the Church', Ensign, Apr. 1979, 57 [refers to D&C revelations: "the border of the Lamanite" ] These particular Lamanites happened to be Delaware and Shawnee tribes.

President Spencer W. Kimball, 'The Uttermost Parts of the Earth', Ensign, July 1979, 2

Victor L. Brown, 'Blessing the One', Ensign, Nov. 1979, 88 Presiding Bishop [Welfare Session of General Conference]

Gene R. Cook, 'Miracles among the Lamanites', Ensign, Nov. 1980, 67

Marvin K. Gardner, 'Taking the Church Anywhere', Ensign, June 1981, 38 (Assistant Editor)

'News of the Church', Ensign, Oct. 1984, 75 - Temple in Dallas Means Blessings for Southwestern Saints - During the post-Civil War period, missionaries were at work throughout the South and Southwest. Early missionary work in Oklahoma was done while it was part of the Indian Territory Mission; at first, missionaries worked among Lamanites, then later among white settlers.

Neal A. Maxwell, 'In Memorium - Spencer, the Beloved: Leader-Servant', Ensign, Dec. 1985, 8

Dallin H. Oaks, 'Priesthood Blessings' Ensign, May 1987, 36 Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles [Priesthood Session 4 April 1987] refers to the 1866 Black Hawk War in Orson F. Whitney's "Life of Heber C. Kimball, an Apostle" 2d ed., Salt Lake City: Stevens and Wallis, 1945, p. 429).

'News of the Church: Celebrating the Sesquicentennial' Ensign, Oct. 1997, 73 Native American Conference - A one-day conference for Native Americans was held on 25 July in Provo, Utah. Between 400 and 500 people attended, representing tribes from across the United States. Attending: Elders M. Russell Ballard and Jeffrey R. Holland....

Ronald W. Walker, 'We Must Keep One Another', Ensign, June 2001, 44 - Brigham Young & members of the Otoes, Potawatomi, and Omaha tribes

E) And don't forget BYU's long-running 'LAMANITE GENERATION' Program:

'News of the Church', Ensign, Sept. 1982, 77 Group Makes Friends in China - Members of the Lamanite Generation include Indians from areas of North America, natives or descendants of natives of the Pacific isles, and representatives from Mexican and South American cultures.

'News of the Church', Ensign, Sept. 1983, 78 Lamanite Generation Tours Latin America - Lamanite to Lamanite…. From Lima, Peru, to Mexico City, from Ecuador to Bolivia to Brazil, … The Lamanite Generation…. perform traditional and modern arrangements of music and dance native to their cultures. [photo] Dancers from BYU's Lamanite Generation perform the Plains Indian Hoop Dance. [photo] Elouise Curley, a Navajo member of BYU's Lamanite Generation, meets a Bolivian child at a La Paz rehabilitation center.

Jayne B. Malan, 'Janie Thompson', Ensign, Mar. 1986, 32 ['Lamanite Generation' - Indian Program] - It was organized in 1971 as part of a missionary effort for the Southwest Indian Mission…

'News of the Church', Ensign, Nov. 1992, 110 Lamanite Generation Performs in Spain - "....a twist on the 500th anniversary of Columbus's arrival in the Americas. While the famous navigator traveled from Spain to a New World and encountered Indians, the Lamanite Generation traveled from the New World to discover the land of Columbus."

See a lot more: http://www.mormoncurtain.com/topic_lamanites.html

[_Polygamy Porter]

It appears the Book of Mormon is going through the same thing as the Book of Abraham did when the Joseph Smith papyri were rediscovered.

The DNA and all of the research around it appear to be having the same affect on the Book of Mormon as the papyri did on the Book of Abraham.

Soon they will completely abandon all theories surrounding how it came about and say that it has some good ideas in it and that if you feel good reading it and if Casper the friendly garment wearing ghost strokes you with his warm fuzzy, then that is all that matters.

Thanks again Infymus, the work on your website is superb!

[_karl61]

They are over on the east side of Africa - DNA links a tribe there with the priestly coen tribe. But someone forgot to put it down on plates and now look what happen. Who goofed - I've got to know!

[_The Dude]

...I wanted to know which of the native Indian tribes from North and South America the LDS Corporation considers as Lamanites.

A TBM shared this opinion me:

Remember the concept that the "Lamanites are to blossom like a rose" - tie into this all the efforts the Church has made to try to help the North American indian blossom - e.g., the Church Indian Placement Program, et.al. Well Mexico, Central and South America, and Polynesia have blossomed like a whole garden (!), but to my knowledge all the efforts with the North American indians has produced little change in Church membership there and little change in the North American indians as a people. Even before the questions of DNA and Nephite geographical locations, I had wondered [doubted] if the North American indian was part of the "Lamanites" because of their lack of progress in the face of so much opportunity and effort (not only LDS Church) on their behalf.

Which leads me to ask: what about all the gambling casinos? That's gotta count for some kind of blossoming. ;)

[_moksha]

Without confusing the issue, the Laminates are descendants of the Cedars of Lebanon and the legendary North American Epoxy.

[_Ray A]

Infy, thanks for your post. Do you have anything else to prove/add? I'm all ears.

Are Lamanites anything to termites? Just wondering.

[_Wilma Fingerdoo]

Infy, thanks for your post. Do you have anything else to prove/add? I'm all ears.

Are Lamanites anything to termites? Just wondering.

If they are anything like crabs I know where to find them. I'm sure Joseph's Myth knew where to find them to since he was known to sleep around abit.

[Guest]

Nice work, Infymus. Ad nausium too. Very nice work.

8 But wo, saith the Father, unto the unbelieving of the Gentiles—for notwithstanding they have come forth upon the face of this land, and have scattered my people who are of the house of Israel; and my people who are of the house of Israel have been cast out from among them, and have been trodden under feet by them;
9 And because of the mercies of the Father unto the Gentiles, and also the judgments of the Father upon my people who are of the house of Israel, verily, verily, I say unto you, that after all this, and I have caused my people who are of the house of Israel to be smitten, and to be afflicted, and to be slain, and to be cast out from among them, and to become hated by them, and to become a hiss and a byword among them—

(Book of Mormon | 3 Nephi 16:8 - 9)


If the Book of Mormon Lehites and the Native American Indian are not one in the same, we have a fiction.

[_Inconceivable]

14 And the Father (Mormon God) hath commanded me (Mormon Jesus) that I should give unto you (the Lehites) this land (America), for your (the Lehite's) inheritance.
15 And I say unto you, that if the Gentiles do not repent after the blessing which they shall receive, after they have scattered my people—
16 Then shall ye, who are a remnant of the house of Jacob (the Lehites), go forth among them; and ye shall be in the midst of them who shall be many; and ye shall be among them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, and as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he goeth through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

(Book of Mormon | 3 Nephi 20:14 - 16)

Who (from where?) is going to tear whom to pieces?

Perhaps we would have greater success in discovering a Lamanite if we were to look in our children's closets or under their beds after an inappropriate bedtime story.

[_truth dancer]

Let me see if I get this right...

because of the mercies of the Father unto the Gentiles, and also the judgments of the Father upon my people who are of the house of Israel, verily, verily, I say unto you, that after all this, and I have caused my people who are of the house of Israel to be smitten, and to be afflicted, and to be slain, and to be cast out from among them, and to become hated by them, and to become a hiss and a byword among them—

Because God is merciful to the Gentiles, and because of the judgment of God toward the Native Americans/Lamanites, Jesus CAUSED the slaughter of the Native Americans... he CAUSED them to be cast out, hated, to be a hiss and a byword.

If nothing else I suppose this God is consistent... killing and destroying those he didn't like.

;-)

~dancer~