With Mormon apoloogist and modern LDS prophets at odds with each other regarding the where abouts and the identity of the Lamanites it is time for the Salamander Society to end all the confusion and speculation. Please enter your stories and comments in the text box below.
Assuming that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book ever published was an accurate history of the Americas I gleefully departed for Washington
D.C. and the museum dedicated to the lives of Lamanites.
In November 2009 I even booked a flight on the official airlines of the Lamanites with headquarters among their own reservations in the south west portion of the Promised Land.
I felt secure as Angel Moroni flying about the heavens with Southwest Airlines's latest flight technology, LIAHONA (Lamanites In Aviation Handling Onboard Navigation Automatically) guiding the pilots.
I was sure that the state-of-the-art museum on all things Lamanite would surely contain many exhibits regarding:
Book of Mormon war and conquest stories where Lamanites actually win most of the battles.
The Indian Student Placement Program as a cultural refinement process for thousands of young Native Americans.
The Lamanite Generation Mormon-multi-media extravaganza.
A scale model of the New Jerusalem in Jackson County, Missouri and it's temple to be built by Lamanites in the last days.
George P. Lee Center for Token Lamanite Leadership Among White and Delightsome General Authorities.
Barge Building Societies who floated from the Middle East to the New World.
Exoneration of Paiute Indians being perpetrators of the Mountain Meadow Massacre by Gordon B Hinckley.
Imagine my surprise when after searching high and low through all four levels of this Smithsonian Museum I could locate not a single subject, person or object with the label "Lamanite."
The Book of Mormon was not only missing but not even mentioned in any of the exhibits.
How could the curators have ignored statements from the true prophets of God on their real identities as Lamanites?
How could the curators overlook the art work of Arnold Friberg depicting their ancestors with such anatomically correct images?
How could the curators have the nerve to officially omit native Hawaiians who descended from the Lamanite Hagoth from the exhibitions?
How could the curators turn down President Thomas S Monson's offered to staff the museum with full time volunteer female Mormon missionaries of dark skin who just may be actual Lamanites themselves?
In March of this year almost two hundred teen-aged Indian boys and girls gathered in Sandy, Utah,in a youth conference of the Indian Student Placement Program of the Church. They represented almost twenty Indian tribes, and they came from reservations spread over a wide area from Mexico on the south to Canada on the north. For the school term they had lived with non-Indian Latter-day Saint foster families throughout Utah and Arizona. The theme of their conference, selected by the students themselves, was "Our History Foretells Our Future."
Those who visited the conference and observed the display of talent and leadership during the two days of activity would have agreed that a brightening future awaits these young people. In many ways they reflect the development and progress which is being achieved to an increasing degree by Indian people throughout the land. In fulfillment of Nephi's prophetic words(see 1 Nephi 15:14-14), the Lamanites in our day are, indeed, being restored to their rightful place in the House of Israel. By their obedience to the principles of the gospel,they are beginning to receive the blessings promised to their ancient fathers.
In devising a theme for their conference, the Indian boys and girls gave recognition to the illustrious history and achievement of their forefathers, recounted in the Book of Mormon. Following the time of the savior's visit to this hemisphere, the Nephite-Lamanite remnant reached a peak of perfection and righteous achievement. Fourth Nephi records: "And it came to pass. . .the people were all converted unto the Lord, upon all the face of the land, both Nephites and Lamanites, and there were no contentions and disputations among them, and every man did deal justly one with another. . . "And now, behold it came to pass that the people of Nephi did wax strong, and did multiply exceedingly fast, and became an exceedingly fair and delightsome people. . . "And there were no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness; and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God. "There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God" (4 Nephi:2,10,16,17).
Today thousands of Lamanites are coming into the Church. More than one hundred Lamanite branches have been organized among the stakes and within the missions. In many of these branches the leadership is provided by the Lamanite members. They are the branch presidents, the teachers, the auxiliary leaders, the music directors. With increasing effectiveness and with characteristic humility and devotion, they are carrying forward the program of the Church. Lives are being transformed. In some cases whole Indian communities are being affected. In the small Paiute Indian settlement near Cedar City, Utah, a beautiful new chapel points its spire to the sky. The building,faced with colorful native stone, is a monument to the dedication and energy of the members of the Cedar Indian Branch. Much of the work on the new chapel was done by the branch members themselves. To provide a lovelier setting for their chapel, the Indian people have undertaken a community improvement project.Homes and outbuildings are being painted;yards are being improved;fence lines and empty lots are being cleared of weeds and debris.A new sense of pride and industry seems to pervade the little community.
The development taking place among these people has been reflected in yet another way. Recently the branch presidency was reorganized, and Franklin Benn, an Indian Elder, was installed as the new president, the first Indian to serve in this capacity since the branch was organized.
A growing number of Indian boys and girls are accepting calls to serve on full-time missions. At the time of this writing there are more than thirty Indian missionaries laboring in the two Indian missions. An added number are serving in other missions throughout the world. The Muddy River Indian Branch in the Moapa Stake, with a membership of fifty-five, has three missionaries in the field. If one were to visit the Pomo Indian branch in the Santa Rosa Stake (California), the Omaha-Winnebago Branch in Nebraska, or the Cattaraugus Branch in New York, he would find capable Indian members serving as Relief Society presidents,Sunday School superintendents, and branch leaders.
More than six thousand Indian boys and girls are attending special Seminary classes which are being conducted across the Nation from New York and North Carolina to California and Oregon. Forty-seven Indian students were enrolled in the Brigham Young University during the 1963-64 school year, and there were hundreds in other institutions of higher learning. But the work is only beginning. Thee is a great deal yet to be done, and all of us share in the responsibility. Brigham Young charged the membership of the church in his day to press forward with the work of redeeming Indian Israel. Speaking to a group of the saints in the Provo area, in 1855, he said, "Now, if this people,male and female, feel to school them (the Indians), spend time and pains to instill into their minds correct principles, to divide land with them. . . and will go to work and restore them to the knowledge of the truth the Lord God will bless them, and they will have nothing to fear. If you live up to this you will rise, while those who do not will go down. If this people will observe this covenant, and follow it one and allÉ.thousands and hundreds of thousands will embrace this gospel, and for ought I know scores of thousands will become members of the Church (J.D. 9:228-229). Nephi, seeing in vision the important role which the non-indian members of the church would have to play in this great latter-day work,said:"And after our seed is scattered the Lord God will proceed to do a marvelous work among the gentiles, which shall be of great worth unto our seed; wheretofore it is likened unto their being nourished by the gentiles and being carried in their arms and upon their shoulders"(Nephi 22:8).
The work in behalf of our Lamanite brothers and sisters must go forward. They have waited long years for their restoration to the blessings of the gospel. The Lord has placed a direct responsibility upon the members of the Church to see that the great work of redemption does not falter. Every Latter-day Saint should be a friend and a champion of the Indian people. We must be certain that blessings are not withheld because of any indifference or intolerance on our part. Our patient labor in behalf of Lehi's seed can help them to reclaim their inheritance in this land.
"And then at that day will they not rejoice and give praise unto their everlasting God, their rock and their salvation? Yea, at that day, will they not receive the strength and nourishment from the true vine? Yea, will they not come unto the true fold of God?
"Behold, I say unto you, Yea; they will be remembered again among the house of Israel; they shall be grafted in, being a natural branch of the olive-tree" (1 Nephi 15:15-16).
"In the small Paiute Indian settlement near Cedar City, Utah, a beautiful new chapel points its spire to the sky. The building,faced with colorful native stone, is a monument to the dedication and energy of the members of the Cedar Indian Branch. Much of the work on the new chapel was done by the branch members themselves. To provide a lovelier setting for their chapel, the Indian people have undertaken a community improvement project.Homes and outbuildings are being painted;yards are being improved;fence lines and empty lots are being cleared of weeds and debris.A new sense of pride and industry seems to pervade the little community."
I loved this little tidbit. I'm from Cedar City and active, Mormon church going Paiutes around here are as scarce as hen's teeth. As far as their community being beautified, maybe they had a brief interest in doing that that faded away or something, but it isn't a shining beacon of humanity now. All the "leadership" at the Paiute branch is white folks who have been taken from the other wards around town. I honestly can't think of a single Paiute who would be "worthy" to be a penishood leader in TSCC (The So-Called Church).
Whatever few Paiute members do attend are probably only attending if they are receiving some kind of assistance from the church or something. If they want to paint some picture that the church is blossoming they are barking up the wrong tree to suggest that the "Lamanites" are coming back and flocking to it. I remember hearing these types of quotes and then taking into consideration what my own eyes were showing me and it caused some pretty severe cog dis. - 11/30/2014 - Funeral Taters
Back when I was still TBM (True Believing Mormon) my wife and I visited the Mayan ruins at Tulum, Mexico. It was a great trip, but that pesky local tour guide said that some people believe that the Native Americans came from Hebrew lineage, but scientists say that the Native Americans came over the land bridge thousands of years ago, and are descendents of Asian people, and even have the Mongloid spot. He even said that he had one when he was little. What a jerk. What did he know about the "true" origins of his people. Poor confused guy.
My anthropology teacher also explained the scientific excuse for North American populations, and how the Mormons believed that there were red and white Jews running around America hundreds of years ago. Well, I set him straight. I wrote a firm letter to him explaining how us Mormons didn't believe the Native Americans were Jews, but definitely Hebrew. He should be respectful in his depiction of these things, because some people believe them.
I hereby officially apologize to the local tour guide and to my anthropology teacher for being the know-it-all that I was. I've been humbled by the truth. - 12/03/2009 - changed Man
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