Native American Mormon Women and the Lamanite Myth - Mormon Stories 1456

Native American Mormon women have long occupied a painful intersection between their tribal heritage and a religious narrative that redefines their ancestry as a divine curse. The Lamanite myth, the teaching that Indigenous peoples of the Americas descend from Book of Mormon peoples cursed with dark skin for wickedness, continues to shape the spiritual lives of Native members today. Recent testimony from the Mormon Stories Podcast reveals how this theology persists not merely as historical footnote but as living doctrine enforced in Primary rooms, missionary discussions, and current Church curriculum.

Historical Background of the Lamanite Identity