Mormon and Native American Relations: History, Beliefs, and Legacy

LDS Perspective

From the earliest days of the Restoration, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have maintained a distinctive theological relationship with Native American peoples based on Book of Mormon teachings. Published in 1830—the same year as the Indian Removal Act—the Book of Mormon provided early Saints with a perspective that viewed American Indians as descendants of ancient Israelite peoples (specifically the Lamanites) who possessed a covenant heritage connecting them to God's promises. This belief instilled a profound sense of obligation to share the gospel, leading to immediate missionary efforts. Within months of the Church's organization, missionaries journeyed to Indian Territory, where Parley P. Pratt and Oliver Cowdery presented the Book of Mormon to Delaware (Lena

Historical Perspective

The relationship between Mormons and Native American tribes has been fundamentally shaped by the Book of Mormon narrative identifying Indigenous peoples as "Lamanites"—descendants of ancient Israelites cursed with dark skin for transgression. This theological framework established a paternalistic and colonial dynamic from the religion's inception. According to Book of Mormon passages cited in LDS materials, "the skins of the Lamanites were dark, according to the mark which was set upon their fathers, which was a curse upon them because of their transgression" (Alma 3:6). Joseph Smith received a revelation in 1831—recorded in an 1861 letter from W.W. Phelps to Brigham Young—instructing Mormons to "take unto you wives of the Lamanites and Nephites, that their posterity may become white, deli