Historical Relationship Between Mormons and Native American Tribes

LDS Perspective

The historical relationship between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Native American tribes is deeply rooted in the scriptural and prophetic teachings of the Book of Mormon. Early Latter-day Saints believed that Native Americans were descendants of the peoples described in the Book of Mormon—specifically, the Lamanites—and thus shared a covenant heritage connecting them to ancient Israel. This belief was not merely a cultural assumption but was grounded in revealed scripture. As the Book of Mormon itself records, the Lamanites are a remnant of the house of Israel, and the Lord promised to remember the covenant He made with their fathers (see 2 Nephi 29:13–14; 3 Nephi 20:29). Consequently, early Church members felt a sacred obligation to bring the message of the Book of M

Historical Perspective

# The Historical Relationship Between Mormons and Native American Tribes The Mormon relationship with Native Americans was fundamentally shaped by the theological framework of the Book of Mormon, which identified Indigenous peoples as "Lamanites"—descendants of ancient Israelites who had been cursed with dark skin for their transgression. Book of Mormon, Alma 3:6, states that "the skins of the Lamanites [Native Americans] were dark, according to the mark which was set upon their fathers, which was a curse upon them because of their transgression." This doctrine established a religious rationale for viewing Native Americans as a "fallen" people who needed conversion and, according to early Mormon teachings, would literally become "white and delightsome" upon embracing the gospel (Book of M