Book of Mormon/Lamanites/Relationship to Polynesians

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Relationship to Polynesians

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• Polynesians as descendants of the Lamanites in the Book of Mormon
• Statements from Church leaders about Polynesian origins/identity

Book of Mormon/Lamanites/Relationship to Polynesians

Statements from Church leaders about Polynesian origins/identity

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• 1959: "There are probably sixty million of you on the two continents and on the Pacific Islands, all related by blood ties. The Lord calls you 'Lamanites'"
• 1962: "As Latter-day Saints we have always believed that the Polynesians are descendants of Lehi"
• 1971: "The term Lamanite includes all Indians and Indian mixtures, such as the Polynesians, the Guatemalans, the Peruvians, as well as the Sioux, the Apache, the Mohawk, the Navajo, and others"
• 1984: "It has been the position of the Church that Polynesians are related to the American Indians as descendants of Father Lehi"

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Source(s) of the criticism

Critical sources

John Dehlin, "Why People Leave the LDS Church," (2008). Simon Southerton, Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church (Salt Lake City, UT: Signature Books, 2004) 37–39, Chapter 4. ( Index of claims )