Lamanites

“ It has been remarked that it costs a great deal to keep the Lamanites, and who does not know that everything costs a good deal in this kingdom? Have you not tithed your whole substance, your flocks and herds and all your possessions? Have not the Gentiles robbed you and spoiled you of every thing you possessed? ”

“ Lamanites who remained in the far south paid more attention to civilized pursuits than has usually been accredited to them, and the remarks of the Book of Mormon concerning the Lamanites being an idle people, living upon the fruits of the chase, and their marauding excursions into Nephite lands are to be more especially applied to those Lamanites more immediately in contact with the Nephites, while further southward they were pursuing the arts of peace. ”

“ The people obeyed their king's command, and with their wives and children fled into the wilderness. But the forces of the Lamanites, unencumbered by women and children, soon overtook them. Then the coward king commanded the men to continue their flight and leave their wives and children to the mercy of the enemy. Some obeyed and fled, others would not, but preferred to stay and perish with those to whom they were the natural protectors. Those who stayed, in the agony of their terror when the Lamanites drew near, sent their fair daughters to plead with their enemies for their lives. ”

“ The Lamanites were now rulers of the western world, their traditional enemies being utterly destroyed. But they did not cultivate peace; no sooner were the Nephites obliterated, than they commenced fighting among themselves. The lonely Moroni, the last of the Nephites, tells us, A. C. 400, that the Lamanites are at war one with another; and the face of the land is one continued round of murder and bloodshed; and no man knoweth the end of the war. And again, yet later, he writes: Their wars are exceeding fierce among themselves. ”

“ Do we wish to do right? You answer, yes. Then let the Lamanites come back to their homes, where they were born and brought up. This is the land that they and their fathers have walked over and called their own; and they have just as good a right to call it theirs to-day as any people have to call any land their own. ”

“ But on the other hand, the Lamanites, because of the hardness of their hearts, brought down many judgments upon their own heads. Nevertheless, they were not destroyed as a nation, but the Lord God sent forth a curse upon them, and they became a dark, loathsome, and filthy people. Before their rebellion, they were white and exceedingly fair, like the Nephites, but the Lord God cursed them in their complexions, and they were changed to a dark color, and they became a wild, savage, and ferocious people, being great enemies to the Nephites, whom they south by every means to destroy. ”

“ And it came to pass that the Lamanites did flee again before them, towards the land of Manti; and they were met again by the armies of Moroni. -- Now in this case, the Lamanites did fight exceedingly; yea, never had the Lamanites been known to have fought with such exceeding great strength and courage; no, not even from the beginning; and they were inspired by the Zoramites, and the Amalekites, which were their Chief Captains and leaders, and by Zerahemnah, who was their Chief Captain, or their chief leader and commander; yea, they did fight like dragons ”

“ LAMANITES, THE. The people who, in connection with their kindred, the Nephites, occupied the American continent from about B. C. 590 to A. C. 385, in which latter year they destroyed the Nephites and remained possessors of the entire land. The American Indians are their degraded descendants. These people were of Hebrew origin, being members of the half tribe of Manasseh, and are called Lamanites, from Laman, the eldest son of Lehi, who was the leading spirit in the events that led to their separation from the Nephites and their formation as a distinct people. ”

“ I thought by now I would have been killed by the Lamanites.
But I have survived by hiding from them. Their wars among themselves are very fierce, and because of their hatred, they kill every Nephite that will not deny Christ. I will not deny Him, so I go wherever I can to save my life.
Since I am still alive, I will engrave a few more words that may perhaps be of worth to my brethren, the Lamanites, in some future day, according to the Lord's will. ”

“ The Lamanites, who are also cursed, but who are not sinful like you, will destroy you. Unless you repent, the Lamanites will soon possess the land of your inheritance and the Lord will lead the righteous out from among you. ”

“ Now it was the practice of the Lamanites, to stand by the waters of Sebus, to scatter the flocks of the people, that thereby they might drive away many that were scattered, unto their own land, it being a practice of plunder among them.
And it came to pass that king Lamoni inquired of his servants, saying: Where is this man that hath such great power? ”

“ They led in the massacres of the Christian Lamanites or people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi; and in later years the Lamanite generals were in the habit of placing them in high command in their armies, because of their greater force of character, their intense hatred to their former brethren, and their more wicked and murderous disposition. ”

“ And behold, we at this time do pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites, to the amount of one half of our corn, and our barley, and even all our grain of every kind, and one half of the increase of our flocks and our herds; and even one half of all we have or possess the king of the Lamanites doth exact of us, or our lives. ”

“ The Lamanites had compassion on the people, being charmed by their beautiful women. But the Lamanites still captured them and forced them to return to the land of Nephi. They allowed them to keep their lands on two conditions.
1. They had to bring King Noah to them. 2. They had to pay an annual 50% tribute to the Lamanite king ...half of everything they owned, and half of what they would produce each year. Among Noah's captured sons was Limhi. He didn't want his father to die, but being a just man himself, he knew his father had been sinful. ”

“ And Alma returned and said unto them: Behold, the Lamanites will cross the river Sidon in the south wilderness, away up beyond the borders of the land of Manti. And behold there shall ye meet them, on the east of the river Sidon, and there the Lord will deliver unto thee thy brethren who have been taken captive by the Lamanites. ”

“ They fell on the Lamanite rear with a daring and miraculous strength, possessed only by men who put their whole trust in God. Thus attacked in the rear, the Lamanites immediately halted, changed front, and threw their whole force against the Ammonites. The surviving officers of Antipus' army, finding that Helaman had come to their rescue, stopped their retreat, reorganized their scattered bands, and renewed the attack. The Lamanites were compelled to succumb; they could not resist the desperate courage of the Nephites that was driving them in at both front and rear. ”

“ The aggressive Lamanites were constantly crowding upon them, ravaging their more remote districts, entrapping and enslaving the inhabitants of the outlying settlements, driving off their flocks and herds, and keeping them in a constant state of anxiety and dread, which hindered their progress and stayed the growth of the work of God. The Lord therefore led them to a land of peace.
Again, this course of events, continued for so long a period, had caused much hard-heartedness and stiff-neckedness in the midst of the Nephites. Some of the people had remained righteous, some had grown very wicked. ”

“ Using great energy, I urged my people to stand boldly before them and fight for their wives, children and homes. My words aroused them enough to keep them from running away from the Lamanites, and they stood boldly against them.
Our army of 30,000 fought the Lamanite army of 50,000 so firmly that they ran from us. We chased them, met them again, and beat them. But the Lord's strength was not with us, for His Spirit was not in us, and we had become weak like our brethren, the Lamanites. ”

“ By doing this, the Lamanite strongholds from the eastern wilderness to the west were cut off. The border between the Nephites and Lamanites, which ran from west to east, south of Zarahemla, was now completely controlled by the Nephites. The Nephites possessed all the northern land and also all the land north of the land of Bountiful.
Moroni's armies grew larger every day because the men felt assured of protection within all the fortifications. Moroni and his armies weakened the Lamanites and cut them off from the Nephite lands in the north. ”

“ That was one of the hardest missions ever undertaken by mortal man. The Lamanites in Nephi and surrounding places were a wild and wicked people. They took delight in murdering the Nephites and in stealing their property. They knew nothing concerning the true God, but worshiped idols. The Lord, however, had made a promise to the Lamanites that, through repentance, they would be blessed and given a knowledge of the true plan of salvation. ”

“ The more degraded portions of the race wandered in the vast wilderness, dwelling in tents, and subsisting on what they killed in the chase or stole. The more civilized Lamanites resided in cities, were wealthy in cattle, and followed the occupations general among semi-civilized races.
Lamoni was rich in flocks and herds, probably the results of the taxation of the people, but even the king's property was not secure from theft. ”

“ Then, coming from the north side of Riplah Hill, the Lamanite army passed by the hill, and came into the valley where part of Moroni's army was hiding. As they passed through the valley and began to cross the Sidon River, part of Moroni's army, led by Lehi, attacked the Lamanites from behind.
When the Lamanites saw the Nephites coming from behind, they turned and fought Lehi's army. Men on both sides died, but it was more dreadful for the Lamanites. Their bare skin was exposed to the heavy blows of the Nephite swords and scimitars, which brought death at almost every stroke. ”

“ They have buried their weapons deep in the earth because they love their brethren.
Has there ever been such great love in all the land? No, not even among the Nephites, for they would take up arms against their brethren and not allow themselves to be killed.
But over 1,000 Lamanites have laid down their lives. And we know they have gone to their God because of their love for their brothers and their hatred of sin.
Do we have great reason to rejoice? Yes, since the world began, no men have ever had greater reason to rejoice than we! ”

“ They have come to battle against us for years, but our kings and leaders have been mighty men in the faith of the Lord, who have taught the people His ways. This is why we have been able to repel the Lamanites and force them out of our lands. We have also fortified our cities and lands of inheritance against their attacks. ”

“ He permitted great afflictions to come upon them as punishment for their sins and to teach them to be humble and to live good lives.
As the years went by, the Lamanites treated the Nephites more cruelly. They made them go out and work in their fields, carry heavy burdens, and when they complained, the Lamanites beat them and told them to remember they were their servants.
There was a man reigning as king over the Nephites at that time, whose name was Limhi. He was the grandson of Zeniff. It made him feel very bad to look upon the afflictions of his people. ”