HV/Series/Episode/ Work by: Scott Carrier · Kate Davidson · Jeff Rice
Hearing Voices from NPR®
110 Mormon Fringe: Life with Latter Day Saints
Host: Barrett Golding of Hearing Voices
Airs week of: 2011-02-16
“Mormon Fringe” (52:00 mp3):
Polygamists, Polynesians, and Indian Israelites:
Mormons believe Native Americans are descendants of the ancient House of Israel. It’s a Mormon mission to bring them back to the Kingdom of God. So they brought children, mostly Navajo, from their reservation homes, and placed them in Mormon foster families across the West. From 1954 to 1996, more than 20,000 kids went through the Indian Student Placement Program. Producer Kate Davidson spent a year interviewing people about their experiences. Her story, edited by Deb George, ran on the Worlds of Difference series from Homeland Productions.
“Take the road toward the top secret army base. Go past Muskrat Spring until you get near Salt Mountain.” A statue of a Hawaiian chief overlooks the Utah desert, with a plaque reading: “Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono. Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono,” the motto of the kingdom of Hawaii: “The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.” A tale of two states, lost tribes, and the Polynesians of Skull Valley who named their town, Iosepa, after Joseph Smith III.
Members of the polygymous True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days were excommunicated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, not for plural marriage, but because the TLC called the LDS elders the agents of Satan. Then the sect split again, over how many wives can be in a husband’s bed. Scott Carrier spends time in the Last Days of Manti, Utah. Produced for This American Life “Factions.”
This gem was found and put online by the 365 Days Project.
Above TLC store photo: John Hamer.
“Efy Medley: As Sisters in Zion & We’ll Bring the World His Truth” Music « Michael R. Hicks Youth Choir (written by Janice Kapp Perry):
[…] hope you get a chance to hear this week’s Hearing Voices broadcast from NPR. It features a beautiful, unnarrated story by Kate Davidson about a program of […]
[…] hope you get a chance to hear this week’s Hearing Voices broadcast from NPR. It features a beautiful, unnarrated story by Kate Davidson about a program of […]
[…] hv110-mormon-fringeThanks to DMF to giving me a link to a fascinating interview from the Hearing voices series of NPR. What immediatley struck me is how Mormon attitudes to Native Americans are so quintessentially a product of 19th century attitudes towards Native Americans that saw them as “homeric children” that needed to be re-made into white people. Sad, but true. LikeBe the first to like this post. […]
people who believe in atrocious things are capable of committing atrocities. I hope law enforcement is keeping an eye on these fanatics.
This is such a sad story. The disgusting arrogance of these religious fanatics looking down on the Indians – the Laminites ?? really? How many times will the American Indian be victimized and brutalized by the white man!? How does one live in (2) worlds? Telling the children to go to church – don’t go to any ceremonies – really??
There is so much more to the LDS faith!!! If interested, visit mormon.org –get it directly from the source!:) What better way to discern the truth about the peculiar Mormons who belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and their faith than to talk to the LDS Missionaries. The Missionaries are there to answer questions and bring others unto Christ by helping them receive the restored Gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Honestly, if you have questions contact the Missionaries in you area!!! I don’t know of any better way to get questions answered than from people who are members of the LDS faith! There’s got to be a reason missionaries leave everything to spend two years teaching what they have found, for themselves, to be true….
hanna, just because you subscribe to a particular superstition, doesn’t make it “true” a mormon is the LAST person i would ask about mormonism. they have drank the kool aid, swallowed the pill, bought the farm and what ever other cliche you can think of for basically being brainwashed and free of all reason.
Pretty awesome and balanced program about the placement program, and the fundamentalists.
I loved the personal stories. I found them amazing. Life sure is complex.
Leave a comment: