[Apostle Wilford Woodruff Journal] 20 I had an Interview with ... three Lamanite Elders who had Come to get their Endowment in the Temple. Their Names were Charoquis Erastus (Son in Law to the Chief Ivan Lot of the Maricopa tribe) Also Nephi Montano, & Peblo Flores. Charoquis Erastus is an Elder & a vary intelligent man. He speaks the English Spanish & several Indian tongue. He has visited New York Boston, Philadelphia, Washington & Salt Lake. He was the leading Scout under Crook in the late Apache war. He has a great desire for the Conversion of his tribe & the Pimos and wished to go and labor among them as a Missionary. The Mariacopes & Pimos number over 40,000 and all seem ready to receive the gospel. I ordained Charoquis Erastus a seventy I think the first Lamanite ordained to that office in the Church.
These Lamanites all received their Endowments. Were much pleased and deeply interested. There is also 40,000 of the Papagoes and all looking to the Latter Day Saints for Council.
[Source: Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]
"Crook" was General George R. Crook.
ReplyDelete"the late Apache war" was "Geronimo's War" of 1882-1886.
ReplyDeleteThe Pima (of Gila River), the Pima-Maricopa (of Salt River), and the Papago (now called Tohono-O'Odham) all have reserves today in Southern Arizona.
ReplyDeletePer 1990 population data, Pima = 11,000; Pima-Maricopa = 4618; and Tohono O'Odham = 17,704.
Source for comment #3: Native American Directory, published Jan.1996 by National Native American Cooperative, San Carlos, Arizona.
ReplyDeleteWhen the future full-blooded American Indian Moses (aka, The Choice Seer written about in 2nd Nephi, chapter 3, and many other places in the KJV Bible and BOM) comes forth on this land of the USA in the not-too-distant future, then will ALL American Indians (North, Central, and South America) be looking to him for counsel and leadership. But first he will be baptized and confirmed into The Church of Jesus Christ (WHQ: Monongahela, Pennsylvania) and then the mighty power of God will fall upon him, and be in him.
ReplyDelete