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Hawaiian Latter-day Saints in the Utah Desert: The Negotiation of Identity at Iosepa

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Abstract

From 1889 to 1917, Pacific Islander (mostly Hawaiian) converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints lived, worked, and worshipped at Iosepa, a remote desert settlement in Utah’s Skull Valley. An examination of the settlement’s design and layout, together with an analysis of petroglyphs at the site, reveals ways this religious community actively negotiated traditional Hawaiian cultural practices and newly adopted Latter-day Saint beliefs in shaping and maintaining their unique religious identities; a process that continues among their descendants today.

Resumen

De 1889 a 1917, los isleños del Pacífico (en su mayoría hawaianos) convertidos al la Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Últimos Días vivieron, trabajaron y adoraron en Iosepa, un asentamiento remoto en el desierto de Skull Valley de Utah. Un examen del diseño y la distribución del asentamiento, junto con un análisis de los petroglifos en el sitio, revela las formas en que esta comunidad religiosa negoció activamente las prácticas culturales tradicionales hawaianas y las creencias de los Santos de los Últimos Días recientemente adoptadas para dar forma y mantener sus identidades religiosas únicas; un proceso que continúa entre sus descendientes en la actualidad.

Résumé

Entre 1889 et 1917, les convertis Polynésiens (en majorité Hawaïens) à l'Église de Jésus-Christ des Saints des Derniers Jours, vivaient, travaillaient et pratiquaient leur religion à Iosepa, une colonie reculée du désert situé dans la Skull Valley de l'Utah. Un examen de la configuration et du plan de la colonie, associé à une analyse de pétroglyphes sur le site, révèle les manières dont cette communauté religieuse a négocié activement les pratiques culturelles hawaïennes traditionnelles et les croyances des saints des derniers jours nouvellement adoptées pour façonner et préserver ses identités religieuses uniques, un processus qui perdure de nos jours parmi ses descendants.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Church History Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 15 E. North Temple Street, Salt Lake City, UT, 84150, U.S.A.

    Benjamin C. Pykles

  2. Technological Primates Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany

    Jonathan S. Reeves

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  1. Benjamin C. Pykles
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  2. Jonathan S. Reeves
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Correspondence to Benjamin C. Pykles.

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Pykles, B.C., Reeves, J.S. Hawaiian Latter-day Saints in the Utah Desert: The Negotiation of Identity at Iosepa. Hist Arch 55, 501–510 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41636-021-00296-2

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