To the Native Americans, mainly Lamanites :
First, you should know that you are Israelites (or Jews). Your forefather is Lehi, who sailed to America around 600 B.C.
Lehi was of the lineage of Joseph, who was grandson of Abraham.
The "Book of Mormon" is a true historical record of the dealings of your fathers during the period 600 B.C. to 420 A.D.
The failings of the Church of LDS (Latter Day Saints) doesn't prove that the book is false, just the the failings of a church does not prove that the Bible is false.
The archaeological discoveries in Yucatan peninsula of Mexico, in Belize, in Guatemala, in Honduras, as well as the successful deciphering of Maya Hieroglyphic writing, prove that the book is true. The towers were built after the manner of Egyptian pyramid, and Maya Hieroglyphic writing is an improved version of Egyptian Hieroglyphic writing, being able to cramp more letters into a fixed space.
Lamanites lived mainly in the North (America), and Nephites mainly in the South, whereas in the middle part (Yucatan peninsula, ...), are former Nephites cities taken over by the Lamanites. Both Lamanites and Nephites were descendants of Laman and Nephi, sons of Lehi.
The chief fault of your forefathers was "unforgiving". The Lamanites and Nephites, although they were descendants of brothers, were constantly at war with one another. This happened when Lehi favored Nephi, and this angered Laman.
This is a common fault among us.
Recorded in the Bible is a similar incident - the enmity between descendants of Jacob and Esau - brothers and sons of Issac.
Esau was angry with Jacob because Jacob stole away his blessing and also Jacob bought his birthright [Genesis 25, 26, 27]. And this started an enmity between their descendants for hundreds of years. Esau's descendants lived in Edom (Mount Seir), whereas Jacob's descendants lived in what is now Israel.
Many many years later, Israel (Jacob's descendants) sinned against the LORD, and the LORD instigated Nebuchadnezzar to invade Israel. Esau took advantage of that, and joined in the attack against Israel. This act displeased the LORD greatly, that LORD finally removed Esau from the face of the Earth.
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LORD : Will I not on that day, says the LORD, destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of Mount Esau? And your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Teman, so that every man from Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter. For the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off for ever. On the day that you stood aloof, on the day that strangers carried off his wealth, and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them. But you should not have gloated over the day of your brother in the day of his misfortune; You should not have entered the gate of my people in the day of his calamity; You should not have stood at the parting of the ways to cut off his fugitives; For the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you, your deeds shall return on your own head. [Obadiah 2-18] |
Also, in Ezekiel 34,
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LORD : Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir, and prophesy against it, and say to it, Thus says the LORD GOD : Behold, I am against you, Mount Seir, and I will stretch out my hand against you, and I will make you a desolation and a waste. I will lay your cities waste, and you you shall become a desolation; and you shall know that I am the LORD. Because you cherished perpetual enmity, and gave over the people of Israel to the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, at the time of their final punishment; therefore, as I live, says the LORD GOD, I will prepare you for blood, and blood shall pursue you; because you are guilty of blood, therefore blood shall pursue you. I will make Mount Seir a waste and a desolation; and I will cut off from it all who come and go. And I will fill your mountains with the slain; on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines those slain with the sword shall fall. I will make you a perpetual desolation, and your cities shall not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the LORD. [Eze 35:2-9] |
Not only was Esau unforgiving, but Philistines too,
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LORD : Thus says the LORD GOD : Because the Philistines acted revengefully and took vengeance with malice of heart to destroy in never-ending enmity; therefore thus says the LORD GOD, Behold, I will stretch out my hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethies, and destroy the rest of the seacoast. [Eze 25:15-16] |
Also, Jesus taught us,
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For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. [Mt 6:14-15] |
The Nephites longed for peace, but the Lamanites would not forgive them, and pressed them hard, until one day, around 420 A.D., they destroyed all Nephites. (The Nephites were destroyed because Secret Combination (= "Secret Alliance" = "us-they" precept) had infiltrated every branch of government, and the people gradually forsook righteousness. Therefore LORD allowed them to be destroyed.)
When I was young, I was also unforgiving. Now that I have been disciplined by the LORD, and repented and have learned, and realized how this behaviour had cause such suffering in people.
We would all make mistakes, and would transgress against other people. Also, other people would transgress against us, therefore we should forgive one another.
Imagine we transgressed against someone, and he is bent on taking revenge, and would not accept apologies, what will we feel, what will our life be under this constant threat ?
Therefore, I sincerely hope the Lamanites would learn to be forgiving, and be kind to their brothers. I do believe that some Nephites have escaped, and live in mountainous parts of South America.
Let us love one another, and forgive other's trespass.