Simon, Hemopereki2025-06-032025-06-032025Simon, H. (2025). Decolonizing Lamanite Studies – A Critical and Decolonial Indigenist Perspective. Religions, 16(6), 667-667.2077-1444https://hdl.handle.net/10289/17406The emergence of Lamanite Studies exemplifies the need for decolonial and Indigenous-centered reevaluations of Mormon–Indigenous relations. This article advocates for the reclamation of Indigenous identity independent of the constraints imposed by Mormon doctrine. The incorporation of Indigenous genealogies into Mormon theology results in epistemic violence, disconnecting Indigenous peoples from their ancestral identities and substituting the latter with the settler/invader colonial construct of “Lamanite”. This paper advocates for the decolonization of Indigenous identities within Mormonism, emphasizing the need for a radical intervention that prioritizes Indigenous sovereignty and self-definition over the maintenance of colonial categories. I present approaches and scholarship in Lamanite Studies that align with Indigenous land and spiritual repatriation, promoting the restoration of Indigenous epistemologies to Indigenous communities. Theoretical colonialism must be supplemented by grassroots initiatives that empower Indigenous communities to reclaim their spiritual and cultural identities.enAttribution 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Journal Article2077-14445005 Theology50 Philosophy and Religious Studies450718 Te whakapono me te mātai whakapono o te Māori (Māori religion and religious studies)451315 Pacific Peoples religion and religious studies441014 Sociology of religion500405 Religion, society and culture500316 Philosophy of religion4519 Other Indigenous data, methodologies and global Indigenous studies45 Indigenous studies451901 Global Indigenous studies culture, language and history451904 Global Indigenous studies peoples, society and community4599 Other Indigenous studies5004 Religious studies5005 Theology