Re-creating Homeland and Ethnicity in the Pacific through Religion: The Case of Polynesian Conversion to Mormonism

Abstract

This article analyzes a case in which homeland and ethnicity were simultaneously re-conceived due to the influence of religion— the case of Polynesian Mormons. Through religious conversion, these Mormons (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) were assigned and came to accept new claims about their ethnic origin and homeland. In particular, through the Book of Mormon scriptural story they came to believe their ancestors had “House of Israel” heritage via an American-continent homeland. The paper reviews both religious place-making and homeland concepts within cultural geography, arguing that the mutual constitution of ethnicity and homeland deserves more attention. It contextualizes this case of homeland/ethnicity creation in relation to examples from the Pacific Islands and around the world. It then uses historical and discourse analysis to show how the new homeland narrative was created for (and partly along with) Polynesian Mormons, as well as how the central church sought to sustain the narrative for more than 100 years. It concludes by assessing the implications of this case and pointing to resonances with the place-centric nature of many of Korea’s new religions.