Descendants remember

The story of the Book of Mormon implies that the only surviving Nephite at the end was Moroni, and that the only surviving Jaredite was Coriantumr, with possibly Ether. But it is unlikely that every single individual in either group was wiped out militarily. In the case of the Jaredites, Coriantumr was found and nurtured for several months by another group who had arrived in the area, the Mulekites. Moroni states that he is the only one left who will not deny belief in Jesus Christ; there are other Nephites who have chosen to become part of the Lamanites or who have scattered. Moroni traveled over much of North America in the 20 years after his people stopped being a group. He did not settle in one place, as far as we know, implying that he was the only one of his type.

It’s possible that there were other Jaredite descendants who survived; it’s likely that some of the Lamanites kept the memory of the Nephites alive for a long time, in songs and stories. What we don’t have, is written records of them that we can read. There are lots of stone carvings, petroglyphs, and oral histories. But even these have to be remembered, transmitted and clarified. The groups that kept them have changed over time. They’re no longer the same societies. Their only memory is in the ruins that remain, and in myths told and retold, with embellishments and misunderstandings.

What will be remembered about us? Will our children know who we are and what we believed? Will they be proud to own us as their ancestors, or will they be ashamed? What are we writing about ourselves? Are we making peace and trying for harmony?