THE THIRD BOOK OF MORONI

1Now, one of the young men who accompanied me up into Nespelem was my son Shioni. And he found favor with the granddaughter of Henmiet and Panith-Akekt. And Panith-Akekt was yet living and called him in to take council with him, and they did speak together for many hours. And when Shioni came from council with Panith-Akekt, he treated with the father of the girl and asked for her hand in marriage.

2Now, this Panith-Akekt was the same who traveled into the north with her husband, Henmiet, to begin a new settlement. And it was this same Panith-Akekt who was the daughter of Phenith-Pel who had come up from the city of Hez in the Land Southward and who had married Sabel-Nah, the daughter of Hamit, the high priest of the city of Tarramarhah.

3And behold, Tarramarhah was utterly destroyed and the land round about it was laid waste in the Great War between the Nephites and the Lamanites. And all the people fled out of the land and made their homes in other cities. And all those who stayed were destroyed or enslaved by the Lamanites.

4Wherefore, the granddaughter of Panith-Akekt was among the last of a generous line of Nem and she was highly esteemed by her grandmother. For, Panith-Akekt had looked upon the Way and seen the history of her granddaughter and her descendants. And in the vision she beheld that much restoration would come unto the people in latter days because of the seed of her granddaughter. And she saw in her vision that there would spring out of her womb a restoration of many things lost to the people.

5And it is because of this that Shioni took to himself the name of his wife and became, Shioni Akekt from that day. And he made a pledge and a covenant with the aged Panith-Akekt that all his children would also carry her name, and all their children also, so that her name might not dwindle and become lost.

6Now, the people of Nespelem adhered strictly to the customs of the Ammonites as described by Shi-Tugo and, because of this and the necessity to take part in the many ceremonies required by the ways and customs of the people of Nespelem, we were constrained to prevail upon their hospitality for a season. For my son would not leave without that he and Paniet-Akekt should be made husband and wife.

7And we had arrived in the Valley of Nespelem late in the season and the snows were approaching. Wherefore, we did remain in Nespelem all winter and only undertook to make our return unto Elak Kowa after the river was free of ice.

8And certain of our young men took this example that my son set for them and they also sought the hand of the daughters of Nespelem to wife. For while we were there, some few of the young men of Elak Kowa found favor in the eyes of the mothers of Nespelem and also of their daughters. And they were given as husbands to several. Wherefore, when the time came to return again down into Mentina, it was not with horses only that we returned. And in this way was the bond between our two cities made the stronger.

9But while we yet sojourned with the family of Panith-Akekt, I took it upon myself to instruct them in the making of strong metal and of implements and tools. This is a thing which my father had taught me and, seeing that the art was not had among the people there, I did teach them.

10But behold, it is a curious thing that took place in Nespelem. For, though the people were pleased with the things that I taught them, none of them took the art up as their stewardship, preferring to be husbandmen instead. And this is a thing I have observed often among the Nem of the Mountains. The people of a region become set and accustomed in the things that their fathers undertook and do hardly make a change in their stewardships from one generation to another. So it was in Nespelem. The young men preferred to be husbandmen of horses and of cattle, and to attend to all things pertaining to that stewardship over anything new that might come to them from another place.

11But they did all honor me and my company in all the long months that we remained with them. For, when the snows come in Nespelem there is no traveling from one place to another. And this is because that the snow mounts up rapidly unto a very great depth and it becomes difficult for the horses to travel. Wherefore, the people of Nespelem do not travel in the winter months, but remain for the most part indoors.

12And it is in these months of the year that the elders recite the stories of the Heroes of the people. They tell the tale of Hagoth and his journey up the Akish. And also of the Twins who took of the miracle of the great fish and made the people well with the contents of its belly. And also they recite the tales of Elak Kowa and the Gadiantons. And they also tell the stories of the prophets who were called away down to preach against the wicked cities of the Land Southward.

13But the stories that were enjoyed the most by the children were those of the visit of the Great Healer, even that Jesus Christ, to the Nem. And the story tellers never embellished, but read directly from the scriptures about His visit and recited directly His teachings.

14And it was when the children and the elders sat down to do work of all kinds inside the lodge that the elders did commence to tell the Hero stories. And all the people listened as they went about their labors. And behold, this did shorten the day and cause it to pass meaningfully and with joy. And also in this way did the elders reestablish the importance of the Good Word in the hearts of the young people and the children.

15Now, when the snow had ceased and the river began to lose its covering of ice, we did make ready our plans to depart again out of the Valley of Nespelem and take our journey down into Meninta. And there had been many marriages while we were sojourning with the people of Nespelem and many families were added upon. And we were laden with the gifts given to the young couples, so much so that we had no room for the provisions given to them and were constrained to leave behind all the lumber we had taken with us.

16And this did please us greatly. For we had carried the lumber up into Nespelem with the idea of trading for horses, but the people would not take of our lumber in trade, preferring to give us the horses simply because we had a need of them and desired them greatly. Such was the way of the people of Nespelem.

17But they were constrained, because of the marriages, to take our lumber as a gift in return, for we had not room in the wagons to take it back with us. And we were well pleased that we could make of the work of our hands a gift unto so generous a people.

18And we did, at last, undertake to make our journey back to our home. For we desired to return again to our own stewardships and rely no more upon the generosity of our neighbors. And I did desire greatly to return to my own house and my own hearth.

19And when we arrived again at Elak Kowa, the families came out and met us and how great was their joy to find such additions to the settlement. For the daughters of Nespelem were strong and fair, and they were eager to meet their new relations. Yea, they brought great joy to the Mothers of our settlement.

20And the men of the settlement came out altogether and they built lodges for the new couples, and each one had their own house that summer. And the women did take the new Mothers in and make them very welcome. And they did meet in Council and all the new Mothers were taken in by them.

21Behold, this is the way of the Nem. There is no strife over place or position. And who were these young women to stand in the same stature as the Mothers of the community? Who were they to come from a foreign town and take up places of importance among their mothers-in-law? Behold, there was not one word of dissent or discord, because that each of them were now Mothers of the community. And this is according to an old and very worthy custom.

22And it is well that they observe to keep this custom, for, if there were strife and discord, the life of the community would be all confusion. Behold, it is the Mothers who teach the young children and form their characters. And they do nurture them in every good thing. But, if the little children learned strife from their mothers from a very young age, there could be no thought of peace when they grow older. But every man and every woman would follow their own law and their own customs and would be in contention and competition one with another. Behold, I would ask you, could there be peace in any such community?

23Therefore, you who are mothers, see that you do as the Mothers of the Nem do. Teach peace in every example to your little ones. For, though they be little in stature, yet are they intelligent. Yea, they are endowed with intelligence that you know not, nor is it easy to perceive. But they do learn and take on the attributes of their mothers.

24And you husbands, how can your children help but belittle the place of Mother in the community if you do it in their sight? The Mother is the most important person in the village. It is to teach this truth that Shi-Tugo and Hemen taught the principle of the Mother’s Council. Yea, it is for this cause - to teach the little children the importance of peace in the village - that the Mother’s Council is the governing council of the people. Then, if this be so, and you slight the Mother in your own home and make of her station something less than holiness and righteousness, yea, if you make of her a slave and a servant, dependent and weak, how shall your children grow in truth and in power?

25I say unto you, They shall not, but the Mother in your home shall become despised. And, learning to despise she who gave them life, shall your children learn to love anything worthy? I say unto you, Nay. They shall be despisers of every good thing because that the first good thing in their lives was despised in their sight. And shall they love the Lord their God and despise their own mothers?

26And, if the young girls are raised up in the belief and the knowledge of their importance to the community, shall they then take on evil attributes? Shall they make themselves despised by the people? I say unto you, Nay. They shall be filled with every virtue, for there shall be no doubt of their worth and of their abilities.

27And, if young men have been raised up in this same belief, shall they become strikers and abusers of women and children? Again I say unto you, Nay. It shall not be so. For, shall a man strike and abuse that which is of the most value to him and to his fellows? Not at all.

28Behold, I have lived within the company of men whose only business was the work of destruction and of war. And, because the women were not of the same physical stature as they and because they were unable to work that profession to the same degree of ferociousness as the men, they esteemed them to be of lesser value than they. Yea, and they esteemed their women as workers only and worthy only of that distinction given to them because they provided services to them.

29And the men grew coarse with the women and with the children. For their desire was unto their possessions and unto their great pride. Wherefore, the value of women was not built upon their worth in the village, but as their worth in providing for the men and their needs. In this way, the women became mere chattels, as also the children.

30Behold, the little children were not blind nor unintelligent. They saw the manner in which their mothers were treated by those who were esteemed great. And they emulated their fathers, both sons and daughters, and they esteemed their mothers to be mere possessions while serviceable and burdens in their age and infirmity.

31And the young men became strikers and abusers of women and of children. And the family was esteemed like unto their stock or their weapons – as things and substance that either enriched or impoverished.

32And in this way did the Nephites and the Lamanites both lose that which was most desirous in life. Yea, and in the end they lost even the desire to live, but went from the shedding of blood to the shedding of blood. Behold, at the end of the day they went down into sleep wishing and praying that the following day’s battle might bring them down into death and end their suffering.

33And the hearts of men failed them to the hurt of all they loved. Yea, and they even lost the ability to love at all to the extent that when men took women to wife, they did love and make a lie. Behold, this is a thing most evil in the sight of the Lord.

34Wherefore, I would exhort you who would receive these, my writings, if it be wisdom in God that you should receive them, that you ought to ponder them in your heart. And if it be wisdom in God that you should receive my words, then let them have effect in you in such a manner as to restore in you the love of life if you have lost it. And if you are not sunken down in despair, let my words also have effect in you in such a manner as to preserve in you the love of life.

35For lust is no preserver, neither restorative. It destroys the heart of man, that it fail him. It wrecks the love of women, that they fail the children. It mutes the love of children, that they learn not virtue.