View single post by CleburneFan
 Posted: Sat Sep 1st, 2007 01:24 am
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CleburneFan
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Joined: Mon Oct 30th, 2006
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Mana: 
 Susan, I did find out that "Merikats" was the Indian term for Americans other than Mormons. Evidently they trusted the Mormons, but did not trust other Americans. They trusted the Mormons because it was Brigham Young's policy that it was better to feed Indians than to fight them.

The word was used in the movie and it may have been used when the Mormons were talking to the Indians in an effort to persaude the Indians to attack he interlopers.

So given this information, the folks in the wagon train apparently did not call themselves Merikats. The Mormons and especially the Indians called them that.