Out of the Desert toward Eden: The Symbolic Meanings of Child Burials and the Peculiar Case of Mid-nineteenth Century Latter-day Saint Women

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2021-07-25
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en
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This research conceptualizes mid-19th century Latter-day Saint women’s way of mourning from the restoration period to the exodus. It asks: How did symbolic meanings of child burials reflect the identities and social position of mid-19th century Latter-day Saint women? I argue that this group of women claimed an elect identity and believed in their unique calling to establish Zion on the American continent. However, these women were also considered a social outcast because they participated in the practice of plural marriage despite their virtuous way of living after the ideal of true womanhood. This research has found that their religious devotion to the cause of Zion functioned to restore moral order through the power of imagination. On the one hand, the shifting meanings of Zion substantiate my claim that symbolic meanings are vehicles designed to shape identity. On the other hand, the shifting meanings of Zion reveal that symbolic meanings are vehicles for expressing grief. The symbolic meanings of child burials then are reflective of unique beliefs and doctrines that emphasize the innocent and sinless nature of infants and little children; but these symbolic meanings are simultaneously expressive of women’s experiences with child loss and their innermost feelings during the arduous journey to the Salt Lake Valley. Mid-19th century Latter-day Saint women were influential in conveying and conferring symbolic meanings assigned to child burials, which ultimately passed the test of time and shaped their distinct cultural identity and traditions. Keywords: Latter-day Saint women, mourning, child burial, symbolic meaning
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