IMbali yeBandla
UJane Elizabeth Manning James

“UJane Elizabeth Manning James,”Izihloko zeMbali yeBandla

“UJane Elizabeth Manning James”

UJane Elizabeth Manning James

UJane Elizabeth Manning James (malunga no–1822–1908) wayengomnye wabantwana abahlanu ubuncinane ababezalwa sisibini samaAfrika aseMelika eConnecticut ngexesha apho uninzi lwabantu abantsundu eMelika babengamakhoboka.1 Njengomntu obesele eqabukile, waye wazimanya neNew Canaan Congregational Church ngo–1841, kodwa emva kweenyanga ezi–18, kubusika buka–1842–43,, yena namalungu aliqela wosapho lwakhe baye babhaptizwa kwiBandla likaYesu Krestu labaNgcwele beMihla yokuGqibela. UJane kunye nabanye kusapho lwakhe baye banqwenela ukuzimanya nabaNgcwele eNauvoo, ngoko ke baye basuka eConnecticut besingise eNew York, beceba ukuhamba ngeenqanawe nangezikhephe zomjelokazi. Kodwa, zange bavunyelwe ukuba bakhwele enqanaweni ngenxa yohlanga lwabo, ngoko ke kwanyanzeleka ukuba bahambe iimayile ezi–800 ezazisele. EPeoria, Illinois, abasemagunyeni ekuhlaleni babuza abakwaMannings kuba babengathi ngamakhoboka awayeqhweshile kwaye bafuna amaphepha abonisa isimo sabo senkululeko ukuba babe ngabakhululekileyo. Ubuhlanga yayingumgiba awayeza kuqhubisana nawo ubomi bakhe bonke uJane.

Umfanekiso
Umfanekiso kaJane Manning James

Umzobo kaJane Manning James.

Courtesy Church History Library and Archives

Xa wayeseNauvoo, uJane wakha ubuhlobo ngokukhawuleza noJoseph kunye no-Emma Smith. Wayehlala nabo kwaye esebenza emzini wabo. Kwelinye ixesha, u–Emma wamema uJane ukuba amkelwe njengomntwana kusapho lakwaSmith ngentsikelelo yotywino.2 UJane wala, engaqondi esi senzo sitsha, singaqhelekanga, kodwa yena wayekholelwa ngokuqinileyo kwindima kaJoseph yobuprofeti. “Ndandimazi uMprofeti uJoseph,” waye wangqina kamva. “Yena wayeyindoda esulungekileyo endakhe ndayibona emhlabeni. … Ndandiqinisekile ukuba yena wayengumprofeti kuba ndandikwazi oko.”3

Ngeencoko awayenazo noJoseph kunye nonina, uLucy Mack Smith, uJane wafunda ngakumbi malunga neNcwadi kaMormoni kwakunye nangenguqulelo yayo kwaye wazuza ukuqonda kunye nentlonipho yemimiselo yasetempileni.

UJane waye watshata no–Isaac James, owayengoguqukileyo ontsundu owayekhululekile ephuma eNew Jersey. Bona, kunye nonyana kaJane uSylvester, baye bahamba eNauvoo basingisa kwelasentshona kunye nabaNgcwele. KweyeSilimela saloonyaka, unyana kaJane no–Isaac, uSilas waye wazalwa. Kunyaka olandelayo, usapho lwawela amathafa, lwafika kwiNtlambo iSalt Lake kwixesha lasekwindla kunyaka ka–1847. U–Isaac noJane balizwa ngabanye abantwana abathandathu, kodwa babini qha abaye baphila ixesha elide ukwegqitha uJane. Njengabanye abahlali kwiNtlambo iSalt Lake, uJane no–Isaac basebenza nzima besebenzela usapho lwabo. U–Isaac wayesebenza njengomsebenzi kwaye engumqhubi wokwexesha elithile wamahashe kaBrigham Young, kwaye uJane wayeluka ilaphu, esenza iimpahla, kwaye ehlamba neempahla, ngokufanayo noko wayekwenza eNauvoo.

Iingxabano emtshatweni zaye zakhokelela u-Isaac noJane kuqhawulo-mtshato ngo–1870. Emveni koko, uJane wabanomtshato omfutshane weminyaka emibini nowayesakuba likhoboka, uFrank Perkins, kodwa kamsinyane wabuyela kubomi bokuba ngumzali nomakhulu oyedwa. Imfuno yemali kunye nokufa kwabantwana abathathu kwabangela uJane ukuba abuyele emsebenzini. Wayesenza kwaye ethengisa isepha, xeshikweni ababini koonyana bakhe babeqeshwe njengabasebenzi. Ngo–1890, emva kweminyaka e–20 yokuba kude, u–Isaac wabuyela kwisiXeko saseSalt Lake, wavuselela ubulungu bakhe beBandla, kwaye wakha ubudlelwane bokuba ngabahlobo noJane. Xa wayesweleka emva konyaka, inkonzo yomngcwabo yayibanjelwe kwikhaya lakhe.

Kubo bonke ubunzima ebomini bakhe, uJane wahlala ezinikele elukholweni lwakhe kwiimfundiso zevangeli kwaye ebuxabisile nobulungu bakhe eBandleni. Wanikela ekwakhiweni kwetempile kwaye wathatha inxaxheba nakuMbutho woNcedo nakwiYoung Ladies’ Retrenchment Society.4 UJane wabanobutyebi bamava wezipho zoMoya, eziquka imibono, amaphupha, ukuphiliswa ngokholo, kwakunye nokuthetha ngeelwimi. “Ukholo lwam kwiVangeli kaYesu Krestu,” yena wabhala kamva ebomini bakhe, “luseluqilima nanamhlanje, hayi, kusenokwenzeka ukuba luqine ngaphezulu ukogqitha leyo yalamhla ndandiqala ukubhaptizwa ngawo.”5

Phakathi ko–1884 kunye no–1904, wayeqhagamshelana neenkokheli zeBandla ngamathuba—uJohn Taylor, uWilford Woodruff, Zina D. H. Young, kunye noJoseph F. Smith—kwaye wayefuna imvume yokuba afumane isipho sakhe sasetempileni nokuba atywinwe.6 Ngelaxesha, amadoda nabafazi abantsundu angabaNgcwele beMihla yokuGqibela babengavumelekanga ukuba bathathe inxaxheba kwimimiselo emininzi yasetempileni. Ngo–1888, umongameli wengqokelela yamasebe u–Angus M. Cannon waye wagunyazisa uJane ukuba enze ubhatizelo lwezalamane zakhe ezingasekhoyo.7 Ekugqibeleni iinkokheli zeBandla zaye zamvumela ukuba atywinwele kusapho lukaJoseph Smith njengesicaka ngo–1894, isiganeko eso esasisesahlukileyo. Nangona wayengazange asifumane isipho sasetempileni okanye utywino losapho ngexesha lobomi bakhe, le mimiselo waye wayenzelwa ngo–1979.8

Waye wasweleka kwekaTshazimpuzi 16, 1908, eneminyaka engama–95, ehleli engoNgcwele weMihla yokuGqibela onyanisekileyo. I Deseret News yabika oku, “Bambalwa abantu ababephawulelwa ngakumbi ngokholo nokunyaniseka kunoJane Manning James, kwaye nangona wayengothobekileyo emhlabeni wayebabala abahlobo nabo wayebazi ngamakhulu.”9

Izikhumbuzo

  1. Umama kaJane wayesebukhobokeni kodwa wakhululwa ngomthetho wokhululo ocothozayo waseConnecticut. UJane wayezelwe ekhululekile, kodwa ubukhoboka babusemthethweni elizweni kwade kwabasemva kokuba uJane ehambile. Ngokubanzi malunga nobomi bukaJane, bona Henry J. Wolfinger, “A Test of Faith: Jane Elizabeth Manning James and the Origins of the Utah Black Community,” in Clark Knowlton, ed., Social Accommodation in Utah (Salt Lake City: University of Utah, 1975), 126–75 and Quincy D. Newell, “The Autobiography and Interview of Jane Elizabeth Manning James,” Journal of Africana Religions, vol. 1, no. 2 (2013), 251–91.

  2. Incwadana yembalelwano kaZina D. H. Young kuJoseph F. Smith, EyoMqngu 15, 1894, Ithala Leencwadi Lembali yeBandla, Salt Lake City.

  3. “‘Aunt’ Jane James,” kwi– “Joseph Smith, the Prophet,” Young Woman’s Journal, vol. 16, no. 12 (EyoMnga 1905), 551, 553.

  4. Eighth Ward Relief Society Minutes and Records, 1867–1969, Eighth Ward, Liberty Stake, Aug. 20, 1874; Oct. 20, 1874; Dec. 21, 1874; Jan. 20, 1875; Mar. 22, 1875; May 20, 1875; Nov. 20, 1875, vol. 1, Church History Library, Salt Lake City [Jane went by the last name Perkins for a short time]; “Ladies Semi-monthly Meeting,” Woman’s Exponent, vol. 22, no. 9 (Dec. 1, 1893), 66. UJane wanikela ngeemali kulwakhiwo lweeTempile zaseSt. George, eLogan naseManti, kwaye wabanegalelo kwiLamanite (Indian) Mission. Bona Linda King Newell and Valeen Tippetts Avery, “Jane Manning James,” Ensign, EyeThupha 1979, 29.

  5. Jane Elizabeth Manning James autobiography, malunga no–1902, yayibhalelwe u–Elizabeth J. D. Roundy, Church History Library, Salt Lake City, 22.

  6. Incwadana yembalelwano kaJane E. James kuJohn Taylor, EyoMnga 27, 1884; incwadana yembalelwano kaJane E. James kuJoseph F. Smith, EyoMdumba 7, 1890; incwadana yembalelwano kaJane E. James kuJoseph F. Smith, EyeThupha 31, 1903.

  7. Incwadana yembalelwano kaAngus M. Cannon kuJane E. James, EyeSilimela 16, 1888; bona futhi Tonya Reiter, “Black Saviors on Mount Zion: Proxy Baptisms and Latter-day Saints of African Descent,” Journal of Mormon History, vol. 43, no. 4 (EyeDwarha 2017), 100–123.

  8. Incwadi yembali kaJane Elizabeth Manning James, malunga no–1902. Jane waye wabhalela incwadi yembali yakhe eSalt Lake City ngaxesha lithile phakathi ko–1902 no–1908; Ronald G. Coleman and Darius A. Gray, “Two Perspectives: The Religious Hopes of ‘Worthy’ African American Latter-day Saints before the 1978 Revelation,” in Newell G. Bringhurst and Darron T. Smith, eds., Black and Mormon (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2004), 54. Bona futhi Quincy D. Newell, “The Autobiography and Interview of Jane Manning James,” Journal of Africana Religions, vol. 1, no. 2 (2013), 256, 275 (note 34).

  9. “Death of Jane Manning James,” Deseret News, Tshazimpunzi 16, 1908.