Mormon (pronounced /ˈmɔrmən/) is the narrator and namesake of the Book of Mormon. The book portrays him as a prophet-historian and a member of a tribe of indigenous Americans known as the Nephites. According to the academic consensus, excluding most Latter Day Saint scholars, the Book of Mormon is a work of fiction and therefore Mormon is a fictional character. Latter Day Saints, on the other hand, generally view the Book of Mormon as an actual history, and therefore view Mormon as a real person. According to the book, Mormon engraved an abridgement of his people's history on golden plates, which were later ostensibly translated by Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Based on the chronology of the book, the Saints believe that Mormon lived during the 4th century AD