A Dictionary of the Book of Mormon/Lamanites
LAMANITES, THE. The people who, in connection with their kindred, the Nephites, occupied the American continent from about B. C. 590 to A. C. 385, in which latter year they destroyed the Nephites and remained possessors of the entire land. The American Indians are their degraded descendants. These people were of Hebrew origin, being members of the half tribe of Manasseh, and are called Lamanites, from Laman, the eldest son of Lehi, who was the leading spirit in the events that led to their separation from the Nephites and their formation as a distinct people. Originally, the Lamanites were the children of Laman, Lemuel, and some of the family of Ishmael; but as the centuries passed there were many defections in both nations, when the dissatisfied would join the opposing race and affiliate and intermix with them, so that the two names at last became more an indication of religion and civilization than of birth.