Glimpses of Lamanite Culture

The Book of Mormon is entirely focused on the Nephite story. For most of the text, the Lamanites are the book’s boogey men, seen either threateningly in the shadows, or terrifyingly present in actual warfare. Nephite writers have no reason to write sympathetically about the Lamanites, and don’t. As a result, for the majority of Book of Mormon history we know little about the Lamanites. That changes during a brief period between 200–100 B.C. During part of that century there was a turning of emphasis towards the Lamanites that first led the people of Zeniff to attempt to recolonize the land of Nephi, and later led the sons of Mosiah₂ to undertake a missionary journey to the Lamanites. During both of those times when the Nephites were engaged with Lamanites in Lamanite lands, we have a rare opportunity to picture Lamanite culture.