After many days of sailing, they at last landed on the west coast of South
America in what is now called Chili.

The two older boys, Laman and Lemuel were often disobedient to their
father, and many times they brought trouble to the little company. They
also treated their younger brother, Nephi, badly because he would not agree
with them but tried to do as his father told him.

When Lehi died, Nephi was chosen their leader, but soon Laman and Lemuel
became dissatisfied and again began making trouble. The Lord then told
Nephi to take all who would listen to him and leave the other brothers and
those who upheld them in their evil deeds.

In this way there became two peoples in the land. Those who went with Nephi
were called Nephites, and those who remained with Laman became Lamanites.
The Nephites built houses, planted fields, and lived as civilized people,
and the Lord often revealed his will to them through prophets and holy men.
The Lamanites became lazy, lived in tents in the forests, and killed wild
animals for their food. Their skins also became dark.

The greater part of the Book of Mormon is about these two peoples, their
wars with each other, etc. The Nephites ought to have remained a good
people, because the Lord blessed them so much: yet they often did wrong.
The Lord would prosper them until they became rich; then they would become
proud and at last wicked. Then the Lord would allow the Lamanites to come
upon them, and there would be bloody wars. So the story goes for hundreds
of years.

Both nations became very large and occupied the greater part of North and