In 2 Nephi 5:6 we find Nephi specifically noting the makeup of his group: "I, Nephi, did take my family, and also Zoram and his family, and Sam, mine elder brother and his family, and Jacob and Joseph, my younger brethren, and also my sisters, and all those who would go with me." This left Laman and Lemuel and their families as well as the families associated with Ishmael not represented by those who went with Nephi. This creates an interesting demographic problem. About half the family seems to leave with Nephi, yet as the future text implies, the Lamanites seem to be much more numerous than the Nephites. According to John Sorenson, the best interpretation seems to be that the Book of Mormon peoples intermingled with other populations known to have been in their areas at the time. [John L. Sorenson, "When Lehi's Party Arrived in the Land, Did They Find Others There?" in Nephite Culture and Society, pp. 65-104]