As Alma stood before the people of Ammonihah, their first recorded question to him was: “Who art thou?” It was a question about why they should listen to him.
As Amulek begins, he answers the same questions. Perhaps it was explicitly asked. Perhaps it was implicit. Mormon doesn’t give us that information. Nevertheless, Amulek declares who he is. The first, and, in the ancient world, the most important, information concerns his family. He gives information about his father and grandfather, then the more distant relatives. The closer relatives could have been known in the city, but the ancestors tie him to an inherited image.
He mentions his ancestor Aminadi, “who interpreted the writing which was upon the wall of the temple.” This is several generations back, and, therefore, probably from before the time the Nephites left the land of Nephi. We know nothing more of this incident, but the way Amulek uses it, he expects that those who hear it will know the story and respect both it and him as a descendant of an honorable lineage.
The genealogy continues to Nephi and then Manasseh. Thus, Amulek traces his lineage to the Old World, providing what must have been a respected and ancient lineage that was used to trace Nephite political authority.
In addition, Amulek declares that he, himself, is known among the people. Perhaps his mention of acquiring riches is due to the respect that the people of Ammonihah gave to wealth and status. Through all of this introduction, Amulek suggests that he is a man to whom the people should listen.