Amalickiah is said to have been “a Nephite by birth” (Alma 49:25), though later, in Alma 54:24, he says, “I am a bold Lamanite,” after joining that group politically. Yet his brother and successor, Ammoron, is said to be a descendant of Zoram, Laban’s servant (see Alma 54:23). According to John Tvedtnes, it appears reasonable to assume that the Zoramites appointed as leaders in the Lamanite army were not merely members of a religious sect, but were, in fact, actual descendants of the original Zoram of Nephi’s day. The fact that converted Zoramites went to live with the Ammonites in the land of Jershon rather than mingle with the general Nephite population (see Alma 35:6,14) indicates that they were a distinct ethnic group. [John A. Tvedtnes, “Book of Mormon Tribal Affiliation and Military Castes,” in Warfare in the Book of Mormon, F.A.R.M.S., p. 306]
Geographical [Theory Map]: Alma 48:6 Lamanites March Toward Ammonihah (19th Year)
Geographical [Theory Map]: Alma 49:12-25 Lamanites Retreat & Return to the Land of Nephi (19th Year)