Other people

I wonder if part of the reason that the Lamanites were almost always much more numerous than the Nephites is that they were joined at times by people who were not descendents of Lehi or Ishmael. Perhaps there were many smaller groups of people who didn’t always get along but when that were allied to the people of Nephi they were counted as Nephites and when they fought against the people of Nephi they were counted as Lamanites. That being said, there was a relatively unified nation made up of descendants from Lehi and Ishmael that was the primary opponent if the Nephites who had been taught the history of Nephi as a thief and usurper where other groups may have tended to be neutral more often.