Laman was a Lamanite king who entered a treaty with Zeniff, granting the Nephites under Zeniff the city of Lehi-Nephi and the city of Shilom around 200 B.C. (Mosiah 7:21). According to Zeniff’s record, Laman ceded the land as a stratagem: he yielded it up by cunning and craft so that the Nephites could settle it, intending afterward to bring them into bondage (Mosiah 9:10).
After the Nephites had dwelt in the land twelve years, Laman grew uneasy that they might grow strong and could no longer be overpowered. His people, described as wishing to “glut themselves with the labors of our hands,” sought to enslave them, and Laman stirred his people to contend with the Nephites, beginning wars in the land (Mosiah 9:11-13). Zeniff’s people repelled the attack.
Laman died around 178 B.C., and his son began to reign, stirring the people to rebellion against the Nephites and preparing for war (Mosiah 10:6). The son was also named Laman, called after his father, and reigned over a numerous people (Mosiah 24:3).