March 6, 2010
Jewish tribes of Africa
This has been written up before, but here's yet another article:
In many ways, the Lemba tribe of Zimbabwe and South Africa are just like their neighbours.From the BBC.But in other ways their customs are remarkably similar to Jewish ones.
They do not eat pork, they practise male circumcision, they ritually slaughter their animals, some of their men wear skull caps and they put the Star of David on their gravestones.
Their oral traditions claim that their ancestors were Jews who fled the Holy Land about 2,500 years ago.
It may sound like another myth of a lost tribe of Israel, but British scientists have carried out DNA tests which confirm their Semitic origin.
Posted by David on March 6, 2010 9:57 AM
Quite possible. Trade was well established, certainly amongst the larger governances.
I was intrigued by part of the story of their "Ark of the Covenant". Implied as a possible explanation for [what parts were tested] being 700 rather than 2500 years old, it seems it routinely `blew up` in battle and was repeatedly re-built.
Blew up? Circa 1300 and earlier? Interesting. Wonder about the method.
Posted by: John A on March 6, 2010 4:56 PM
The lemba have always been one of those fascinating examples of historical mystery. That there is a genetic linkage that appears demonstrable speaks for more than just diffusion by trade and seems to place real Jews in the region at some point in the distant past. The cultural linkage would strengthen a significant association if only because for "new" religious-cultural beliefs to take root requires more thanjust casual contact. The Islamic overprinting would place the Jewish context pre-Islamic. It may be fruitful to see if there is a connection between the Lemba and the Jews of Ethiopia, another apparent very old linkage, but without the Islamic overprint.
Posted by: Donald Wolberg on March 7, 2010 9:46 AM
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