The Lost Tribe Of Israel

So, according to the BBC the lost tribe of Israel has been found: the Lemba people of Zimbabwe and South Africa. According to the BBC, "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." and "Their oral traditions claim that their ancestors were Jews who fled the Holy Land about 2,500 years ago". They also have what they claim to be a replica of the Biblical Ark of the Covenant known as the ngoma lungundu (Pictured above). Amazing in itself yet rather easy to explain away until you read that genetic testing has been done on the priestly clan of the Lemba known as the Buba and have been found to be of Semitic origin, and with a "common ancestor who geneticists say lived about 3,000 years ago somewhere in north Arabia, which is the time of Moses and Aaron when the Jewish priesthood started"!

Rather amazing I think. However we must be careful not to jump to conclusions as there are various other, probably more likely explanations as to their genetics and traditions. That is not to say that it is any less amazing or interesting but rather that we shouldn't be shipping the back to Israel any time soon. (Yes America, I'm talking to you!)

I for one shall remain dubious.

If you want to read the full report go here.

Till Next Time!