By Steve Vickers
BBC News, Harare

Pictures: The Lemba & London Proffessor

The Lemba people of Zimbabwe and South Africa may look like their compatriots, but they follow a very different set of customs and traditions. 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 have confirmed their Semitic origin. These tests back up the group's belief that a group of perhaps seven men married African women and settled on the continent.

The Lemba, who number perhaps 80,000, live in central Zimbabwe and the north of South Africa. And they also have a prized religious artefact that they say connects them to their Jewish ancestry -a replica of the Biblical Ark of the Covenant known as the ngoma lungundu, meaning "the drum that thunders". The object went on display recently at a Harare museum to much fanfare, and instilled pride in many of the Lemba.

"For me it's the starting point," says religious singer Fungisai Zvakavapano-Mashavave.
"Very few people knew about us and this is the time to come out. I'm very proud to realise that we have a rich culture and I'm proud to be a Lemba. "We have been a very secretive people, because we believe we are a special people."

Religion vs culture
The Lemba have many customs and regulations that tally with Jewish tradition. They wear skull caps, practise circumcision, which is not a tradition for most Zimbabweans, avoid eating pork and food with animal blood, and have 12 tribes. They slaughter animals in the same way as Jewish people, and they put the Jewish Star of David on their tombstones.

Members of the priestly clan of the Lemba, known as the Buba, were even discovered to have a genetic element also found among the Jewish priestly line.

"This was amazing," said Prof Tudor Parfitt, from the University of London. "It looks as if the Jewish priesthood continued in the West by people called Cohen, and in same way it was continued by the priestly clan of the Lemba.
"They have 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."

Prof Parfitt is a world-renowned expert, having spent 20 years researching the Lemba, and living with them for six months.
The Lemba have a sacred prayer language which is a mixture of Hebrew and Arabic, pointing to their roots in Israel and Yemen.

Despite their ties to Judaism, many of the Lemba in Zimbabwe are Christians, while some are Muslims. "Christianity is my religion, and Judaism is my culture," explains Perez Hamandishe, a pastor and member of parliament from the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

Despite their centuries-old traditions, some younger Lemba are taking a more liberal view. "In the old days you didn't marry a non-Lemba, but these days we interact with others," says Alex Makotore, son of the late Chief Mposi from the Lemba "headquarters" in Mberengwa. "I feel special in my heart but not in front of others such that I'm separated from them. Culture is dynamic." Crowds

The oral traditions of the Lemba say that the ngoma lungundu is the Biblical wooden Ark made by Moses, and that centuries ago a small group of men began a long journey carrying it from Yemen to southern Africa. The object went missing during the 1970s and was eventually rediscovered in Harare in 2007 by Prof Parfitt. "Many people say that the story is far-fetched, but the oral traditions of the Lemba have been backed up by science," he says. Carbon dating shows the ngoma to be nearly 700 years old -pretty ancient, if not as old as Bible stories would suggest. But Prof Parfitt says this is because the ngoma was used in battles, and would explode and be rebuilt.
The ngoma now on display was a replica, he says, possibly built from the remains of the original. "So it's the closest descendant of the Ark that we know of," Prof Parfitt says.

Large crowds came to see the unveiling of the ngoma and to attend lectures on the identity of the Lemba. For David Maramwidze, an elder in his village, the discovery of the ngoma has been a defining moment. "Hearing from those professors in Harare and seeing the ngoma makes it clear that we are a great people and I'm very proud," he says. "I heard about it all my life and it was hard for me to believe, because I had no idea of what it really is. "I'm still seeing the picture of the ngoma in my mind and it will never come out from my brain. Now we want it to be given back to the Lemba people."

To hear more about the Lemba people, listen to the BBC World Service African Perspective programme on Saturday 6 March at 0830 GMT.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8550614.stm

Here is a short video for the "it's too long to read crew"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLAZhsnmCbQ#

Okay, I must confess I am very curious being and would read anything no matter how long to satisfy my hunger or curiosity for knowledge. After reading a lot of disputing editorials about the origins of the Igbo people, I decided to make my own research on the www.

I have always believed and previously lent that there are lost tribes of Israeli among the black folks in Africa. And after coming to Nairaland and hearing the Igbo people's declaration of the Israeli ancestry I thought, "there it is" but after a while and with the very poor evidence provided to support such, I fell back into the well maybe it its a myth.

But after reading about the Origins"Lemba" people of the Southern Africa I got shock pf my life that the people we are looking for are right there on my door step.

I am not saying they are the only one but so far they seem to be only ones proven to really possessing evidence of such.

My question, why with all the scholars and experts in modern forensic science, why are the Igbo still not verified as the Israeli descends? I am sure this could have ignited a lot of curiosity among anthropologist and Jewish scholars.

I hope this would be done and it is not a matter of Igbo being taken as joke when they claim such. Its really degrading to the general black population to make the whites think we want to fraudulently attach to them. Blacks are proud people.

Now my question? With all the publicized brain power of the Igbo people why have they not commissioned a study similar to the one done to the one" Lemba people? To save themselves and their generations to come the embarrassment?

This can't be true...

The lost tribe are Nigerians

It is also interesting to know that the name " Lemba" is not the preferred or true name of the "Lemba" people but a Bantu language " Swahili" name meaning "respected foreigner" which further proves the middle east migration claim of the Lemba. See:

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemba_people

The Lemba also have in their possessions also what is said to be replica of the Ark and has been carbon dated to 700 years ago. If these people have so much proof not only from scholars but their given name by their hosts et al, how difficult could it be to prove Igbo ancestry?

barcanista: This can't be true...

The lost tribe are Nigerians

Well...

barcanista: This can't be true...

The lost tribe are Nigerians

barcanista: This can't be true...

The lost tribe are Nigerians

lmao

Fp material.. Let me reach office first then I'd comment..

Sounds to me like these people have actual proof

BluIvy:

The Lemba also have in their possessions also what is said to be replica of the Ark and has been carbon dated to 700 years ago. If these people have so much proof not only from scholars but their given name by their hosts et al, how difficult could it be to prove Igbo ancestry?

. You are too fixated on Igbo. It is common knowledge that most of you brainwashed folks are the ones trying to attach yourselves by force to caucasians. In addition to the overblown case of the Igbo, we also have that of Yoruba. https://m.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=540613169282369&id=223978544355299 https://www.nairaland.com/1092081/might-want-know-yorubas-part http://www.thejewishweek.com/arts/film/are-igbos-nigeria-jewish

Abagworo: . You are too fixated on Igbo. It is common knowledge that most of you brainwashed folks are the ones trying to attach yourselves by force to caucasians. In addition to the overblown case of the Igbo, we also have that of Yoruba. https://m.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=540613169282369&id=223978544355299 https://www.nairaland.com/1092081/might-want-know-yorubas-part http://www.thejewishweek.com/arts/film/are-igbos-nigeria-jewish

Wow! Well truth hurts. Otherwise I cannot explain this outburst. I might have struck a nerve. By the way I am not Yoruba nor am I a Nigeria just a history lover.

BluIvy:

Wow! Well truth hurts. Otherwise I cannot explain this outburst. I might have struck a nerve. By the way I am not Yoruba nor am I a Nigeria just a history lover.

we know that lemba tribe are Hebrews too so what are you implying?
igbo Hebrew connection is well documented my dear so as the lemba tribe..

backtosender: we know that lemba tribe are Hebrews too so what are you implying?
igbo Hebrew connection is well documented my dear so as the lemba tribe..

Well I did not know about the Lemba, so did other people. If it is that documented why is it that difficult to present it when making your claims? Really, you sound very unconvincing.

I have not read the thread though, I recommend Igbo people for scientific proof like this.

MightySparrow: I have not read the thread though, I recommend Igbo people for scientific proof like this.

Thank you! My point as well!

BluIvy:

Well I did not know about the Lemba, so did other people. If it is that documented why is it that difficult to present it when making your claims? Really, you sound very unconvincing.

evidence is there looking at you what else do you want as an evidence are u lemba tribe?

backtosender: evidence is there looking at you what else do you want as an evidence are u lemba tribe?

...

Abeg Ms bluvly leave the yorubas out of this, an average Yoruba man doesn't care if he's descended from d lost tribe of China no one gives a f**k

so no one is descended from the lost tribe of philistine?
i am.descended from the lost tribe of canaan (ham).

Now that we know how does it improve their lot. Does it change the fact that Mugabe is still their president?

Pain: Now that we know how does it improve their lot. Does it change the fact that Mugabe is still their president?

Most of them are SA dear and I am sure they would choose Mugabe trillion times than your president. Mugabe is strong, tested and still standing. How dare you judge another president leaving yours to whose judgement. What you know not is that Mugabe is hero in Southern African Countries.

BluIvy:

Most of them are SA dear and I am sure they would choose Mugabe trillion times than your president. Mugabe is strong, tested and still standing. How dare you judge another president leaving yours to whose judgement. What you know not is that Mugabe is hero in Southern African Countries.

Trash


They are several tribes that have connection to Israel eg Falashas of Ethiopia Igbos of Nigeria Lembe of SA/Zimbabwe etc

So all this your fruitless efforts can not disconnect Igbos from their Jewish ancestry just the way any other person's worthless effort can't disconnect the Falasha of ethiopia or lembe people from their jewish connection.

Your hatred for Igbos confirms our jewish connection when a person views it through anti-jewish sentiments that exist in anti-jewish societies.

EasternLeopard:

Trash


They are several tribes that have connection to Israel eg Falashas of Ethiopia Igbos of Nigeria Lembe of SA/Zimbabwe etc

So all this your fruitless efforts can not disconnect Igbos from their Jewish ancestry just the way any other person's worthless effort can't disconnect the Falasha of ethiopia or lembe people from their jewish connection.

Your hatred for Igbos confirms our jewish connection when a person views it through anti-jewish sentiments that exist in anti-jewish societies.

You guys are getting angry for nothing. Is there anywhere in the post that seeks to disconnect igbos from Israel? Please highlight it. Here I was just discussing the Lembe people who have been scientific proven to have a direct DNA link to Jews. I have never seen any credible igbos proof on their linkage to Jews. How can I then dismiss it?

And please this " they hate us" story is tired and pathetic at the least.I have noticed that you always use it when you do not have a good argument. So please grow up!

Jst saw this thread by BluIvy, I think you guys should take a look...
EasternLeopard
banega
Balkan
SmallJagaban
maestroferddi
TamzyTamudo
tonychristoper
Genea
MrTaymee
Buddahmonk
iamodenigbo
MOBOJECTIVE
achi4u
cheruv
collynzov5
Rossikk
Omenka
Onyfrank
biafrankqueen
orlandowoh
shymex

You are all invited.
Lemme quickly get my cocacola and popcorn #justaspectator.

Its true,there are also Ethiopian Jews