Tacitus, Ethiopians and Black St. Paul
Roman historian Tacitus wrote that many of his time believed that the Jews “were a race of Ethiopian origin.”
The Bible classifies the Ethiopians & Jews together, “Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel? saith the Lord.” (Amos 9:7)
Black Paul is mistaken for an “Egyptian” and declares himself to be a “Jew.” (Acts 21:37-39, 22: 2,3)
Persia and Ashanti
It has also been speculated that the Jewish presence and influence was greatly helped by the ancient gold trade between Persia and Africa.
Jews were the main intermediaries of this trade in the medieval ages since most Muslims (due to Islamic laws prohibition on usury) were wary of its usurious dimensions.
These Jewish itinerant traders came to rely on contacts with the various Jewish communities of West African who proved no mean help in sourcing the scarce commodity. Thus, for instance, the silk of the Royal Kente cloths of the Ashanti reputedly came from China.
Various historical accounts claim that Jewish travelers from Persia had organized exchanges of Chinese silk for gold in the Kingdom of Ghana; the Ashanti needed the silk for weaving Kente cloth and the Jews need gold for their intrinsic and fiscal value. It is said that the Ashanti words for numbers relate to those in Parsi, the language of Persia. See Lichtblau.
Genetics
Haplogroup E3B
The E3b haplogroup has been observed in all Jewish groups world wide. It is considered to be the 2nd most prevelent haplogroup amoung the Jewish population.
All the major studies agree that E-M35 is the second highest in prevalence next to J, for “Founding Jewish Lineages.” http://www.familytreedna.com/pdf/Behar_contrasting.pdf.
It is found in moderate amounts in all Jewish populations, from Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Kurdish, Yemen, Samaritan and even among Djerba Jewish groups.
The scientific consensus is that Haplogroup E3b (M35) appears to have originated in East Africa, but has been carried from there to the Near East and then on to North Africa and Europe. Today it is most common in East Africa, North Africa, the Near East and around the Mediterranean.
Haplogroup J
Haplogroup J (previously known as HG9 or Eu9/Eu10) is a Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup. T is subdivided into two subclades: haplogroup J2, defined by the M172 marker, and haplogroup J1, defined by the M267 marker.
Of special interest are maps that show the geographical spread of the J haplogroup. J1 and J2 are both common in southern Europe, central Europe, the Mediterranean region, and Africa. The J haplogroup is considered to be a signature gene of Jewish ancestry and the cohen modal gene happens to be a subgroup of J.
In fact, the highest frequencies of J1 (M267) are seen in the Middle East, north Africa, and Ethiopia. See (Thomas et al. 1999). J2 (M172) also exists in significant proportions across Africa especially among the semitic speaking peoples of Tigriniya, Amhara, and Oromiya.
The J1’s from the Middle East and North Africa seem to be distinguishable from the rest of J’s by having YCAII=22,22. Behar et al found that a significant proportion of the Jewish population of Europe (more than 20%) carry the J1 haplogroup. The other 20% carry the J2 haplogroup. See Behar et al Hum Genet (2004) 114: 354-365
Cohen Modal Haplotype
The presence among the Lemba of a disproportionate number of men carrying a particular polymorphism on the Y chromosome known as the Cohen modal haplotype suggests an ancestral link to the Jewish population. One sub-clan within the Lemba, the Buba clan, is considered by the Lemba to be their priestly clan. Among a small sample of the Buba, fifty-two percent of males were found to carry the Cohen modal haplotype CMH, which is generally suggestive of Y-DNA haplogroup J, but notably prevalent among Jewish Kohanim, or priests.
Decline of the Black Jews of Africa
Many reasons have been sought for the decline and virtual disappearance of Africa’s once thriviing Jewish communities of black Jews. Many see the beginning of this decline as contemporaneous with the advent of the Islamic religion in Africa.
Some historical accounts highlight the fact that black Jews were die-hard nationalistic traditionalists and had led the black African resistance against the influx of the black muslim jihadists and their new interpretation of morality. The most notableof these black Jewish nationalists was Queen Kahina Dahiya Bint Thabitah ibn Tifan otherwise known as El-Kahina. A descendant of one of the priestly Black Jewish families of North Africa, Kahina led the nationalist resistance against the muslim invasion until her defeat at the hands of Hassan Ibn Numan. See Margolis, “History of Jewish people”, 1927 pages 278-279. See also Remy Ilona, “The Igbos: Jews in Africa?” volume 1, Research Findings Historical Links, Commentaries, Narratives,” 2004, Mega Press Limited, Abuja, Nigeria.
Amidst this tumult, the Jews of Northern and West Africa were given a choice of conversion or emigration. Many left for the deeper forest recesses of West Africa seeking the peace and tranquility that appeared to elude them in each generation. The late incursions by the colonialist christian elements of Europe did not make matters any better. There seems to have been a direct link between the incursion of relatively modern religions in Africa and the decline of the ancient practise of the Hebrews which had a pride of place in Africa, its mother land.
For instance the Jewish enclaves of Qamnurya or Naghira in the area of modern Senegal was destroyed completely in the wake of sectarian unrest. Similarly, Al-Maghili a prominent black Muslim noble not only destroyed the Jewish enclaves of Tuat in the old Mali empire, he convinced other potentates throughout the Western Sudan to banish Jews from the empire’s cities. See Remy Ilona, supra.
Lichtblau speculates that: although “…Jewish presence is also confirmed by numerous surviving accounts of Portuguese and other European visitors in the 14th and 15th centuries, as well as North African and Arab historical records… gradually most of these communities disappeared. Since they existed largely in isolation, there was a good deal of intermarriage which for a while reinforced their influence and expansion. As a result they were increasingly viewed as a threat by Muslim rulers, and most of the Jewish communities and nomad groups south of the Atlas mountains were either forced to convert to Islam or massacred; the remainder fled to North Africa, Egypt or the Sudan, and a few also to Cameroon and Southern Africa.”
Jide Uwechia
August 19, 2007
A variant of Ephraim may be Ifite or Ihite depending on your dialect.Nobody knows the true meaning of Ifite but it appears in scores of names of towns in Igboland. Another bibilical name that is common is Abba or Aba which is a name of so many towns in Igbo-land. Ama-Anyi can also be translated to ” the knowledge of us” depending on intonation.
It is not surprising that the present genetic make up the modern jew is not the same as the hebrews.there have been so many events in Hebrew history that being a Jew may not guarantee that one has even a hebrew ancestor either patrilineal or matrilineal. there is suggestion of hebrew influence on igbo culture but no incontrovertible DNA evidence to suggest that Igbo/Ibo/Ebo/Eboe are in fact Hebrews. Till this is done we continue to speculate.
Just to comment on one Ganda man’s interpretation of Nze; a highly respected title in Igboland. Nze is a title holder who is highly respected and is expected to maintain the highest ethical standards in his conduct in the community. He is never to bear false withness, never to steal or cheat, never to eat what is unclean( what has fallen on the ground), never to sit on the bare ground hence in the olden days was always carrying a goatskin bag that he would sit on in public gatherings. Only freeborn in the community could hold the title. He must never climb a tree. It was dignified title.
By this my good Ganda fellow you see that nze does not mean selfishness. Please do discard all your misconceptions about the igbo people. We have only begun to sratch the surface in understanding these unique people.
Its interesting that the ancient hebrew word (Maaz) for Isrealite man is the same as the present igbo word for an Igbo man (Mazi) Maazi, Maza in Hausa. see the evidence @ http://strongsnumbers.com/hebrew/4619.htm
Even the hebrew word for israelite woman “Baara” may be seen In the old igbo word for woman “Agbara ‘
If you remember that hebrew is written in consonants and that the vowels have to be inferred you may have a few words that sound the same and have a similar meaning in the two languages.
English; i gbo/Variant Igbo ; Hebrew
eye; anya: aya: ayin
ear: Nti( pronunced n-te) tenuk
house ebe biri beth biri
flee gbaraa/ gbara pu barach
run oso/ noso nus
say si/ kwué/ kpe melal/ qol/ peh
bowl efele sephel
thought eche seach
laugh shi ochi/ chiochi tsechoq/sachaq
look neke/ nebe nakar/nabat
consecrate neze/ nezer nazar
reverence kpelachi/kpeluchi pelach/palach
I do not purport to be a linguist but I think the similarities are amazing. these are a few words that i took time to look up. See what I found.
I believe the slave trade affected us more than we are aware of because during the slave trade millions of Africans including Igbo were taken by force into the diaspora and important histories both oral and written were lost. Whole villages were transplanted because insecurity, artefacts were lost. Social upheaval occurred and to worsen the matter the colonialist came along with thier divide and rule tactics and imposed their culture and apologies; religions on us, making us to demonize our own traditional ways. We have benefitted from the western influence but at what price?
Igbos traditionally do not have kings; colonialist imposed warrant chiefs on us. From there we made kings of the warrant chiefs and the rest is history. Eze/ Ezer that we use today does not stand for king in ancient igbo it stands for priest or in its purer form helper or servant. For example Ezeani/ ezeala means the priest of Ani/ Ala or better helper of ani /ala or servant of Ani /ala which is exactly how it would translate in ancient hebrew in which EZER translates as helper.
I gave serious thought to the queston and I realized that the answer to the question of Ig ancestory may bestaring at us in the face.In one of the ritual Prayers at the breaking of Kolanut the elder recites as follows: it will be well with Igbo, it is also well with olu. the question now becomes what or who is ‘Olu”?
I believe that the OLU are the original inhabitants of the place known now as Igboland and the Igbo came and settled among them, intermarried among them abd produced the modern Igbo of today. The Olu were NOT CONQUERED as Igbo People were essentially peaceful traders and artisans, not warriors. Had there been war between them there would be no blessing of the olu during the breaking of kolanut. The olu may not have been homogenous ; they may have been some several small tribes whose remnants and Descendants are found in the South-South of Nigeria. This implies then that the south-east and the South-south are blood relations. This is verified oral History and linguistic evidence .
No DNA evidence exists as at now unlike the Lembas in South Africa where there is evidence of Hebrew Ancestory. Is anyone aware of a Genetic study of the Igbo Population in comparism to their Nieghbors in the South-South and Other populations world-wide that claim Hebrew ancestory?
Molweni-Siyanibona -Greetings -South Africa
Thank you for opening my eyes, Just to comment on Nguni history . Our ancient history of the Nguni people is wrapped up in our oral history. According to legend we were a people who migrated from Egypt to the Great Lakes region of sub-equatorial Central/East Africa.[1] We migrated southwards over many centuries, with large herds of Nguni cattle, probably entering what is now South Africa around 2,000 years ago in sporadic settlement, followed by larger waves of migration around 1400 AD. Nguni peoples are pastoralist groups, ethnically part of the greater Bantu group occupying much of the East and Southern parts of Africa.
Many tribes and clans were forcibly united under Shaka Zulu. Shaka Zulu’s political organisation was efficient in integrating conquered tribes, partly due to the age regiments, where men from different villages bonded with each other. The Nguni tribes kept similar political practises to those used by Shaka Zulu.
During the southern African migrations known as mfecane, the Nguni peoples spread across a large part of southern Africa, absorbing, conquering or displacing many other peoples.
The Nguni tribes are: Zulus, Xhosa, Swazi and Ndebele and we all can understand each other’s languages. Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika is part of the national anthem of South Africa, national anthem of Tanzania and Zambia, and the former anthem of Zimbabwe and Namibia. It is a Xhosa hymn written by Enoch Sontonga in 1897. The first chorus is:
Nkosi, sikelel’ iAfrika;
Malupakam’upondo lwayo;
Yiva imithandazo yethu
Usisikelele.
Lord, bless Africa;
May her horn rise high up;
Hear Thou our prayers And bless us.