The Yorubas and other Canaanite/Israelites of Nigeria
By Jide Uwechia
Ancient Canaanite King
Yorubas and the neighbouring nationalities located in Nigeria have this oral tradition of an origin extraneous to West Africa.
Hugh Clapperton in 1820s reported a work by Sultan Bello, the Caliph of the Sokoto Caliphate, where he asserted that the Yorubas were descended from Canaanite tribe from Palestine.
Around the 1880s Samuel Johnson a Yoruba christian also wrote a book that made similar claims for Yoruba origins as Sultan Bello’s. In 1880, Johson naively sent this work to the Church Missionary Society in England for review and publication.
The Church Missionary Society suppressed the manuscript upon realizing the explosive information it contained. The Society declared the book lost. It was not until 1923 that Johson’s brother was able to publish an edited copy of this work. Johnson’s thesis was that the Yorubas were descended from Lamurudu (Nimrod) the first King of Mesopotamia. Johnson died in 1901.
1955 S.O. Obiaku, a Nigerian historian and scholar claimed a Meroite origin (Sudan/ancient Ethiopia-Kush) for the Yorubas. Emmanuel Uguhulu another respected Nigerian scholar claimed a Hebrew origin for the Esan tribe. Esan is part of the greater Edo nation, which is related to the Yoruba nation of Nigeria.
Efik traditions claim that the Efiks originated in Palestine, crossed the Sahara and arrived Nigeria via Sudan. The Efiks are located in the south-eastern corner of Nigeria.
Iberian Jews of Yoruba Nationality
The Bnai Ephraim (“Children of Ephraim”) from Nigeria, live among the Yoruba nationalities. Their oral history tells that the Bnai Ephraim people came from Morocco after the Jews were banished from the Iberian Pennisula sometime after 1492.
They speak a dialect that is a mixture of Moroccan Arabic, Yoruba, and Aramaic. They are known by the Yoruba people as the “Emo Yo Quaim”, or “strange people”. Unlike other African Israelite communities in Nigeria, the Bnai Ephraim have the Torah, portions of which they keep in their sanctuaries.
The name Lagos borne by the former capital of Nigeria is a Portugese/Iberian name meaning the lake. Lagos is an Island carved up by lagoons, swamps and lakes. Its traditional Nigerian name is Eko.
Thousands of black refugee Jews of Iberia re-settled in the environs of Lagos and Porto Novo (as well as in Cape Verde, Guinea Buissa, and in Sao Tome either as slaves or outlaws). Some groups eventually made it deeper inland and became assimilated into one nationality or the other.
The Bnai Ephraim provides a living and irrefutable proof of this barely known history of mass Jewish re-settlement in West Africa, between 1492 and 1692, a 200 year non-stop return of Jews to Africa. This set of Moorish refugees are not to be confused with more ancient Hebrew and Canaanite tribes that had been living in Nigeria and other African countries for thousands of years. The Black Jew series on Rasta Livewire deals with the relatively more ancient Hebrews of Africa.
The Bnai Ephraim did not settle with the Yorubas by accident or chance. They recalled that a body of their people had depart Canaan in the ancient times and had settled in the present day Yoruba areas of Nigeria, just like their own group – Bnai Ephraim – had settled in Iberia (Spain and Portugal).
So, when it happened they had to leave Iberia in a hurry to protect their lives and freedom, those Moorish Iberian Jews sailed on their network of ships to Nigeria Africa, near Lagos amongst the Yorubas, their relation by blood, their greater nationality.
Other series on this website will continue to explore the foot-tracks of the Hebrew Israelites of Africa whose stories barely get told. Now, they shall not only be heard, they shall also be seen.
Awake ye ancient Moorish Hebrews of Africa, awake! You have nothing to lose but your ignorance and weakness. The earth is your inheritance and rightful legacy. The truth lies in your history, hidden until these times…
Jide Uwechia
September 1, 2009
Source
Tudor Parfitt: “The Construction of Jewish Identities in Africa” in the book “Jews of Ethiopia” Edited by Tudor Parfitt and Emanuela Trevisan Semi. Routledge.
Abderrahman ben-Abdall es-Sadi, “Tarikh es Soudan, Paris, 1900,” (trad. O. Houdas)
Rick Gold , “The Jews of Timbuktu,” Washington Jewish Week, December 30, 1999,
Joseph J. Williams S.J., “Hebrewism of West Africa: From Nile to the Niger with the Jews”
Remy Ilona, “Igbos, Jews in Africa?,” (Volume 1), Mega Press Limited, Abuja, Nigeria, 2004,
Northern Tribes of Nigeria, Volume 1, Oxford, page 66, by C.K. Meek
How can u guys proove these claims? I feel they are very extreme and you don’t hav enough proof. I’m yoruba and I know yorubas are Egyptian migrants that’s how far we can trace our history but this is also very evident in our oral history as most yoruba words are same in meaning or almost same in pronounciation with the majour Egyptian language. Though yorubas were chased out by Arabs. An Hebrew origin cannot be established with this shallow theories.
@ Tola
These people had migrated from Palestine: These included Hausa people.
Yes, they had passed through Egypt (may be their area of presence included ancient Egypt). They descended southward to Darfour and Hausa people passed through Tibesti in the Desert. They descended till they reached the Savana and their Queen Antu decided to create the kingdom of “Daura”
Not all yoruba the ijebus are diffrent because they are not real yoruba like other yoruba that believe oduduwa is thier ancestor
…..[edited]
Yoruba have always been in west africa since over 6000yrs ago. Here our ancestors received Ifa. We split 3000yrs ago due to a flood and resettled in Ife, Here we were known as “Ooye” . From Ife we founded more towns and hamlets until Oduduwa brought virtually all of them under his control and with capital at Ife. ..until his sons divided the Nation into Oyo, Ijebu, Ekiti, Ijesa, Igbomima, etc
…..
Hello Tola, Yoruba history has long been lost sequel to our migration from Egypt, but it can be further traced back from Bellos comment about us being descendants of Canaan, however , the igbos have taken the statement in the surface and ran away with the narrative, yes we once settled in Canaan but were displaced and had to migrate almost same time as our relatives the Eves ( presently knows as Ewes) in Ghana, Togo, Benin and Ivory Coast.
Igbos sudden claim as being Hebrew Israelites aren’t even verified but I won’t touch on it . Igbos also have ties to Egypt , please read the link:
https://oblongmedia.net/2018/02/11/the-igbo-and-ancient-egypt/comment-page-1/
The king of the jebus in the Bible was haruna, haruna is a Yoruba name.
let all yorubas wake up and seek the truth and it shall set them free. igbo and yorubas are jew. igbo in hebrew is yebus, jebus, (judges 19:10) and yoruba in hebrew is yerubbaal, jerubbaal, (judges 7-9). IGideon is yerubbaal son Nun and same as Joshua,. lt is the spirit of Yah (God) that convince someone. There were many routes the jews take to entered to West Africa, one is Egypt and it would not be strange if they adopted some of their gods and similarities in language. But I know l am not ifa or any other gods descendant. People love darkness more than light. It is time to know our root and serve the true God who loved us and chose us to be HIS servants. Yoruba women it is time we show our true beauty and not fake, stop wearing human hair that were dedicated to asian gods. Yah is the only wise and Most High.
yoruba are hebrew?
No ,i do not think that yoruba people has anything to do with the jews i am from carmeroon ihave lived among u .U do not have any caracteristic with the jews ,the jews are in nature very aggressive and intelligent but yorubas are trickish and can not decide for them self there is no prof u do not even circumsied to start with u eat lot of oil the other africans who claim jewish origine have the same culture and majority of them were christian u have lots of muslim and lslamic in your tribe u do not have any thin similar with jews even if europians came with there civilization , there should be some of the jewish law u su rpose to pratice no no atom s of there behaviour or similarities u better cheek ur history very well b/f u conclude thanks
Jews are part of hebrews.
the term Hebrew derives from the Patriarch Abraham I suppose!
Clearly you don’t know what you’re talking about:
(1) Yoruba circumcise on the 7th/8th day – just like Hebrews
(2) Yoruba don;’t cut infants hair during first year – just like Hebrews
(3) The honorific title for master of the house is: Baale in Yoruba, and Baal in Hebrew.
This is just a minor sample. If you’re interested in truth, do some research.
hahahahahahahaha….everybody is a jew nd hebrew. Only d Ibri, Ibo or Heebo originated 4rm Hebrew, pls get ur fact right.
Heebo did not come from Hebrew because Hebrew is an English word that derived from Latin “Hebraicus”, and that Latin name derived from an African tribe that can be found in Ghana, Togo and Benin; in whom are relatives to the Yariba/Yoruba people. Igbo and Heebo is not a corruption of Hebrew contrary to popular belief. Also, if Igbo need validation from the jews(Gentiles that are not even blood born) of Israel as being Jews, then that doesn’t look good imo.
@Ajareti she Linda is Igbo she gave herself away by saying yorubas cook with so much oil ( what igbos term as ofee mmanu) she is not from Cameroon, there’s no point telling her of our Hebrew practices. Many of them are uneducated, they just come online and spew gibberish.
Did you know the Yoruba name Tola is even in the bible? Please look it up.
Did you know yorubas are the only tribe in the world they elevates the younger twin above the older one? Just like the case of Jacob and Esau. (A kehinde Gebgbon)
Did you know that exactly like Hebrew culture a brother can marry his older brothers wife should the older brother die? We yorubas do that as well. ( Opo sisu)
Igbos are of course bitter when they run into articles such as this when their own claims as Hebrew Israelites are questionable on so many fronts
Yoruba people circumcise their children the eight day just like the Jews.
Lol… You’re just funny… I want to comment but people like you think so shallow…
Yoruba are descended from Ooye people who survived the flooding of the River Niger 2000years ago which saw us build Ife Oyelagbo communities. Pls we are not jews. We are native to west africa. ..we moved to west africa since the early days of Homo sapiens from the great Lakes of East africa
Yoruba calendar is not like jews
Yoruba language is not like hebrew
Yoruba DNA is not of jews
Yoruba Spirituality is not of Canaan
This is why we Traditionalists request for culture, tradition and history to be taught to Children. ..not bible studies that destroy our minds
Look at how all of you keep looking to a Jewish book for yoruba history. What happened to the way your great grandmother learnt history?
Yoruba nation is great we don’t need to be like others who hate themselves and loose their history.
We are not jews egypt or Canaan
Thank you, Sir, for this. I love it.
i wil like to knw more
I agree with Jennifer. No more fake hair!!!!!! Kinky hair is supreme hair. It can take any shape. It can be twisted, braided, locked, worn in knots, formed into shapes….. No more fake weave and wigs. Wake up
The only person that have convince me enough (whom I myself have proven correct based on what I have confirmed) on this issue of Hebrew thing is C. Akannam.
@1 My name is Abra from ghana yoruba poeple in nigeria should stop disgrasing them self there is no way yoruba is neither hebrew or negreos stop deceving yourself u have nothing in common with them ex the Ashanti of Ghana and the lbos of nigeria have almost the same culture like the hebrew of lsrealites the Ohafia poeple in ibo land are warrior the ashanti are also lbo poeple are very smart and brilliant and their women are beautiful the biafran war was one of the course in the bible
Clearly you don’t know what you’re talking about:
(1) Yoruba circumcise on the 7th/8th day – just like Hebrews
(2) Yoruba don;’t cut infants hair during first year – just like Hebrews
(3) The honorific title for master of the house is: Baale in Yoruba, and Baal in Hebrew.
This is just a minor sample. If you’re interested in truth, do some research.
What kind of nonsense are you spewing here? Such hateful comments with zero knowledge about the subject matter, be quiet ignoramus.
What kind of cultural similarities is that?
Actually, it is the Yoruba that has similarities like the Jews. Go to Ile-Ife and see yourself
You are Igbo stop fooling yourself.. I don’t know why you guys start comments with I am from Cameroon or Ghana, it gives you away easily. Why disguise when your comments echoes exactly what igbos have been propagating. S…… (deleted).