Not-so-lost tribe

The idea of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel has a long and storied history (ever hear of British Israelism, for example?)

One contender for a lost tribe are the Lemba people of South Africa:

"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."

Just another myth? The BBC reports that British scientists have confirmed the tribe's Semitic origins in the most convincing way possible--DNA tests. The tests support the Lemba oral tradition that a group of seven or so Israelite men came to the region and intermarried with the local population; there are about 80,000 Lemba today.

They also have a prized possession, a replica of the Ark of the Covenant. Which is interesting because so many legends connect the Ark with Africa, especially in Ethiopia, but this is a lot farther south.

In any event, strange that BBC is reporting this without pointing out the tests took place over a decade ago! Still, it's news to us.

You can now cock an eyebrow and say: fascinating!