Opinion / Columnist
Lemba origins Revisited
28 Oct 2014 at 08:45hrs | Views
Much attention has been given to the origins of the Lemba people since the year 2000, when a Y chromosome study by Neil Bradman and Mark Thomas of University College London yielded results that indicated that the Lemba have Jewish ancestry, and in particular a high incidence of the Cohen modal haplotype, ( a haplotype shared by many Jews of priestly descent throughout the Diaspora.)
Genetic science has come a long way since then, and in the most recent study by Dr. H. Soodyall, a geneticist from the Department of Health Sciences, Division of Human Genetics in the University of Witwatersrand ,using higher resolution and more genetic markers, the following results were found:
Firstly, when the 6 marker Cohen Modal Haplotype was extended to 12 markers , it was found only in Jews and not in the Lemba. The 6 marker Cohen modal haplotype found in the Lemba in the 2000 study is found in many non Jewish populations in the Middle East but the extended Cohen Modal Haplotype is specific to Jewish Cohens at varying levels throughout the Jewish Diaspora . The extended modal haplotype was recently revealed by a team of geneticists led by Dr. M. Hammer of the University of Arizona, and it was this that Soodayall looked for among the Lemba and Remba in the 2013 study.
Secondly, when other combined Haplogroups among the South African Lemba and Zimbabwean Remba samples were analysed at extended level, they were also found not to match with Jewish haplogroups.
Three extracts from the conclusion of the study are as follows:
"While it was not possible to trace unequivocally the origins of the non- African Y chromosomes of the Lemba and the Remba, this study does not support the earlier claims of their Jewish genetic heritage."
"Overall this study has shown that Y chromosomes typically linked with Jewish ancestry were not present in the Lemba."
"It seems likely that the Arab traders who are known to have established long distance trade networks involving some thousands of kilometers along the western rim of the Indian Ocean from Sofala in the South to the Red Sea in the north, and beyond to the Hadramaut, India, and even China from 900 AD are more likely linked with the ancestry of the non-African founding males of the Lemba and the Remba."
It is of interest to note that most of the Lemba tribal names are recognizably Arabic, and variations of them are still found in Yemen today.
The question of identity is a complex one, and it is unwise to rely on it as a sole source of evidence. However DNA is a neutral way of unfolding the missing pages of History, as long as it is interpreted in a scholarly way, without bias. Also, it is likely that the last word has not been said on the genetics of the Lemba ( or anyone else's for that matter.) Those Lemba who identify as Jews will have other reasons apart from genetic evidence to do so. This article merely hopes to guard against irresponsible and often incorrect quotations about outdated scientific studies, and to keep us up to date with what is known about Lemba genetics according to our current state of knowledge.
Genetic science has come a long way since then, and in the most recent study by Dr. H. Soodyall, a geneticist from the Department of Health Sciences, Division of Human Genetics in the University of Witwatersrand ,using higher resolution and more genetic markers, the following results were found:
Firstly, when the 6 marker Cohen Modal Haplotype was extended to 12 markers , it was found only in Jews and not in the Lemba. The 6 marker Cohen modal haplotype found in the Lemba in the 2000 study is found in many non Jewish populations in the Middle East but the extended Cohen Modal Haplotype is specific to Jewish Cohens at varying levels throughout the Jewish Diaspora . The extended modal haplotype was recently revealed by a team of geneticists led by Dr. M. Hammer of the University of Arizona, and it was this that Soodayall looked for among the Lemba and Remba in the 2013 study.
Secondly, when other combined Haplogroups among the South African Lemba and Zimbabwean Remba samples were analysed at extended level, they were also found not to match with Jewish haplogroups.
Three extracts from the conclusion of the study are as follows:
"While it was not possible to trace unequivocally the origins of the non- African Y chromosomes of the Lemba and the Remba, this study does not support the earlier claims of their Jewish genetic heritage."
"It seems likely that the Arab traders who are known to have established long distance trade networks involving some thousands of kilometers along the western rim of the Indian Ocean from Sofala in the South to the Red Sea in the north, and beyond to the Hadramaut, India, and even China from 900 AD are more likely linked with the ancestry of the non-African founding males of the Lemba and the Remba."
It is of interest to note that most of the Lemba tribal names are recognizably Arabic, and variations of them are still found in Yemen today.
The question of identity is a complex one, and it is unwise to rely on it as a sole source of evidence. However DNA is a neutral way of unfolding the missing pages of History, as long as it is interpreted in a scholarly way, without bias. Also, it is likely that the last word has not been said on the genetics of the Lemba ( or anyone else's for that matter.) Those Lemba who identify as Jews will have other reasons apart from genetic evidence to do so. This article merely hopes to guard against irresponsible and often incorrect quotations about outdated scientific studies, and to keep us up to date with what is known about Lemba genetics according to our current state of knowledge.
Source - Anon
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