Oral history had it that Ga-Dangmes people migrated from Israel about 6th Century B.C through Egypt, then to Ethiopia, having been expelled or exiled by the Assyrians (Hebrew Biblical Revelations, July 2008). In Ethiopia, they settled in the Gonder Province in northern Ethiopia, where the Blue Nile originates. That is where the name NAI WULOMO, meaning, HIGH PRIES OFTHE NILE comes from. In 640 B.C, the Assyrians attacked the Ga-Dangmes again while they were in Ethiopia. From Ethiopia, they travelled through Southern Sudan and settled for a period of time at Sameh in Niger and then to Ileife in Nigeria. They migrated again in 1100 A.D and settled at Dahome and later, travelled to Huatsi in Togo where they stayed briefly.
From Huatsi, the Ga-Dangmes travelled to the eastern banks of River Volta (know as JOR). From there, they crossed the Volta River at a place between the Old Kpong and Akuse and established settlements on the plains of Tag-logo where they lived till 1200 A.D. Later, the Ga-Dangmes migrated to the plains of Lorlorvor between Lorlorvor and Osudoku Hills. The Shai occupied a settlement in Shai highlands.
The Ga-Dangmes claim to be descendants DAN and GAD, the fifth and seventh sons of Jacob. Biblical history suggests that Jacob, whom God named YISRAEL had Leah as his wife who gave birth to four sons for him. When Leah noticed that she had passed child-bearing age, she gave her maid servant, ZILPAH to wife. Through Zilpah, Jacob had Dan and Gad and four more sons. Jacob has two sons with Rachel. Gad’s fifth son was Eri who later formed a clan known as Erites (Genesis 30:9, Genesis 46:16, Numbers 26:15-19 and Deuteronomy 3:12; Genesis 30:4-8 3:12.The descendant of Eri, son of Gad are believed to have founded the Nri Kingdom around 900 A.D of the South Eastern and parts of the mid-western Igboland in Nigeria with other tribes of Levi, Zebulon, Ephraim and possibly more. In the Book of numbers, the Bible had made extensive references to the children of Israel, which includes Gad and Dan and their children (Numbers 1:1-54).
As I have written before, I do not give credence to these claims that the lost tribes of Israel have been found. If all these claims were true, then Israel would have more than ten lost tribes.
Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary
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Tags: Ten Lost Tribes
1 comment:
I AM SURPRISED THAT DR.CLAUDE MARIOTINI CLAIMS TO BE A SCHOLAR OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. ONE MAY EVEN QUESTIONS HIM AS SCHOLAR, WHEN HE SAYS THAT HE DOES NOT BELIEVE THE CLAIMS OF THOSE WHO CONTEND THAT THEY ARE PART OF THE LOST TRIBES OF ISRAEL. HE SEEMS TO BE MAKING THAT STATEMENT WITHOUT AND SCIENTIFIC BASIS OR SOLID INTELLECTUAL REASONING TO SUPPORT HIS CONTENTION.
HOW CAN DR MARIOTTINI CLAIMS TO BE A SCHOLAR OF THE OLD TESTAMENT AND TEACH STUDENTS ABOUT OLD TESTAMENT HISTORY, WHEN HE DOES NOT BELIEVE WHAT THE SCRIPTURE SAYS ABOUT THE LOST TRIBES OF ISRAEL.
IN 1PETER 1:1,GOD TOLD ABRAHAM THAT HE (GOD) SHALL SCATTER ABRAHAM DESCENDANTS FROM ONE CORNER OF THE EARTH TO ANOTHER.
AGAIN,GENESIS 15:13; ACT 7:6 and DEUTERONOMY 28:64 TALK ABOUT THE "SCATTERING" OF THE CHILDREN OF THE NATION OF ISRAEL. IS DR.CLAUDE MARIOTTINI DISAGREEING WITH THE WORD OF GOD IN THE BIBLE?
MOREOVER, HEBREW BIBLICAL REVELATIONS,AUGUST 20, 2008 TALKS ABOUT THE EXILE OF JEWS FROM THE LAND OF ISRAEL. AGAIN, DOES DR. CLAUDE MARIOTTINI DISAGREE WITH HISTORICAL FACTS THAT THE ASSYRIANS ATTACKED ISRAEL IN SIX CENTURY B.C WHICH THE TO THE EXILE OF TEN OF THE TWELVE TRIBES OF ISRAEL?
IF WE CONSIDER THE DISPERSION OF THE TWELVE TRIBES IN AFRICA, PARTICULARLY IN WESTERN AND SOUTHERN PART OF AFRICA,IT WOULD APPEAR FROM ORAL HISTORY THAT ONE OF TRIBE MAY TRAVEL IN GROUPS. SOME MEMBERS OF THE SAME TRIBE MAY BE LEFT BEHIND ON ONE AFRICAN COUNTRY WHILE THE REST OF THAT TRIBE KEPT ON GOING. THIS MAY HAVE BEEN THE CASE IN OTHER CONTINENTS, LEADING TO THE SCATTERING OF TWELVE TRIBES IN MANY COUNTRIES OF THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE EARTH AS GOD SAID HE WOULD DO.
DR.CLAUDE MARIOTTINI FAILED TO PROVIDE A SHRED OF EVIDENCE TO DISCOUNT THE CLAIMS OF THOSE WHO CLAIM THAT THEIR ANCESTORS WERE HEBREW ISRAELITES AND THAT THEY ARE DESCENDANTS OF JACOB, WHOM GOD NAMED YISRAEL. SCHOLARS SUCH AS TAMAR KEMP, HOSNI LEVI AND MANY OTHERS HAVE ARGUED IN SUPPORT OF THE LOST TRIBE OF ISRAEL. WHAT ABOUT THE GENETIC (DNA)WORK DONE ON THE LEMBA TRIBE OF SOUTH AFRICA, WHICH CONCLUDED THAT THE LEMBA TRIBES WERE DESCENDANTS OF HEBREW ISRAELITES?
IN MY VIEW, IT APPEARS TO BE INTELLECTUAL DISHONESTY FOR A BIBLICAL SCHOLAR SUCH AS DR.CLAUDE MARIOTTINI SAY WHAT HE SAID, WITHOUT ANY EVIDENCE WHATSOEVER TO SUPPORT HIS CLAIM.
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