Research Outputs (Anthropology and Archaeology)
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Item Male-biased migration from East Africa introduced pastoralism into southern Africa(2021-12-07) Vicente, Mário; Lankheet, Imke; Russell, Thembi; Hollfelder, Nina; Coetzee, Vinet; Soodyall, Himla; Jongh, Michael D.; Schlebusch, Carina M.Abstract Background Hunter-gatherer lifestyles dominated the southern African landscape up to ~ 2000 years ago, when herding and farming groups started to arrive in the area. First, herding and livestock, likely of East African origin, appeared in southern Africa, preceding the arrival of the large-scale Bantu-speaking agro-pastoralist expansion that introduced West African-related genetic ancestry into the area. Present-day Khoekhoe-speaking Namaqua (or Nama in short) pastoralists show high proportions of East African admixture, linking the East African ancestry with Khoekhoe herders. Most other historical Khoekhoe populations have, however, disappeared over the last few centuries and their contribution to the genetic structure of present-day populations is not well understood. In our study, we analyzed genome-wide autosomal and full mitochondrial data from a population who trace their ancestry to the Khoekhoe-speaking Hessequa herders from the southern Cape region of what is now South Africa. Results We generated genome-wide data from 162 individuals and mitochondrial DNA data of a subset of 87 individuals, sampled in the Western Cape Province, South Africa, where the Hessequa population once lived. Using available comparative data from Khoe-speaking and related groups, we aligned genetic date estimates and admixture proportions to the archaeological proposed dates and routes for the arrival of the East African pastoralists in southern Africa. We identified several Afro-Asiatic-speaking pastoralist groups from Ethiopia and Tanzania who share high affinities with the East African ancestry present in southern Africa. We also found that the East African pastoralist expansion was heavily male-biased, akin to a pastoralist migration previously observed on the genetic level in ancient Europe, by which Pontic-Caspian Steppe pastoralist groups represented by the Yamnaya culture spread across the Eurasian continent during the late Neolithic/Bronze Age. Conclusion We propose that pastoralism in southern Africa arrived through male-biased migration of an East African Afro-Asiatic-related group(s) who introduced new subsistence and livestock practices to local southern African hunter-gatherers. Our results add to the understanding of historical human migration and mobility in Africa, connected to the spread of food-producing and livestock practices.Item The wife of Manoah, the mother of Samson(2016) Le Roux, MagdelThe last account of the judges is that of Samson (Judges 13–16). This account has all the elements of a blockbuster. All the indications are that Samson would be an extraordinary person. And yet, even though Samson may be regarded as some sort of hero, the story suggests that Samson was also the weakest or most ineffective of the judges. Tension is created through the juxtaposition of “ideal” and “non-ideal” bodies. An alternative ideology, as a hidden polemic, is concealed in the account. As in the case of Achsah (Judges 1:11–15) and Deborah (Judges 4–5), the nameless wife of Manoah (the mother of Samson) serves as an illustration of “countercultural rhetoric” as a hidden polemic.Item Kohenim travelling south. The Queen of Sheba in Ethiopian and Lemba tradition(SASNES (Southern African Society for Near Eastern Studies), 2004) Le Roux, MagdelSimilar to oral traditions, written histories may exist in more than one version. The biblical story of the Queen of Sheba's visit to King Solomon has undergone an extensive elaboration in different literary traditions. Compared to the Jewish and Muslim legends, a fundamental change of atmosphere can be discerned in the Ethiopian version (Kebra Nagast). The story as recorded in the Kebra Nagast might have had an influence on the traditions of other African peoples. The Lemba in Southern Africa are a very specific group with unique traditions regarding Israelite origins. Their oral traditions provide more information than any written sources. The reciprocity between orality and inscripturation of traditions yields valuable information regarding the possible development of traditions in ancient Israel. This study attempts to make a contribution to our understanding of transculturation, indigenisation, and identity formation. It shows how the Lemba and Ethiopians have constructed their own iconography and set of beliefs around Biblical myths in the context of marginalisation among other African communities.Item African light on the New Moon ceremony(Old Testament Society of South Africa (OTSSA), 2005) Le Roux, MagdelThe endeavour to juxtapose the manners and customs of these two communities (African and early Israel), illuminates the understanding of the practices and rituals of both sides, and it stimulates new questions to be asked about Israel (and Judaism). These kinds of questions cannot be asked of ancient Israel any more and the idea is not to attend to all these questions in this article, but in order to obtain a better understanding of the Old Testament, to suggest that scholars could learn from Africa as a 'living source' about the practices and customs such as sacrifices, festivals, and social structures (especially if they have some connection with ancient Israel). Studying African groups suggests new ways of answering these questions. Some of the Biblical, Mesopotamian and Talmudic textual sources for the Rosh Hodesh (New Moon Festival) and the Sabbath, as well as contemporary Orthodox and African (Lemba) rituals are being reviewed. Some attention is being paid to the changing understanding of the relationship between humans, God and nature. Research into the interpretation of the Sabbath and the possibility that the Sabbath is in some way connected to the custom of the moon cult of the Babylonians and the Canaanites, is strengthened by the same idea which occurs amongst the Lemba (and other groups in Africa) when celebrating the New Moon Festival. A more intensive investigation could yield interesting possibilities and a greater understanding of the Sabbath, early lunar calendars and the system of the sighting of the new moon.Item Ancient Near Eastern influence in sub-Saharan Africa(Institute for Afro-Hellenic studies, 2008) Le Roux, MagdelRecent research shows that the cultural remnants of a more distant past were more faithfully preserved in sub-Saharan Africa than in the societies further north. Striking parallels between extant African cultures and written (as well as oral) testimonies concerning ancient Near Eastern societies can be detected. It becomes clear that in the period preceding the textual evidence of the Middle Ages, African societies were not isolated or self-contained, but that instead they took part on various levels in global exchange. Historians are inclined to attach considerable importance to written sources, while they tend to disregard the stories that are orally transmitted. Lange (and others) disregard the present trend of research (i.e. an African perspective of the African past) and adopt a comparative perspective which leads to the conclusion that the oral traditions which trace the origin of some African states or cultures to the ancient Near East are basically correct.