Lemba

The Lemba or Lembaa are a tribe of people in southern Africa. Although they speak Bantu languages similar to their neighbours, they have specific religious practices similar to those in Judaism, and a tradition of being a migrant people with clues pointing to an origin in the Middle East or North Africa. According to the oral history of the Lemba their ancestors were Jews who came from a place called Sena several hundred years ago and settled in East Africa. According to the research of British researcher Tudor Parfitt, the location of Sena more than likely was in Yemen. The Lemba may have a connection with Great Zimbabwe. In recent times, they have established a synagogue with their own rabbis.

The Lemba have restrictions on intermarriage with non-Lemba, with it being particularly difficult for male non-Lemba to become part of the tribe. The presence among the Lemba of a disproportionate number of men carrying a particular polymorphism on the Y chromosome known as the Cohen modal haplotype suggests an ancestral link to the Jewish population. One sub-clan within the Lemba, the Buba clan, is considered by the Lemba to be their priestly clan. Among the Buba, fifty-two percent of males carry the Cohen modal haplotype, which is found among Jewish Kohanim, or priests. The Lemba also have a large percentage of genes often found in non-Arab Semites.