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The Jewish Ancestors of Colorado’s Indians

from Xinhua News

 Mesa Verde Indians descended from Jewish ancestors
 The idea that Native Americans are descendents of the “lost tribes” is a fundamental part of Mormonism and intrinsic to a lot of British and American ideas about the relationship of ancient Israel to the idealistic view of our own cultures.  There have even been serious questions about whether Jefferson was inspired by Cherokee democracy.

Of course genetics does not transmit family history or Jewish culture.  On the other hand a knowledge of our genetics can lead some of us to explore a root we might not known we had. In my own case I have used genetics to corroborate some family legends of an origin form Spain and gotten surprises about relationships to the Cro Magnon!

For Native Americans, Jewish roots have been important because of the fascination people like Jefferson had with the “noble savage” while seeing Jews through the lens of European anti-Semitic traditions.   In the American Southwest, as Jews fled there from the Inquisition, this must have been different.

For a good review of the 19th century fascination with the Jewishness of Native Americans, readmore here.  For more on the Jeiwsh Indians of Colorado, readmore here. 

JERUSALEM, May 30 (Xinhua) — Geneticists at an Israeli hospital said they have found a unique Jewish genetic mutation among an American Indian tribe, indicating that they are descendants of Jews expelled from Spain 600 years ago, local Haaretz daily reported on Wednesday.Indian tribes - Reuters - May 30, 2012

The findings of the study, conducted at the Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv, show that a group of Indians from the State of Colorado bear the so-called “Ashkenazi mutation,” on the BRCA1 gene – a marker unique to European Jews.

While such so-called “secret Jews,” or “Anusim” in Hebrew, whose families assimilated into various north and south American cultures hundreds of years ago after journeying to the New World are more and more known, this is the first time an Indian tribe has shown the gene.

Those Jews were believed to be descendants of a Jewish man who left Europe and settled in south America about 600 years ago – likely among the hundreds of thousands of Jews expelled by Spain in 1492, and possibly among those who sailed with Christopher Columbus, according to the report, which appears in the European Journal of Human Genetics.

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Posted 12 Sep 2012 by theaveeditor in America, China, Jews

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0 Comments Add Yours ↓

  1. Shay #
    12.07.2012 22:25
    1

    There is discussion here at this website you might be interested in.

  2. theaveeditor #
    01.12.2014 12:09
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    You never posted a URL


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