Alice C. Linsley
"Was Abraham a black man?"
People often ask that question once they recognize that Abraham's ancestors came out of Africa. The question reveals some misconceptions that should be addressed.
Misconception: Black populations are genetically unrelated to other populations.
Molecular genetics has demonstrated that all humans living today have common ancestry and the point of origin of our first ancestors is Africa. From the beginning of human existence, there has been genetic diversity. Even today, Africa has the greatest genetic (and linguistic) diversity of any continent.
Misconception: Africa is populated by "black" people.
Human populations in Africa always have had a great range of physical appearance. Even today Africa has the greatest genetic diversity of anywhere on Earth. For example, in antiquity there were both red and black Nubians. They preserved their distinctive color by marrying within their own type, but the red and black Nubians were one people, a moiety. A moiety refers to each of two social or ritual groups into which a people is divided, especially among Australian Aborigines, some American Indians, and the ancient Nubians.
Misconception: Black populations are genetically unrelated to other populations.
Molecular genetics has demonstrated that all humans living today have common ancestry and the point of origin of our first ancestors is Africa. From the beginning of human existence, there has been genetic diversity. Even today, Africa has the greatest genetic (and linguistic) diversity of any continent.
Misconception: Africa is populated by "black" people.
Human populations in Africa always have had a great range of physical appearance. Even today Africa has the greatest genetic diversity of anywhere on Earth. For example, in antiquity there were both red and black Nubians. They preserved their distinctive color by marrying within their own type, but the red and black Nubians were one people, a moiety. A moiety refers to each of two social or ritual groups into which a people is divided, especially among Australian Aborigines, some American Indians, and the ancient Nubians.
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| Red and black Nubians Detail from a Champollion drawing |
Even among the red and black Nubians there was a range of skin tone. These red Nubian warriors are an example. Their wavy black hair and feathers resemble the Nabatean warriors of Edom. The Edomites were known to have a reddish skin tone.
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| Image: Dr. Arthur Brack |
Note that siblings, even twins, could have been born with quite different skin color and hair types.
The Book of Genesis indicates that Abraham was a descendant of Adam, a red man. Abraham's territory was in Edom, what the Greeks called Idumea, meaning "land of red people."
Since Abraham was a ruler in Edom, it is likely that he had a red skin tone. That is how one of Abraham's great grandsons is described. Esau is listed in the Edomite ruling line in Genesis 36. These were Horite Hebrew chiefs, many of whom were descendants of Seir the Horite Hebrew.
Abraham's Territory
Abraham's territory extended on a north-south axis between the settlements of his two wives. Hebron Sarah lived in Hebron, and Keturah lived in Beersheba. Both were in ancient Idumea/Edom. High-ranking Hebrew rulers commonly had two wives, and their settlements marked the northern and southern boundaries of the ruler's territory.
Abraham's territory extended on a north-south axis between the settlements of his two wives. Hebron Sarah lived in Hebron, and Keturah lived in Beersheba. Both were in ancient Idumea/Edom. High-ranking Hebrew rulers commonly had two wives, and their settlements marked the northern and southern boundaries of the ruler's territory.
Abraham's Ancestry
Haplogroup R1b, also known as haplogroup R-M343, is the most frequently occurring Y chromosome haplogroup in Western Europe, some parts of Russia (the Bashkir minority), Central Asia, the region of Lake Chad (Noah's homeland), and along the Upper Nile. The oldest known site of Horite Hebrew worship was at Nekhen on the Nile (c. 4000 BC).
This answer to the question "Was Abraham a black man?" we must consider the biblical data. Abraham was a descendant of Adam, a red man. He is a descendant of Noah who ruled over a territory in the region of Lake Chad. That region is named for Noah: Borno or Benue. The local Kanuri people refer to Lake Chad as Buhar Nuhu, meaning "Sea of Noah." The Lake Chad area is one of two regions in Africa where a strong strain of Haplogroup R1b (Y-DNA is found.
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1 comment:
The Hebrew were a ruler-priest caste that practiced endogamy. This pattern of intermarriage between the descendants of two brothers is found throughout the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament). The descendants of Cain and Seth intermarried. The descendants of Ham and Shem intermarried, and the descendants of Abraham and his brother Nahor intermarried.
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