Resumo

HOLTER, Knut. The Maasai and the ancient Israelites: an early 20th century interpretation of the Maasai in German East Africa. Scriptura [online]. 2017, vol.116, pp.66-74. ISSN 2305-445X.  http://dx.doi.org/10.7833/116-2-1314.

The idea that a certain ethnic or social group is historically related to the ancient Israelites is a widespread phenomenon in Africa. In some cases the identification is made from a 'we '-perspective about 'our' group, such as the Lembas in Zimbabwe and South Africa. In other cases it is made from a 'they '-perspective about 'their' group, such as Moritz Merker' s claim about the Maasai of East Africa. Merker served as a colonial officer in German East Africa, and his Die Masai: Ethnographische Monographie eines ostafrikanischen Semitenvolkes (1904, 1910²) is generally seen as the first ethnographic study of the Maasai, and as such it continues to receive attention. However, the ethnographic focus of the book is framed by a discussion about the past of the Maasai, arguing - with reference to contemporary German Assyriology and Biblical Studies - that they are a Semitic people originating in Arabia and sharing roots with the ancient Israelites. The article discusses Merker' s claim and argues that its central idea of a non-African background of the Maasai reflects Merker's colonial, interpretive context.

Palavras-chave : Bible; Colonial Interpretation; Maasai; Moritz Merker; Postcolonial Interpretation.

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