Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-01-30
A DISCOVERY IN AFRICA.


The details Of an exceedingly inter-
cFtlng discovery In German East Africa
are given IN the Munich Allgemeino
Zeltung, q condensed account of which
is found IN Literary Digest Of Jan, q,
According 20 this account Captain
Merlxer, OF the colonial troops, has
been studying the character and tradl-
lions of the Nasal people, and arrived
M the conclusion that this peculiar
african race must be Of Semitic origin
and consequently the near kin Of the
Hebrews and Arabs He also believes
that they separated themselves from
the rest OF the race as early as per-
hnps 1000 3. G.
lie bases his conclusions on several
facts Their religion, he says, is, IN
contrast with that OF the negro tribes,
pure monothclsm Their God Is called
'Ng al and Is represented as bodily
being The Nasal are not allowed to
make any image Of their supreme be-
ms. They regard themselves as the
chosen people Of God and believe that
all other peoples are to be subject to
them After death a protecting angel,
who accompanies every Nasal takes
the departed soul into the land OF the
clouds, AT the gates Of this country
'Ng az determines what the fate Of the
foul shall be- The good are admitted
to paradise, but evil men are driven
into a dreary desert
Captain Merker found that this peo-
pie had traditions Of the creation, tho
fall Of man. and the deluge, which they
could not have derived from the He
brew Scriptures According to their
IDEAS, the world was originally a void
aud dreOry desert In which a dragon
did as he pleased. God descended from
heaven and fought the dragon and
conquered him through his blood, which
became water, by which the dry desert
was watered and made fruitful. There
where the contest had taken place
Paradise was established, Then G d
created merely by the word OF his
command, the sum- the moon, the stars,
the plants, the animals, and, last Of all
the first human couple. The man He
gent from heaven. but the woman, at
the command OF God, came forth from
tho earth. In Paradise where they
both lived they were without care
'Ng al permitted them to ent OF all Of
the fruit Of the garden but the fruit
Of single tree they were not to touch
God frequently paid a visit to the first
pair. one day He did not ind them
at once and finally discovered them
hiding amid the bushes. When ques-
toned the man finally confessed that
they We're ashamed because they had
eaten OF the forbidden fruit, saying that
the woman had been the first to do 80,
The latter IN turn blamed the three
headed serpent In anger 'Ng al ban
lshed the man and woman from Para
disc, and sent the morning-star to pro-
tect the garden against them. The ira
dItIons Of the Nasal tell also Of set
Of commands that 'Ng al declared to
their forefathers from the mountains.
According to them, among the COM
mands are the following;
"There is but one God, lie has sent
me IAN angel Is represented as speak
inRl You have so far called Him
Emajan Qhe one that forgives) or
Emagelam (the Almighty; but now
you shall call Him 'Ng al, We shall
make no image OF 'Ng al, If you fol-
low His commands II will be well with
you; If not, He win punish you with
famine and pestilence"
The explorer discusses several theories
TO account for the origin Of the people
with these interesting traditions, and
comes as already stated to the con-
cluson that they are Of Semitic stock,
and that these traditions go back to
hoary antiquity when the Semltes
were all one people with one common
creed, Nasal he says, have distinct
lecollections Of a people called Amoroi
and one called El-eberel the former
being Identified by Merker with the
Amorltes ana the latter with the He
brews
The latter word El-Eberel, ~ OF
Semitic origin, would undoubtedly re.
fer TO a people beyond the sea, and
suggests the question whether the dis
covery OF this race IN Africa does not
strongly support the theory Of August
lie Plongeon concerning the origin OF CT
yiization and the cradle Of the human
race, As is known BY students Of his
works on American antiquities he be-
lieyes that the first human ancestors
lived In this hemisphere; here the tra-
gedy OF Cain and Abel was enacted and
from here emigrauts even before tho
doluge, proceeded 20 East Africa, aud
then across that continent 10 the Nile
valley where The Sphinx was erected
as "a memorial 10 the murdered Abel,
Captain Merker's discovery would
give support to this bold theory which
by the way seems In harmony with the
teachings Of the Latter-day Saints
concerning the place this country has
had In the past dispensatlous OF the
Almighty Africa has so far been as
sealed book to the world As It's
mysteries are being unfolded, new
light win no doubt be shed upon many
important subjects.
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