Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1920-10-21
REVEAL LOST
CHAPTER IN WORLD &
HISTORY 4

Lava preserved the secrets Of Ro-
man civilization in Pompeii; tombs
protected the records Of ancient
Egypt's culture and now there Is pros
pect that some long neglected letters
may reveal one Of the most fascinat-
ing chapters in the historic trail Of the
Jewish people, and incidentally show
that Africa doomed larger In the mid
die ages than modern historians have
realized.
Hitherto Africa has figured not at
all in medieval history. It still was
ia dark continent" when Stanley and
Livingstone penetrated It less than
century ago. Yet, in view Of remark
able documentary discovery made by
Charles de la Ronciere. librarian Of,
the, national library in France, It
would seem Jews of the fifteenth CEN
fury had trading posts in northwest
Africa, and carried on q vast COM
merce with the natives from the Sa-.
1lara to the Atlantic and from, Algeria
to the Niger.
Antonio Malfante. q Genoese citizen,
traversed this region and wrote his
descriptive letters. in 1447, from Tim
buktu and Touat. Timbuktu was the
Chicago Of the west African plains;
and Touat the center Of the camel
caravan traffic that exchanged the
wheat and barley Of Egypt for the
powdered gold Of Timbuktu and the
precious salt from Teghazza. +
All the places visited: by Malfante
were SO well known to the Jews Of
his time that they were listed IN q
Catalan atlas prepared three quarters
Of century earlier for Charles ",
according to NJ. Ronciere. But short
~ after Malfante's visit the Jews were
driven out Of Spain, and since the
Jews were the only ones in Europe
who knew Of the Nigeria country and
apparently permitted no Christian to
enter there except Malfante the Jew
Lab knowledge was lost Ia Europe. Not
until Dr.. Gerhard Rohlfs began his
explorations in 8 Algeria and Morocco
In 1850 did the rest Of the world again
form a contact with the extensive re-
gions Of Malfante's travels.
Landing at a point west Of Algiers,
Malfante worked his way south to
'l'rouat, which Rohlfs believed himself
to have been the first European to Wis
It. Yet Malfante dated his first letter
from there four centuries earlier.
Touat was an oasis, containing from
$50 to 200 villages, which together
Formed b vast commercial center.
Each had chief. Travellers became
tie guests Of these chiefs and NAL
fante reported their protection. SUI
perior to that 10 states like Temcen
and Tunis. One Of these towns was
:rametit. now decayed village. whose
people still recall the Jewish epoch.
Arabian invaders earlier had routed
the Jews, who were masters Of the
Sahara and whose empire extended
south to the Niger. Tametit. Malfante
wrote. sheltered both Jews and NO
hammedans. who lived III harmony :
The native negroes valued copper
highly, Malfante stated, and used It
for money. Pronteering, apparently,
~ NOT 70 modern vice. " lalfante COM
iplained, The people here do not want
10 transact any business II they do not
max sc0mmission of 100 per- cent.s..
And their business No. 90 q big scale,
at that. Halt Q million head Of cattle.
TO mention hut one item. were brought
to market In the caravan season.
Pushing on 10 Timbuktu, Malfante's
h<,a& $50 thn h,eoAs,nS ~ !. .,.n|.HuE.SSe