Richard Andrews meets a professor who is trying to solve an ancient mystery dating back to the days of the Old Testament. His search for answers has led him to PNG’s Western Province.

Dr Tudor Parfitt at a Gogodala village in Western Province. Credit: Tim Long/Florida International University

Has Dr Tudor Parfitt solved a mystery that dates back to the days of the Old Testament? The British professor of religious studies has studied a Western Province community that identifies as one of the 10 Lost Tribes exiled from the Kingdom of Israel about 2800 years ago.

“The Gogodala keep a form of Jewish culture, celebrate Jewish holidays and wear yarmulkes and prayer shawls,” says Parfitt. “Some members are seeking a return to Israel.”

Based at Florida International University in the US, Parfitt has led research groups to villages around Western Province’s Balimo region and maintained contact with the Gogodala since 2003.

The story started when a community member knocked on Parfitt’s hotel door when he was in Sydney for a lecture about his work.

Parfitt was presented with a big hat containing dozens of hairs plucked from the heads of Gogodala members. He was asked to arrange DNA testing to prove their Jewish origins.

“Genetic connection was never very likely, but the idea was irresistible and inspired three research trips to Balimo,” he says.

It’s a classic project for the widely publicised professor, dubbed the ‘British Indiana Jones’. Like the Hollywood movie hero, Parfitt is known for his adventurous expeditions around the world as he delves into Old Testament legends, while avoiding snakes at all cost. He’s been beaten up by angry witch doctors, escaped drowning and downed shots of questionable jungle alcohol in village parties.

The author of more than 30 academically respected books, Parfitt has also written about the search for the Ark of the Covenant: a revered religious artifact with supposed supernatural powers and the focus of the first Indiana Jones movie.

“The Gogodala claimed the Ark was located in a lagoon close to their village, with reported sightings of fire and smoke belching out of it,” says Parfitt.

“We took their narrative at face value, which you should always do, and called in some Australian divers. The Ark wasn’t there, but the locals were convinced we hadn’t tried hard enough.”

Another disappointment came when genetic tests returned with inconclusive results about any trace of Jewish origin in Gogodala DNA.

“It was a slightly anxious experience to break the news to a heavily armed group gathered in the village,” says Parfitt. “The results were not exactly what they wanted to hear.”

Nevertheless, the community maintained belief in their Lost Tribe origins.

Parfitt included two New York rabbis in one research team, who explained what was involved if the Gogodala wanted to practise Judaism. Parfitt explained that they formed part of a worldwide community of millions of people who have adopted the Jewish religion and identity.

Early European explorers, such as William Dampier, also thought they found descendants of the Ten Tribes of Israel in New Guinea and other Pacific islands.

According to one theory, many Jews travelled to Peru when they were expelled from Spain and Portugal during the Inquisition in the 15th and 16th centuries. When the Inquisition followed them, some fled to Japan and then Pacific islands, where they intermarried with locals.

Parfitt plans to visit West Papua, which has groups that claim links to Jews who escaped the Inquisition in Peru during the 16th to 19th centuries.

However, Parfitt attributes the adoption of Judaism by the Gogodala, in part, to the influence of missionaries.

“The Gogodala had a traditional belief system called Aida, which had a few similarities to Judaism,” he says. “As a result, various missionaries thought they must be a Lost Tribe, told them to reach out to Israel and start practising some kind of Judaism – while believing in Jesus.”

“In some cases, creating excitement that the Gogodala were Children of Israel was also a way of raising support for missions in PNG.”

Parfitt is writing a book about the worldwide phenomenon of emerging Jewish communities wanting to return to the Holy Land for religious or economic reasons.

“I’ve told Israel they should take at least half a dozen Gogodala to improve their national rugby team and make it to the World Cup,” he says. “They’re fabulously good and convincingly defeated some university players we took there for an epic game on a muddy field.”