Lost Tribes InstituteEst. 2024

Lost Tribes Institute

Tracing the scattered tribes of Israel among the nations

The Lost Tribes Institute is a network of scholars working with indigenous nations and other peoples who say they descend from the tribes of Israel's northern kingdom, exiled in the 8th century BC. Their traditions often carry biblical stories and customs of their own. The Institute organizes round tables and symposiums across Asia and publishes what is presented.

70ethnic claims mapped
263books, papers & videos
7symposiums since 2006
17books from the Institute

Nations and peoples who say they come from ancient Israel

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Communities, synagogues, churches, researchers, writers, university departments and YouTube channels around the world argue that a particular people descends from the ancient tribes of Israel. The register collects those claims, from rabbinic recognitions and old travel accounts to self-published books and online video, and puts each one on the map with the reasons given and the people who give them.

  • The Americas15
  • Europe5
  • Middle East, Caucasus & Central Asia11
  • South Asia10
  • East & Southeast Asia7
  • Pacific5
  • Africa17

Peoples we work with

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The promised return

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The term “Lost Tribes” never appears in Scripture. What the Prophets do say, many times, is that the scattered northern tribes will one day come back, and that the houses of Israel and Judah will be joined again.

Recent books

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Margot Crossing

Founder

Independent researcher of the Zo peoples of Mizoram and Manipur, the hill tribes of Myanmar, the Q'iang of southwest China and the Kyrgyz. Author of the “Lost Book Peoples” studies and From Promise to Restoration.

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Richard Hewitt (Risbek)

Researcher and speaker

Lived in Kyrgyzstan from 1994 to 2013. Speaker at symposiums hosted by Kyrgyzstan's Ministry of Culture and author of books on the Kyrgyz, Scripture and the nations.

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